Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Same Spiral, different views

I had a lot of interest in this spiral so I am sharing further views of the same arrangement. I also made a similar spiral in the same location a few days before this one only the spiral went from large down to small... it is interesting to see how they all look compared to one another.

Grey days have descended here, with the colder winds coming down from the north. Geese are restless and I have just one Hummer left at the feeder and it may have flown today, surfing
southwards on the blustery currents from the north. For me, seeing the last day of the Hummingbird is always a marker for the change of seasons... more than almost anything else. When they are gone, summer is o-v-e-r.

But there are still plenty of days left to make more sculptures, and the wild and colourful days of autumn will be here very soon... stay tuned!!

2 comments:

Erika M said...

I love seeing different views! Sometimes it completely changes the way you see things.

So then, on your spirals you stat from the end and go in to the middle?

Erika

Sally J Smith, Environmental Artist said...

Hi Erika,

Thank you again for your nice replies. Yes, when I take my photos I always try to shoot the sculpture for several viewpoints.. sometimes there are better views if you just try different vantage points.

As for the making of spirals... ah, this is a delicate question. The answer is... sometimes I start from the outside and sometimes I start from the center... it really does depend! I look for what the space itself wants to have in terms of the size of the spiral. If I can, I "map" it out with my hand first... almost "feeling" where the best shape/size will go in the space. This is an important step because you have to get aligned with exactly where you want the line of the spiral to go.

With this spiral, I started by feeling out the shape, then I began with my largest stone in the center and worked out from there. Sometimes you have to make small adjustments because the surface of the base may not allow you to put your item right where it "should" go. I had that problem with this spiral in several spots. But you can accommodate these variables with small adjustments in placement and the sizes of the stones.

Spirals are a lot of fun an very easy to do. I really recommend trying a few yourself! Leaves are great to work with because you can usually find smaller and larger leaves from the same plant. Experiment... have fun!!

Welcome to the enchanted world of Environmental art and Faerie Houses sculptures created by Sally J Smith. Here you will find photos of the artist's unique art-forms and hear some of the stories from behind the scenes as she shares with you her creative process.