Heart of the Matter

I return again and again to the heart shape. Back in 1978, when I made my first foray into the commercial craft world I started making various heart shaped ceramic pins.

Ceramic pin circa 1978

I see this as related to my interest in yoni shapes, specifically the "coco de mer" (see the previous post, below).Almost 30 years later shortly after I got my "second wind" professionally, I returned to the heart shape:

My intent was not to make a "heart" but rather this biomorphic growth shape that divided in two. Some other references in play in the back of my mind would be various alchemical diagrams:

Left: from Besant and Leadbeater's "Occult Chemistry"; Right: from Edwin Babbit's "Etherio -Atomic Philosophy of Force

So.......Back in February, as I was thinking about doing a large piece to enter in this year's Finger Lakes Exhibition at Rochester's Memorial art Gallery I make some sketches:

When I decided to start with a Styrofoam core over which I would cover with a "paper mache clay" (the recipe I found at:  Ultimate Paper Mache  )I made a life size drawing:

 

I used this to trace the outline right onto a section of a 4' x 8' sheet of Styrofoam insulation. I added layers and shaped it with saws and files:

After It was fully shaped and covered with the paper mache "clay" (a mixture of toilet paper, joint compound, Elmer's Glue, and flour) I started to paint it wit a base coat of cobalt blue:

(So big it takes up most of my dinky studio)

Next I gave detail to the "background"

So, finally I am starting to begin to start the conversation and this is the state its currently in as of today: