onform sculpture- looking at a new material

In order to be confident in art and to show ability in different areas, it is important to use a range of materials. Therefore I have looked at 3D sculpture to broaden my materials used in this project but to also show cultural links. As an art class we took the opportunity to visit the 'On Form sculpture in stone' exhibition at Asthall Manor which was once home to the famous Mitford sisters. Here we had the chance to explore the grounds peppered with various sculptures carved my a vast number of sculptors. To express this trip and to show my journey throughout, instead of creating an A1 page I have worked into the exhibition book which we were provided with upon arrival:

I have filled this book with various drawings and interpretations of my own. I have annotated the pages and provided a more in-depth analysis of the exhibition. As you can see I have used the title of 'sculpture' and carved into the front page of the book. I had the chance to take my own pictures and these can be found within the book as well as drawings from these. The first double page shows a picture I have taken of one of my peers at the exhibition underneath one of the stone carvings. This not only shows the scale of these objects but also their beauty. Instead of drawing the whole picture, I have focused on one particular part of the sculpture and drawn this close up in blue Biro. I would like to draw larger pictures from these at a later date. 

I have drawn the whole sculpture from some of the diagrams as can be shown here: This was drawn using soft drawing pastels and worked into using a black Biro. I liked the effect of the pastels as they created a kind of grain which truly reflects the characteristic of the stone which has been used. 

I have recently taken an interest in the human form and consequently life drawing (I am yet to attend a class) and so I was keen to find sculptures of the human form. These were a perfect example and I was intrigued by the colour of the stone and the form of the lady. I found drawing this sculpture interesting as it was difficult to draw all of the folds in the skin and to create the correct proportions. 

In the future I would like to draw these on a larger scale and perhaps of my family to show personal reflectivity as I feel this is the direction which I would like to take my project in at the moment.

At the exhibition I didn't solely concentrate on the drawing, I also used my photography skills to take pictures of my own and not just of the sculptures but also of the surroundings and my peers. These can be shown within the book: 

I have also started to draw from these however with this particular one shown above with my friend sitting on the seat, I would like to take this up to a much larger scale in watercolour as shown in the smaller drawing below: 

I have cut sculptures out of the book and created my own also: This is quite and interesting technique as you have to look quite closely to realise. I think that it is only the white background that gives this one away. 

Overall this was a thoroughly enjoyable exhibition and I really appreciated the sculptures on show. To take this further I would like to draw larger from my photographs and perhaps even try some sculpting of my own. I have taken into account the cultural aspects of the stone and evaluated where each type of stone comes from as well as the people who have carved them. I will look closely at these people and choose a sculptor that I like the most to take forward with me through my journey in this project.