With the patina of age

I ended my last post lamenting on the death of the plaster as against the life of the clay. My half life-size relief of Naomi dates from last year and the plaster cast that followed the clay sketch was a disappointment. (Go to back my post dated 19th August 1019 to see the clay sketch.)  But given time to reassess the work and giving the plaster cast time to begin to acquiring the patina of age - albeit less than a year - the end result begins to meet my expectations. I visualised the sculpture as being equivalent to the images of Saints that nestle in the niches of church walls - pure and simple. I can now see it fulfilling that role.

The sculptor Auguste Rodin (1840-1917) was the master of the clay sketch, and in particular the female nude. Many of his pieces remained as plaster casts during his lifetime. It was not until more recent years that they were cast in bronze.

The bronze cast of a kneeling figure by Auguste Rodin