Visualizing in a Liquid Array Way
Freezing a bear doesn’t hut the bear. Animals are called animals for a reason. Because they can animate. Move about freely. As subjects of visual art, it becomes necessary to stop the motion for purposes of composition. This can be done many times, through the use of photographs of the subject. But using pictures has a tendency to “cramp the style” of the artist due to the limited selection of source material. I prefer to accomplish the same through study of the anatomy of the creature. I do this to the point I can have free will and command of presenting him in the pose I have envisioned for him. But strangely I do this from a picture in my mind of an animal in motion.
I first imagine the subject, for example, as each limb traverses its full range of motion at any point of movement of the entire body. Visualizing each body joint as a fixed point for a pendulum action invited by that segment of the body. When I start removing wood. I begin by leaving behind only that wood which will allow me to render the entire range of motion of that particular segment. Does it sound complex? Well, it more than sounds complex, because it is complex. To get a idea, imagine releasing a dozen ping pong balls in a room. Then while keeping you eye on each one of them at the same time. determine where they are headed, by observing former path of travel. Of course with the sculpture, each picture the mind holds, of the travels of each ball, remains frozen for that moment. So there is time to calculate the next path.
The bear pictured, is sitting. But the action I see is him, as I carve, is the actual act of sitting in progress.
Freezing the Bear
At any rate, that is how you freeze a bear in wood. Or at least that’s how I do it. Using this process, allows me to accomplish the positioning of a bear as shown, to be developed on the fly. It allows be to adapt the body and limbs in an array that will converge to the center of the composition, and not detach or distort as the process continues. It is all about keeping things liquid until they gradually become frozen in position at completion. Visualizing the progression of the composition in liquid array as long as possible.