John Clair Watts is a Canadian sculptor whose website showcases an assemblage
gallery, sculpture exhibitions and more. A sculpture is a three-dimensional,
human-made object selected for special recognition as art. Materials of sculpture
through history. Throughout history the purpose of creating sculpture has been
to produce works of art that are as permanent as is possible, so to that end
works were usually produced in durable and frequently expensive materials, primarily
bronze and stone such as marble, limestone, porphyry, and granite. More rarely
precious materials such as gold, silver, jade, and ivory were used for chryselephantine
works. More common and less expensive materials were used for sculpture for wider
consumption, including woods such as oak, box and lime; terracotta and other
ceramics and cast metals such as pewter and spelter. Sculptors often built small
preliminary works called maquettes of ephemeral materials such as plaster of
paris, wax, clay and even plasticine. Contemporary materials. Most traditional
sculpture materials are still in wide use today. However, advancements in technology
and changes have broadened the range of materials sculptors can choose to use,
including glass and sand, aluminum, polymers and many other synthetic materials,
and liquid crystals. It is common for film sculptors to carve large statuary
from blocks of polystyrene: although not particularly durable, it is light and
can be cut easily using a hot wire. One way to make the film sculpture extremely
durable is to cover it with a slurry of portland cement and acrylic. The next
durability level is gained through immersing course cloth such a burlap in the
slurry and applying that to the foam. Coarse hessian cloth soaked in this slurry
can be sculpted with wood files later. Areas requiring additional material can
be filled with a plaster made from the slurry and short fibers. This sculptural
material is explained in detail using small roofs. Assemblage is an artistic
process in which a three-dimensional artistic composition is made from putting
together found objects. Assemblage is the 3-dimensional cousin of collage. The
origin of the word (in its artistic sense) can be traced back to the early 1950s,
when Jean Dubuffet created a series of collages of butterfly wings, which he
titled assemblages d'empreintes. However, both Marcel Duchamp and Pablo Picasso
had been working with found objects for several years prior to Dubuffet. Some
sculptures are multimedia, for example sound sculptures which, as their name
implies, produce sound. Many artists use video and computers in their sculptures
as well. Computers and motors can also be used in sculptures, leading to works
that may be classified as robotic. Some sculptors are using 3D modeling software
and rapid prototyping systems to realize sculptural form in plastic polymers.
Sculptors are also using CNC mills to mill out stone and clay in creating works
that can be visualized virtually and manifested physically.
