About The Processes         

Roots and Wings Studio:  the Sculpture Process

Sculpting in clay was my first Medium, begun with busts of my babies’ heads in my first clay class in 1969, and has always seemed natural for me.  I relate to the energy and movement of the human body both as Yoga Teacher and Sculptor.  I believe my years of figure drawing have been entrained kinesthetically; if I can see, I can draw; if I can draw, I can sculpt.  I almost always do a suite of drawings from all angles before I sculpt.

Sometimes I build “additively”, starting with slabs of clay, and working over rudimentary armatures that I remove after the piece is finished.  I then  carve the inner walls of the piece to an even thickness.  If the armature has been made of crumpled paper,  I allow it to burn out in the kiln.  Sometimes I work “subtractively”: starting with a large piece of clay and removing everything that is not part of the finished piece.

I’m learning how to reproduce my own sculptures.  I make plaster press molds for simple pieces that have no undercuts, and have made silicone and rubber molds for more complex pieces, such as the 7 sculpted Chakras in The Heart of Matter© series. 

My latest works are poured in a product that I have named ArtStone, patinaed to simulate rusted steel, or aged copper.

Sculpted Arts Jewelry:  the Jewelry Process

I began making jewelry in l996 as miniature sculpture pieces.  I am not a “bench jeweler”, and I am good at fabricating one-of-a-kind pieces.  I enjoy etching, as it is so close to the art of drawing, and cast silver, because I love to carve the wax.

Many of my simple designs are of Australian and Maori Aboriginal pictographs that I put into copper, using the saw to create the line drawings in negative space. 

I do some soldering, and prefer to rivet pieces together, so that the silver rivets become a contrast to the brass and copper, and part of the design.

Another media which I enjoy is repousse`, called by Native American artists of the 4-Corners area, “bump-up”; to me it’s another wonderful way to create small, wearable sculptures.   My “Sun Worshipper” cuff bracelet, and “Sky Dancer” pin were originally created as repousse`, in which I heated and then hammered the design in metal. Thus I named my business “Sculpted Arts Jewelry”.

Email: Cheryl@cherylalexanderdesigns.com