Design ideas for a 'reflective' sculpture...

This is my finished design ideas page for the Joslins Stonemasonry visit where I created my personal sculpture. I have used the idea of stone texture and created a sandy background for my A1 page. It consists of a watercolour wash and then sand on top which has been fixed with PVA glue. I have chosen to paint the title in black which adds impact to the page.

 I decided to create a sculpture in the shape of a cube and I wanted to make this cube personal with a real meaning behind it like the one behind Alasdair Thompsons work. I have annotated my page, however I shall elaborate further on this blog. The reasons behind choosing the shape of a cube came from my wish to incorporate reflectivity into the stone. I wanted to use a shape that had both true meaning and is a symbol in its own right. I decided to allow the cube to reflect every member of my family by carving the first letter of their first name into each side. But looking closely, this cube also resembles that of a baby's building block which would normally show the letters of the alphabet or numbers. By doing this, the cube is no longer just an object but rather a symbol of unity and family connection and this I feel shows true personal reflectivity. 

To show my journey through carving this piece I feel I should state that I have done repair work on the cube. During its construction, when carving the letter 'R' I hit the mallet with two much force, causing a section of the stone to fall off. I have never repaired stone before and it was tricky. Luckily I had managed to collect some of the stone dust which had come from the sculpture and I mixed this with Aradiate to form a paste to stick the big section back on. To fill the gaps in between I mixed the rest of the dust with PVA glue to form a paste. I sanded down the rough edges and now it is hardly noticeable.

Since I have decided to tailor my project towards personal reflection I wanted my piece to reflect this. I have added the initial of my mother, father, sister, myself and nephew and I have left the bottom of the cube blank for when the family extends. The concept of preserving the family unit in stone, forever is a message that perhaps I would like my project to follow: preserving memories in a particular way.

To perhaps extend this idea further, I would like to put a face to each of the initials by drawing each family member either as a baby themselves or the age they are at present.