Sometimes the things we’re working on don’t exactly go to plan. When trying new things with new materials I often have to learn through trial and error, which can often cause things to not work out quite as planned. I make sure I go into things knowing that they may not work in the end and that I may have to adapt my plans accordingly. Right now with the torsos we are making in sculpture I had to do just this.
My mold is supposed to be in four quarters and when I first started mixing the plaster to make the mold I accidentally mixed up too much and it dried very quickly before I could use it. It completely dried into one solid mass that I was able to get out of the tub I mixed it in. Now rather than waste the plaster I plan to carve and paint it to create something else. I’ve only been able to carve the outer edge but I will continue to work on it in between projects.
When trying new things with new materials I often have to learn through trial and error, which can often cause things to not work out quite as planned. I make sure I go into things knowing that they may not work in the end and that I may have to adapt my plans accordingly.
After I was able to create the four parts of my mold I was able to pull the pieces apart. When I pulled them apart they started to break in different places because some areas were much thinner than others. This caused me to have to adapt. I had to spend the day repairing my molds and we decided it would be best to use it as a one time mold. Once they are completely repaired we will put them together and tape them up and then pour concrete into them. Once the concrete is cured I will have to chip the plaster away.
Repairing the mold took quite a bit of time but luckily I find this kind of delicate work enjoyable. When something goes wrong I have plenty of patience to take the time and slowly and carefully fix it. I enjoy it because it’s easy and relaxing work that I can quietly sit and do while I listen to my music and kind of zone out. I can also relax and talk with the others in class while I do it.
When working with materials like this we have to be prepared for things to not workout the way we had planned. Sometimes things go wrong and the only thing we can realistically do is roll with it and course correct. We can’t go back and stop it from going wrong but we can figure out a way to make it work.