mavis ehlert - an introduction to sculpture

MAVIS EHLERT – AN INTRODUCTION TO SCULPTURE There are many methods and materials used in the making of a piece of sculpture, and these I shall list for you. However, the most important ingredients are the desire and inspiration without which one cannot get started. Having a mental vision of what one wishes to create the next step is to decide on a suitable material in which to bring it into three-dimensional form. Materials are all around us. Look about the home and observe the material in which things are made. I see: A saucepan – metal – welded or poured Cupboard – wood – carved or built up Bucket – plastic – poured into mold Shade – Fibreglass – layered with epoxy into a mold Repaired china – epoxy – potters wheel Windowpanes – glass – bonded, blown or poured Walls – plaster – cast and chipped or poured Basket – straw – woven Gloves – rubber – poured liquid Handbag – leather – softened and pressed into a mold or stitched Mugs and pots – clay – fired or cast Books – paper – papier-mache Blankets – wool – woven Clothes – fabric – stitched or glued Windowsill – cement – cast poured into mold All these materials may be used to create sculptures. What you use depends on the durability or finish you require. My choice is clay. With it I feel free and creative. I feel, marvelously, that I can make anything with it. Even a house! Well, bricks anyway. I like to feel shapes forming through my fingertips. However, having Modeled my sculpture in soft clay, it still has to be made permanent. To do this I can either fire it in a kiln, Or make a mold from it and cast it in one of the above casting materials. The ideal permanent material is Bronze which is a mixture of copper, tin, lead and zinc. I have my casting done at a foundry - expensive but beautiful. Finish or patina is important. Personally I think a natural finish is most effective, leaving the fired clay as It comes out of the kiln. Bronzes can be coloured and waxed according to taste. When all steps are Completed, a base may be made, again choosing a material to harmonize with the sculpture. Marble, wood, Plexiglas, or cement are some possibilities. When all these processes come together, a good piece of sculpture is achieved.