Debut Solo Show Diary: Volume 3 - Art is pain
It's often said that one must suffer for their art, for it to truly resonate. While this adage usually speaks to the emotional turmoil or anguish that bleeds from the artist into their creations, in my case with this series, the suffering has been decidedly physical.
In my last diary entry, I shared the saga of sculpting nipples from clay. This week, my fingers have been staging a full-on rebellion, cramping as I sanded each of the baked nips one by one, by hand.
I explored all sorts of machines and gadgets to ease my plight—hand sanders, electric nail files, you name it—but none were up to snuff. My trusty sanding blocks, though, stood by me. I adore these little troopers. Not only do I use them to smooth out layers of gesso on boards before I start painting, but I've also found them to be durable, somewhat comfortable (at least initially), and excellent for achieving a smooth finish.
I can say, without a shadow of a doubt, sanding 500 individual sculptures was a Herculean task, and one that's pushed me to seek out longer-term solutions. But it's finished. I need to take a break and let the blood return to my hands - if anyone has any tips for weary hands, feel free to pass them on!!
If you want to see what the first edition of 'Just a nipple' looks like, you can see them here.