Why do you like sculpture?

[NuttyMofo82]

I am not a sculptor. I have never been a sculptor. I have, however been fascinated with the art for years and am looking to begin my artistic journeys. I have a few questions though that I wouldn't mind an answer to. Why do people love the art of sculpting, why are sculptures so fun to look at, why do so many people do it. Any answers and/or replies to these questions would surely be helpful to my future in this fascinating form of art. :D

[shona]

i love sculpting stone and sometimes other medium cause for one, i have always been usefull with my hands and artistically gifted and when i first carved a stone it was the whole history in the stone.it's like giving birth for me and the fact that you are working a medium that has seen time from the begining and that i am only a tiny fragment of that begining too , but formed differently and yet connected at a fequency that enables me to listen to the ancient stories from the past which the stone has in it and then bring to life an assortment of spirits from our past and our future. when i start any sculture i never have a clue of what i am going to make. when i go out to hunt for a stone ,i look for certain shapes i like, sometimes out of 500 stones i could find just one that i have a connection to(speaks to me). then take it home and talk to it, talking to the staone could take a year and it could be instant for me sometimes depending on how hard you listening . then i start to remove the stone which is not wanted and keep that which is wanted to free the spirit in the stone. :D
iN most cases starting art as an adult can be tricky so it's important to always consult the kid in you in order to try to create freely ruther than by what you've been told and by what sutherbeis and christies say art should be. art is about you thruogh your mind, eyes, soul, being history and all.
ROCK ON! ;)

[Julianna]

I love to sculpt because it is tactile. I painted in school, and always insisted on giving things texture. I worked in acrylic, and was always adding thickener to my paints.

I also tried clay, and although I liked the sculptural aspect, the medium wasn't right for me. Then I was introduced to stone, and I've been hooked ever since.

[iron ant]

Simple three words"need to create".Sculpture is pysically as well as mental.totally hands on,and you can work in many materials until you find you nitch.Although I love stone carving and working with marble,I am an essemblage metal sculptor.Working negative was brutal on the brain,but to some people it is a walk in the park.Work with as many materials as you can,and you will eventually really be drawn in..........

[Jay Long]

wow! sculpting is like your signature, nobodys signature is the same as a another. everybody has one. some write with stone, some write with steel, some write in clay, 1000 years from now, on some crumbled and darkened subway wall, ther will be my name "Jay was here"

[fritchie]

Your question has been up about 9 hours as I read and write, and already it has drawn about a hundred views and 4 replies. As soon as I saw the title, I figured it would get either lots of replies, or none. I guess that question is answered, and I’m surprised by the variety of answers - all good ones, too.

My take is that I am drawn to real form, 3D form, and I probably always have been, but I also have been drawn since childhood to science and math, and I concentrated on those fields for my lifelong primary work. I took up sculpture about 15 years ago now, to tilt with that long-felt but unrealized missing challenge. The work has been pretty much what I hoped it would be - tough and also rewarding.

In fact, I enjoy the simple act of writing well about as much as I do sculpting, or as I did my scientific research. All these things exercise our talents and abilities, and reward us in proportion to the effort we make.

A good thread, and I look forward to more perspectives!

[iron ant]

Frichie,could sculptors actually be scientist"gonebad".Anybody that does not see the relationship has never made glazes or patenas.Your writting skills make up for my bad pros and spelling.I might be the smallest file in the tool box,sometimes comes in real handy,but I am not the sharpest.........

[Sysiphus]

i've always been the creative sort, trying different outlets. i tried painting, drawing, stained glass - all the 2D arts as i think of them- and found them all really frustrating. while i was a decent draftsmen, i couldn't capture the 'life' of whatever i was drawing or painting. it never ocurred to me to try working in the 3D which is kind of funny, in hindsight, because for about 18 years i was a chef and the really great people in that industry are all sculptors in the medium of food.

anyhow, one day i'm looking through a catalogue and there's a listing for carving tools and i remember thinking, "there's something i haven't tried yet." when i hit the stone the first time i realized that i'd found something that was a perfect fit for me. the chisels and hammer felt so natural in my hands it was as if i'd been doing this my whole life. working with negative space, in the round, was intellectually challenging while the physical demands gave a sense of relief. if i've had a good day carving i'm both physicall and mentally exhausted, which is a very satisfying feeling.

and finally, there's a certain sense of danger in stone carving that wakes me up, makes me feel alive. the heaviness of the stone, the force required to free the image. every strike has to be calculated because if you take away too much stone there's no way to put it back there are no do-overs. my only regret is i wish i had found this when i twenty-something, not thirty-something.

[jviii]

For me, the questions is what is there not to enjoy about it. Like others here, I find the tactile sense of working with three dimensional objects exhilirating: the sensory and the craft that goes into sculpture. And like Fritchie, I come to artistic expression from a highly scientific/mathematical training (still working on my PhD in physical chem - getting close!).

With our constantly moving background called time, I find sculpture is best suited for me to try to capture a 3-D still life of fleeting elements or processes that make up the fabric of time.

Moreover, the creative process, the challenge of dealing with materials, and the limit of our three-dimensional (at least visually) world are summed into sculpture. Sculpture is sort of like an ability to integrate lower dimensions out into space and capture the form of our perceptions. We can project (reduce?) 3-D into 2-D or even 1-D, but we must sweep out lower dimensions and *create* to go the other way. Perhaps I am not making sense...it is difficult to elucidate that which seems so clear to us sometimes.

For me, scultpure's challenges, rewards, techniques and effort all seem to fit with me perfectly. I guess that is why I must say for me, at least, what is not to like about sculpture?

[fritchie]

Frichie,could sculptors actually be scientist"gonebad".Anybody that does not see the relationship has never made glazes or patenas.Your writting skills make up for my bad pros and spelling.I might be the smallest file in the tool box,sometimes comes in real handy,but I am not the sharpest.........

You're doing a great job, Ant! I always enjoy your posts, and they contribute a lot. It’s just that I enjoy making good sentences in about the same way I enjoy making sculptures (as far as both qualify as good, that is).