This blog entry is Part 2 of a multipart series.
Though Nicola and I were close, I don't ever recall her being artistic. I don't remember doing anything crafty with her, only galloping around and always seeking out anything horse. It doesn't make me feel as bad for not remembering if my family ever invited her to The Gardiner Museum, a ceramics museum in downtown Toronto that offered, at least at the time, free sculpting and firing of ceramics for kids. It was there that my ex step mother took me (dragged me) and I was thrown into the world of sculpting. I took to it like fish to water and my first attempt was a lying down pegasus with wings outstretched. No armature. I think he was a light grey and I know that he was supported by clay supports to hold him up as the clay was soft. I'm sad that I don't have any photos or the finished piece anymore as a source of reference. I'm also sad I never went back for a second try and I haven't returned since.
Though I had that first taste of sculpting, I didn't return to it until maybe 10 years later when I decided to try sculpting a polymer clay horse. I was working on getting into The Ontario College of Art and Design University (OCAD) when I was 20, and I needed new portfolio pieces. The online guideline recommended to show a wide variety in techniques and mediums, so I went all out and tried a bunch of things. What came out of that experimental phase was Grenade.
At the time, Grenade was still young and in training to be a racehorse. I decided to use him as a subject for third ever horse sculpture. I say third because honestly I did have one more go a few years previously with a sorry excuse of a clydesdale... another which I don't have a photo of. Anyways, this time, using an armature, I went as detailed as I could for the limited amount of time that I had. The result was a horse for sure, but at the time I didn't know about the proper paints, sealant, or anything remotely in that category. I mean, Grenade wasn't a disgrace and he actually got me into university so there is that. I still have him lying around and maybe one day I will get around to a real Grenade... definitely one day.
This time will be different. This time will be more advanced with the proper tools, the proper materials, and guaranteed the proper reference photos. This little Grenade attempt, the janky clydesdale, and the pegasus were all trials for what is to come. It's true, that's all I have to my name in the sculpting world, but I definetly plan to push myself to the edge and create the best possible results I can. Wish me luck!
This series will be continued.