‘I’m the head, not the tail’ 2016
The last time I created a clay sculpture I was in high school, and Lionel Richie was singing ‘Hello’, and my hair was exactly like the girl in the video. Hahaha. #memories. Today I end sculpting this head and am ready for my next stage of this process, decisions, decisions, I am currently looking into the casting in plaster or another medium or the glazing process, and then what type. Dip or brush on… So do I cast or glaze?
I didn’t create to cast, but what works the best is what I will go with – to get the desired result I’m hoping to achieve. As I sculpt, I do kinda have a vision, but at the same time am free to let my workflow – in whatever direction. I approach and make my art, from my cultural lens, and then I research art and the artists. This process for me confirms, my thoughts processes and gives me encouragement too. In relation to my current artwork, I have found two Buddha heads that had the same or similar hair type as my artwork is illustrating the Black physiognomy and identity. Unfortunately, I am unable, well for the time being, to find who created them or the year. However, I’m still searching.
Unknown titles of Buddha’s,
Aleix Barbat and The Bronze Woman. Photograph: Frank Baron
As I continue with my research, I am reminded of a woman sculpture that is in London I recall standing and being well chuffed at its presence.
Mrs. Cécile Nobrega’s 30-year dream came true; her heart’s desire was to have a sculpture that represented African Caribbean Woman. The first public sculpture of a black woman to be on permanent display in England. Nobrega wrote a poem, titled, ‘The Bronze Woman’ it is a tribute to womanhood and the spirit and courage of black women in the face of slavery and oppression. The 3-metre (10ft) sculpture of a black mother and baby was cast in Bronze, and it is situated in Stockwell Memorial Gardens, South London. May 2008, marked the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade in the British Empire. (Gould, 2008). Aleix Barbat, finished off the sculpture, as Artist, Ian Walters, began this initially, but he died in 2006, he was also the sculpture who sculpted Nelson Mandela, which is situated in Parlament Square, London.
Cécile Nobrega, 1919 – 2013 Thank you for the legacy.
