Who is Isabel May and Why Is She Famous For?
Isabel May is an up-and-coming star in the entertainment industry. She’s best known for her roles on Alexa Katie and Young Sheldon.
She boasts a large following on social media, where she shares her fashion tips and photo-shoots. Additionally, she regularly appears in top fashion magazines like Vogue Culture.
Sculpture from Observation and Memory
Sculpture differs from painting or printmaking in that it utilizes a wide variety of media. From wood to metal and clay, sculpture has no limit when it comes to forms it can take.
However, May’s most captivating sculptures come from her combination of observation and memory. She uses simple forms and surfaces to create complex life-sized figure arrangements that draw inspiration from nature, flowers, corals, folk art and everyday things alike. Furthermore, these assemblages reveal her fascination with myths and religions such as Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist and ancient Egyptian beliefs.
Aside from her iconic life-size figurative works, she also created smaller animated figurines out of bronze and terracotta that were housed in compartmentalized glass-fronted boxes. Her best known work, Printer’s Box (1958; New York, Whitney Museum of Art), is an intricate composition of sculptural elements inscribed with text that depicts a printer working on an engraving project.
She then combined drawing, painting and objets trouves into her sculptures, which ranged in scale from miniature ceramic figures to larger-scale installations. Her most ambitious piece was the Tarot Garden–an outdoor sculpture garden featuring dozens of her most significant creations.
In the 1980s, she created a series of sculptures that were flat and planar but highlighted with vibrant patches of color. These works were inspired by her vibrant sketches and drawings but scaled up to monumental proportions.
At this time, she began experimenting with the idea of skinnies–flat silhouettes of heads and figures highlighted by patches of color. These early sculptures, which she called “Skins,” served as a precursor to her more hyperbolic multi-media works that followed.
Then Isabel May create sculptures that can be view from various perspectives, such as aerial and underwater. This led her to design a series of “watersky” works such as 1.26 at Phoenix Airport and Water Sky Garden in Vancouver. Additionally, she often collaborates with architects on public sculpture installations.
Sculpture in Cast Concrete by Isabel May
Cast concrete sculpture has many uses, from adorning fountains and building facades to lining flower beds and creating accent pieces. It’s especially popular for sculptures that require one-of-a-kind molds, like Isabel May’s “Seated Joy.”
Casting concrete requires a specific ratio of water to mix, and should be done according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Adding too much water will make the mix too runny and less durable, while adding too little will lead to an uneven surface.
Before beginning the concrete replicating process, you should obtain a cast of the object you wish to recreate in concrete. This can be make manually or purchase and can make of styrofoam or plastic and ensures your concrete has the appropriate thickness for an accurate replication of the original piece.
Once your concrete is the correct mix, you’ll need to create a “mother” mold for your cast. This could be either a plaster support piece or latex mold of the concrete in order to help it set properly.
Once the concrete has been poured into a “mother” mold, wait for it to harden before taking out. You can do this overnight or over several days. Additionally, adding oxide colorant to the concrete will give it a more uniform hue.
Once the concrete has set, you can remove the plaster support and relocate it elsewhere. After that, you can begin working on the concrete with either a hammer to shape it into desired shape or using a hand chisel to cut it with.
If the concrete is too thick, you can add some water to thin it out. Doing this will prevent cracking and make the material too fragile to withstand normal wear-and-tear.
Add a small amount of engine oil to the concrete before pouring it into a mold. Doing so will enable you to easily take the concrete out once cured.
When prepping and installing concrete, it’s essential to abide by the manufacturer’s instructions and keep an eye on your work. If you’re unsure how to proceed, ask for assistance from someone knowledgeable in this area.
Sculpture in Wood by Isabel May
Wood is an incredibly versatile medium for sculptures of all types. Some artists rely on its structural strength, while others explore how different kinds of woods can be sculpte to express a specific mood or theme.
Isabel May’s artistic practice includes carving wood into both human forms and abstract shapes. She enjoys the way that irregularities in the material give each figure a vibrant life of its own.
Instead of employing traditional hand tools, she favors power tools and a meticulous method that allows her to control the shape of objects. The results are delicate yet ethereal, though sometimes she adds color to her sculptures for added visual interest.
May’s sculptures take shape over time, allowing her artwork to become as unique as the individuals she depicts. This approach not only makes the pieces more personal but also authentic.
Her wood-based pieces draw inspiration from various species, such as olive tree, cedar tree, beech and plane tree depending on the concept behind each piece. She uses natural and sustainable wood products so that these pieces will look beautiful in your home for many years to come.
Her wooden sculptures make a lovely addition to your home decor and will add an eye-catching style. Not only that, but they make ideal gifts for friends and family members as well.
Beverly Pepper’s sculptures feature a distinct geometric and biomorphic abstract style inspired by her studies of European modernist sculptors, especially Fernand Leger, Andre Lhote, and Ossip Zadkine.
Pepper began her creative journey with clay in her early twenties, but ultimately switched to woodworking. Wood allowed her to explore various techniques like bending and twisting that weren’t possible with clay alone.
She was inspir by sculptors who utilize natural materials in their artwork. And wanted to carry on this tradition by crafting art from wood. Additionally, she enjoys carving and shaping materials with precision.
Sculpture in Metal by Isabel May
Many people associate metal sculptures with bronze statues, but there is much more to explore in museums and public spaces. Metal art can be cast, beat or welded and all have unique characteristics in terms of materiality, texture and surface appearance.
British artist Michael Talbot utilizes hard and cold bronze to capture intimate moments that he freezes in time and space – whether through the creation of a clay model or its final patination. As he says, these sculptures are “theatrical constructions.”
Beverly Pepper is another artist who has made a name for herself using steel. Her monumental sculptures made from Cor-Ten steel push the limits of this material’s physical tolerances and display its oxidized surfaces to stunning effect.
Pieces such as Broken Circle, Double Palimpsest and Medea demonstrate this trend. These monumental works were born out of years of free-spirited sketches which gradually evolved into meticulous preparatory models before being realize in their final form.
Lannie Hart is a contemporary artist famous for creating mixed-media sculptures. She use objects find in junk yards or flea markets, often including silver teapots or other household utensils. Additionally, she uses various materials like wood, metal and even fabric in her large-scale pieces.
She has a long-term fabrication partner in Assisi, Italy where she lives and works. Additionally, she travels extensively – to Asia and Africa.
Her sculptures feature in a number of significant solo exhibitions around the world, such as Albright-Knox Art Gallery and Brooklyn Museum in New York. Her works can be find in many public collections. She is an Honorary Member of the National Sculpture Society.
At the Nasher Sculpture Center, Carol Bove has gathered nine of her large-scale works into a show titled ‘Collage Sculptures’. The first solely dedicated to her assembled steel works. From an outdoor monument to an intimate tabletop composition, these sculptures are full of curves. And intertwining forms inspired by Art Nouveau and Art Deco movements. As Bove describes them, these works tell stories through movement and pressure, force and softness. Her skill at making robust materials appear malleable and foldable as though. They might wiggle or buckle with wind gusts is truly impressive.