The Metaphor first edition.

Welcome to this the very first blog from Metamorphosis sculpture. Here will be contained all manner of musings, meanderings, postulations and technical findings pertaining to the joy which is clay sculpture.

This summer saw me drag the lovely Marie around the country to see as many sculptures as possible, from the wonderful Sainsbury Art Centre in Norwich, to the excellent Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge. The real wow factor for me was the ancient sculpture contained within these establishments. A new find was Inuit bone carving in miniature at the Sainsbury. How did these anonymous artists compel the spirit within such a tiny scale? Utterly mesmeric. Give yourself a treat and visit, you will find yourself, if possible even more interested by sculpture afterwards than you were before.

All things miniature has been the presiding theme this past Summer as I also discovered the art of Japanese wood carving on a tiny scale; called Netsuke these small masterpieces could be of anything from animals, people to buildings but what defines them is a magnificent spirit of observation which defies their small scale.

A more recent little obsession of mine is the Japanese philosophical notion (yes I seem to be turning Japanese) of 'Wabi Sabi'. This is not the edible and spicy chick pea snack but rather an beautifully refined way of seeing the world which ennobles the imperfect, the hand made, the quirky and weathered to a position of high aesthetic value. So inimical to our modern digital age, we need the wabi -sabi in our own lives in order to balance the sterility of our modern environments.

That's enough chatter for now. If you are a student at Metamorphosis and have a topic you wish me to discuss please let me know.

Lets sculpt ourselves back to sanity.