Feminine Figures, A Study on Femininity

These works are meant to highlight the way feminine figures are perceived through texture and color. I want to display feminine figures in vulnerable positions while still allowing them to be beautiful. I have always been attracted to works with interesting textures and bright colors, so I wanted to incorporate those ideas into my work. The malnourished appearance of the feminine figures is meant to juxtapose the bright energy of the colorful work. I have taken inspiration from iconic artists such as Giacometti, who use similarly shaped bronze, thin figures in their work. I have also taken inspiration from ancient Roman sculptures, which can be seen in the wings of the sculptures. These works are made from armature wire, wax, plaster bandages, heavy gloss gel, as well as acrylic paint, and are mounted on wooden boards and styrofoam.

My process began with simple armature wire and plaster bandage stick figures, and then developed into more elongated figures covered in wax. I was inspired by the color story used in Euphoria, as there are lots of pinks, blues, and reds used in my work. These colors are very moody and help to get the viewer thinking about the figures they are looking at. From there, I decided to figure out how to evolve my work to make it look cleaner. I concluded that changing the bases of my sculptures from styrofoam to wooden boards made the works nicer. I originally planned on all of my works being full depictions of figures, but found that smaller portions of figures made for a more intimate viewer experience. The Wing motif was inspired by Greek and Roman sculpture, which I find to be a very feminine touch.  I also experimented with size, as some of my works are quite small while others are pretty large. Throughout the process, I fell in love with the blank white space of the boards that the wax didn't cover, so I intentionally left more of them blank.