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I was interested in learning more about welding, so I decided to make a tiered cake form out of steel rods. I envisioned it being a frame that would hold some clay pieces.
I caste a face and made a torso that would fit into the top. The figure has no arms, but the top of her head is adorned with a green sea anemone and a clown fish. I created octopus tentacles that are attached to the bottom of the torso. These tentacles then weave their way in and out of the frame. She stands three and a half feet tall.
The frame is covered with cloth and with an encaustic treatment over that. I left small oval windows with a sheer mesh fabric to the cover. This way the viewer could still see through to where the tentacles were inside. I also cut strips of transparent fabric as a covering for the bottom layer in order to simulate seaweed.
As I worked on the piece, everything about it reminded me of trips I had gone on where I was able to go snorkeling in the coral reefs. This sculpture is about my love and fascination with the ocean and its creatures. There really is no place on earth I would rather be. I remember my feeling of tranquility as I gently floated with the angelfish and discovered only things I had dreamed about. The body of this figure is making a transformation into an octopus. The land creature arms have fallen away and the legs have changed into more useful appendages for going to the sea. It is about imagination and the want to never have to leave the beauty of a magical place. The dress and the frame are reminders of being trapped in an earthly body and only having the privilege to visit such a place.
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