Outside Inspiration: Embellishing the Figure

If you are looking for  inspiration for your own sculptures or to expand what you are doing with other forms, do look outside polymer into the other malleable materials that allow for such wondrous pieces as this full size head and torso by Linda Ganstrom. This is actually made from paper clay cast in a body mold; the decorations are mold-made forms and paints.

What strikes me most about this piece is the use of motifs to decorate and add to the human form so that the torso and head act as a base for the symbolic imagery, as well as making a direct connection to the human experience. And I like that the human form is directly ‘decorated’, something more often relegated to the stand or props that might accompany it. Why not use the canvas of the body’s form to further express your ideas? Yes, sculpting the form can be and often is very expressive all on its own, but if you have a little more to add, additional forms, drawings, textures, and the like are not off limits. It’s art. Few things are off limits.