Bone Installations and Clay

      This week has been very Busy for me here at Osage. I am in my final stretch here and I am trying to get things done and finished up. This week for starters I completed four Bone installations. All the installations are of work done here at Osage as in Bones found, Molds made, Casting made and installations installed. That makes me really happy because it shows I have been busting my ass and keeping to my timeline. I have been getting mad sculpture done and it shows. The first two installations I finished were at Mimi and Ron’s farm in Mimi's Death garden. When I met these people here at Osage they were really warm and welcoming to me. We talked and things happened. I got to see Mimi’s garden and then she show me her awesome Death garden which consisted of a mass of skulls and bones and all around the bones were poisonous plants that have a deadly effect on humans when injested. So the Death garden really grabbed my attention. I asked if I could put a Bone installation in her garden and she agreed. So I got to do two Installations in her Death Garden this week. You can see the Installations on Flicker. I really enjoy my time at the farm with Mimi and Ron as well as getting to be involved in sculpture all day. I was very pleased with the two installations in the Death garden. The shapes and forms they created were just simply beautiful. I always love the stark white bone contrasting with the nature standing out like a sore thumb but yet blending in its own way. I really enjoy how the repetitive form becomes its own shape dependent on the bones for support and structure.  I am also excited because this bone has an inside form as well as its outside form. The light always plays with this and its just breath taking to see the light and darks play on the sculpture. I also this week got a beautiful studio installation done by playing with the new bone. I found a new way the bone seemed to lock together and take form. It was described to me as looking like wings giving a hug which is not my thing but it made me happy that people are connecting with the installation. It was also told to me that when people see something new they tend to relate it to something they know so they can connect with it. I thought that was so cool to hear because I get that a lot in my sculpture. I look at peoples reaction very differently now as people are really getting my sculpture and trying to understand it in there own way. That just warms my heart more then I can tell you.  I feel my madness isn’t so mad and I am really starting to communicate in a way I have always wanted to through art! So with this studio installation turning out so well I broke it down and took it out into the wild. Here at Osage they have a dream studio for meditation. Not my thing, I mean really? Can you imagine me meditating to DevilDriver? But the area around the studio is really cool and nice. I found a nice flat spot in the brush with a couple of rock and trees hanging out. The installation sat nicely in the ground and worked out really nice with its surroundings. I was pleased with this and felt very accomplish for the day. Again you can see all these installations on Flicker.
      Also this week I am still taking my ceramics class at Krueger’s. This week I attempted to make a cow skull bowl in hand building. So I walked in to my coffee shop in the morning before class with a cow skull under my arm and the place flipped out. Guess St. Louis never seen a cow skull before. They asked if I would keep it contained as not to put it on the counter. I just laughed and said large coffee please and walked over to my class. So now I am in class and everyone is looking at me like I just ripped the skull out a cow. I said hi this is my friend Betsy and she died of natural causes. Betsy asked me to make art with her today. Well let’s just say they didn’t quite get my humor.  It’s another quiet day for me in hand building class. So I ended up making a pretty big slab and covered the skull on its side and pressed the clay into the skull to get the detail. Then I had to demold it the next day to let the clay harden and accept the form so it would not collapse in on itself. Demolding it was not easy but it seemed to turn out ok. I am still slowly working on it solo till next Tuesday. I’m excited to be working in clay. Betsy is coming to class with me again so we will see if Betsy gets the same attention she got last week. Maybe I will put a leash on her and drag it behind me so they will be more accepting of Betsy. If I don’t make it back to Cincinnati I’m in jail for creating a disturbance in St. Louis with Betsy. Thank you for your ongoing support and remember to check out my Website WWW.AARONKENT.ORG
Love ya!