What do artists do all day? - Janice Ridley

---

Contemporary artist with traditional techniques. Bases on a story or a brief.

• “Everything you do or have done in the past comes through with sculpture”

• “The idea is the most important thing” - the skill is getting that idea into 3D

• Uses sketches to create visual concepts to start but may not transfer into 3D so have to recognise what makes a good sculpture

• Uses wire on an inner structure, and layers with wax - prefers to work with wax than clay as you can work on it longer and is more forgiving and less messy, then casts these. Will display the wax in unpaid exhibitions. Commissions bring the money in which means the casts and the whole process can be made.

• “I don’t want to make things I’ve seen before, what’s the point in that?”

• “This is bigger than you, you know.” You have to let go to let the thing become more than - something else

• Likes the sensation of intimacy which is easier to feel with the female figure over the male

• Figure is a timeless subject - “the only subject”

• What it is to be human, vulnerable, powerful, a person who needs others of helps others - human experiences are good material for sculpture because they are so big

• The humanness of the sculpture will remain readable in 1000 years

• Useful tools from parents who let her think what she wanted to think:

• Takes inspiration from mother who encouraged art and dancing - Safe to be who you are when dancing - flow is everything

• Would help dad making garden projects and structures. “Can make anything if you kept on bashing at something”

A sculptor needs to draw, access their own ideas - a believe in self, dexterity

Find something that’s more than you already know

Flow, adding and destruction - has to feel like she can break it down again.if it’s not fitting with the wholeness of the sculpture then remove.

Sculptures take a lot of time and effort and concentration.