The Female Figure

This week we've begun working with clay. As I've been experimenting in my journal with the female figure in an attempt to express mother nature, I began with that. I partially carved the figure within the clay, pushing back any excess but not removing the figure completely from the clay. I kept her half submerged in the rock. I was hoping to convey the idea of a woman that was still connected with the earth and a part of it. I do believe the idea is obvious, however I'm not entirely pleased with the end product so I may avoid firing it. I do think it was important to allow my theme to progress. Keeping to the theme of the earth is my mother I created an image of a woman cradling the world. I wanted the piece to project how close I was to the subject and how it exists, for many, as a part of everyday life. Therefore, I manipulated the image into a teapot. I used a coiling technique and, unfortunately, it was not as precise as I had hoped but I am still pleased with the experimentation, though it could have been neater. So far this week, this is the only experimentation I've done with clay.