Tuesday, March 09, 2010

Today is very windy, with fallen trees, rolling trash bins and little bits flying all around. There are moments---looking out of the studio's south window---when I could be Dorothy, dream-flying in black and white. I'm sculpting a poppet caught in a windstorm, which is one of those parts of work that doesn't feel like work at all.



Last week I finished an edition of 'Resonant Kiss." The finished sculpture looks like this.


I really liked this particular image of the work-in-progress. Possibly it's the negative black space around them. Perhaps the slight out-of-focus makes it more sinister. Maybe I'm full of crap. I don't know. I like it and thought you might too.


This weekend I watched the documentary "Addicted to Plastic." The experience for me was a bit of a roller coaster of 'we're totally fucked' and 'we're starting to figure things out.' It was somewhat balanced, so I came away from it feeling informed, but not panicked.

Then I did a little old-fashioned channel surfing. After about an hour, I immediately went to work on a new Poppet. It made me feel a little better, but not great for Poppet.
A little gas mask made up for it. (care tip: Poppets don't like more than thirty minutes of television at a time)
Then I decided to make gas masks for other Poppets too, which is good, because gas masks are small and require only small tools. I can sculpt them on a tray in my lap, with my feet up, in my pajamas, with a nice hot toddy by the fire.

...while watching documentaries. So time flew and I made quite a number of masks. Other Poppets could have them too.

When I was done, I decided to watch some television. But I've seen all four episodes of Survivors (the 2008 series), so I put a little Irish in my toddy, and got a book.

8 comments:

Melissa P said...

No, you are not full of crap. That black and white picture has the perfect macabre feeling.

It's a bit heartrending to see a despairing poppet but I'm glad you got some therapy out of it.

David Niall Wilson said...

I like the gas masks...and had to go up and stare at my own copy of Resonant Kiss for a while...bought so long ago. I love that piece.

Then I went looking for this:

Resonant Kiss

By David Niall Wilson
Inspired by the sculpture of the same name by Lisa Snelling
8:14 February 12, 2002


She sat rigid,
Legs curving gently as
The arched spine of the chair
pressed to her back.
The light was dim – and deep,
It seeped about her, curling with
The smoke of three dozen candles
flickering . . . dancing . . .
No music, and yet, they danced.
The sound floated softly on the breeze,
swirling in through a window,
Dropping from somewhere far above,
or rising from below.
He played for her each night,
and each night the sounds resonated
within her soul....
Each night she felt him nearer,
wrapping tightly
Binding with the subtle ties
of sound, and passion
brushing through her mind to
Erase thought and
Replace it with heat.
The feather brush of fingers,
flying note to note to skin to soul
and steady, rhythmic strokes
of soft bow strings
Teased her relentlessly
With whispered words
Just out of reach,
And a face that wavered
On the periphery
of consciousness.
He played
And her head dropped back,
Long hair draping over the chair,
nearly to the floor,
Her eyes closed to the lonely night

Her world an echo of notes,
Drifting
In the arms of the night.
Somewhere far above,
or below,
he caressed the curved neck of his instrument,
eyes closed and fingers lingering
against the vibration,
bow flinging his heart to the sky
He acknowledged her sacrifice,
clasping the wooden frame of his magic
Tightly between his thighs,
and dreaming - -
of her eyes.

lisa said...

Melissa P: I dunno. Poppet looked pretty darned content once the gas mask went on.

David: Thanks Dood!

Melissa P said...

Yeah, I guess the despairing part is probably due to the human's perception.

ravyn said...

i love love LOVE your black and white in betweens! i think my all-time favorite is the black and white of Relic V. And maybe my second favorite isn't an in between so much as your drawing based on Resonant Kiss, called The Art of Indiscretion.

So please keep recording the process, and sharing with us!

David, what a compelling companion for this magnetic piece!

Diandra said...

That sculpture is lovely! And only a tiny bit weird...

(The WTF Poppet now has a lovely home between all kinds of plants and books. And far away from the cats. I'll try to remember the bit about TV.)

David Niall Wilson said...

Ravyn,

Honestly, though I'd run into her before, that convention was the first time I actually met Lisa and spent time looking at her work. It has inspired me more than once...

David

Carl V. Anderson said...

I think you are right, that picture does make the sculpture look more sinister. It is like he has this strange glow on his face too, and I wonder just what he is looking at.

I love documentaries. They really make me appreciate a film makers talent, because the very best of them, even if relatively short, can elicit such strong emotion and make you care about things you might not have even thought seriously about before. I'm so thankful for Netflix and all the 'watch instantly' documentaries they have available. Perfect to fill a few hours and I feel less like I've wasted time because I come away knowing something new, or from a new perspective.