Artemis
Showing Artemis nude some might say would make her vulnerable. For me, it shows her strength. With the bow finally held down behind her, she raises her glass after a long hunt filled with peace because she knows she has mastered what the gods gave her as her fate. With the sculpture having the original commission intent of being next to a body of water, it allowed me to imagine this moment of Artemis after a great hunt. That moment after she has finally returned home, ready to bathe and feast while extending a toast to the women and children she had helped along her ways.
Though this project, like them all, it did not come without its challenges. Heat and time being the biggest issues. Its hard to sculpt with cold clay if you can't feel your hands! I am so thankful to have had a resilient and wonderful model to work with on an almost weekly basis. She embodied the strength and femininity of Artemis, truly could not of been done without her. Once the sculpture finally made its way to the foundry, there was an excellent team of artisans to help finish her out. This patina on the first edition continues to amaze me, I love how she is reacting with the salt water pool in front of her. I feel so so blessed to have been asked to do a commission on a subject that left me with feelings of fulfillment and passion to keep going.
There are quite a few videos on the makings of Artemis on my instagram page. Here is a link to a timelapse of the armature to finish clay https://www.instagram.com/p/CTh_oIqD0N8/
Photos taken after installation at the client's property, The Betty, in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
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