After finishing up a few smaller pieces, I was finally ready to get started on some larger sculptures. I began taking yoga this past January at a local place called V3 and have thoroughly enjoyed it! Some of the poses can be so elegant, and this became my inspiration to create a life sized sculpture of a yoga pose. Searching the internet for images, I kept coming back to one dramatic pose. It is a "seated pose", which would be perfect so that I wouldn't have to deal with the balancing of a standing figure for my first large sculpture.
My Yoga instructor, Leigh Ann said the pose is called: “Eka Pada Rajakapotasana, which translates as, One-Legged King Pigeon Posture. It is also sometimes called Royal Pigeon or Queen Pigeon”. I started the sculpture before I had seen the pose done in real life. I found I needed a model to look at because the photos on the web were of only one or two angles. So I asked for Leigh Ann to let me take photos of her to use for reference.
I used the same techniques I have used in the past to make my smaller pieces. I made a core out of foam, coated it, mosaiced it, and then grouted it. Armed with saws, hot wire cutting tools, rasps, and a ventilation mask, I built up a large piece of foam and then began to carve it with Hot wire tools. I started the project in the middle of winter in our unheated garage. I was all bundled up and looked like the Michelin Man in a ventilation mask. It must have been quite a silly sight đŸ™‚
The carving process took two about months; surprisingly with only a few difficulties. She has no internal frame, so I wanted all the skinnier and delicate parts of her to attach to the main body of the sculpture. If you look at it, you will see how her hands are attached to her hair and her foot, making her structurally sound. When the foam was all cut, carved, and coated, I was all ready for the mosaic to begin!
At first, I really had no set plan for the colors or patterning on her, so it was a new challenge most every day! So much fun to create. I finally decided on a tattoo style with a Maori theme. The surface area of a piece this size is deceivingly big and I ended up using an incredible amount of glass to cover her up! However, I really love how this piece came out.
photo by Justin Steiner
More photos here,
http://elizabeth-klevens.smugmug.com/Art/Mosaics/Yoga-Sculpture/16555335_rJrkjb#1555701223_GqFcDbb