At Lincoln Lutheran High School, I have had the opportunity to take a Sculpture and Installation class. As part of this class, we have the chance to explore various artists, watch videos, and create sketches. Then, through a variety of different means, we create art with our hands!
Above you will see a couple images of a recent sculpture that I have created. I absolutely loved this project! I enjoy the fact that we were able to make something abstract, without any clear guidelines. Secondly, I really liked working with soap. Getting to remove portions of the soap to make something was satisfying and intriguing. Likewise, the Ivory soap smelt very good!
Artist Statement – Soap Sculpture
By Raegan Holle
Recently in Sculpture and Installation class, I have had the opportunity to create a sculpture from Ivory soap! With the use of loop, ribbon, and other carving tools, I have been able to make an abstract piece. With the use of subtraction to remove portions of the soap until the final design matched my sketch, I could complete such a sculpture.
The title of this piece is, “Desolate.” Personally, it reminds me of dry and decaying plants in a desert. The use of negative space creates this desolate and empty look. Likewise, the overall shape provides uniqueness and variety. In all, this sculpture encompasses the emotions of isolation, numbness, and loneliness.
This piece was inspired by Barbra Hepworth. Barbra was an English artist and sculptor. She was committed to carving wood and stone in abstract formations. Similar to Barbra’s work, it was my hope that my piece could also exemplify something out of the box.
My goals as an artist are to become more confident in my work, and to work with different mediums to make art. This sculpture certainly allowed me to reach these goals. For one, I have never worked with soap before. So, this project gave me the chance to try something new. Secondly, I feel that this project allowed me to feel a sense of accomplishment.
In the end, even though the project turned out a little bit different than I had thought, I was still able to learn a lot. I learned the importance of having patience when trying something new, as well as how important it is to try something different! I also learned the significance of thinking outside of the box. In all, these learning points will certainly influence my future work.
