This semester my sculpture class looks a bit different than it has in the past because it is an independent study. As a master’s student, studio classes are required but if your specific interest is not listed for that specific semester it can be approved to be an independent study which is what I was able to do for my sculpture class thanks to the help of the amazing advising staff in the Art department.

Going into the semester I was excited to be able to have creative freedom. I was very proud of the projects that I was able to create last semester, so I wanted to use those ideas to create a piece at a larger scale. I was very lucky to have the guidance and support from the sculpture professor, Steven Colley, to have full creative freedom in developing my first project of the semester.

Developing my ideas using creative freedom

I first begin with my brainstorming and look at old artwork that I have created, but I also like to use Pinterest to look at other art that has similar features to what I want to focus on. After looking at artwork that sparks my interest, I then move to focus on the materials that I want to use. In this first project, I chose to focus on wood because I love its stability and how it can be used to portray such a simple look to a sculpture. I was excited to have freedom regarding the materials because I am not drawn to the typical sculpture materials such as clay and wire but I love to work in wood. After deciding on the material and the idea I started to put it all together, I decided to create a piece that resembles the form of a previous sculpture I created along with using several stains and paints to create a modern take on a sculpture. After starting the project I was able to add my tweaks, such as changing the size to make it accommodating to the materials purchased as well as new ideas that came up as I was putting the sculpture together.

I am very proud on how my project is coming along and I am very excited to see how I can continue to explore new ideas and use my creativity to come to a final product!

Keep being Creative

Emma Brooks