Soap Carving Changes (FINAL)

ARTIST'S STATEMENT: The additive and subtractive changes I made to the hippo carving were very therapeutic in that I could release some of my frustrations on the piece while simultaneously having a second chance to make it into a work I felt I could fully explore and be proud of. The final result, as seen above, is a work I feel did finally achieve this goal.

In its final changed form, I noticed that the remnants of the carving represented an organic, rock-like formation. The shape gave a much more natural and calming aura. Noticing the red vertical lines on the front end of the structure, I was reminded of a waterfall. I decided to incorporate this idea into its presentation base.

I used hot glue to simulate falling liquid throughout the base, which I painted red to connect to the lines on the soap. I poured a large puddle of red acrylic paint at the bottom of the base. I used a  pin to make vein-like lines protruding from the center to compliment the stringy, tangled nature of the glue.

I used unpainted balsa wood cut into angular shapes as the base for the soap. The light, natural color of the balsa wood was meant to emphasize the natural theme of the sculpture, while its plain coloring wouldn't distract from the centerpiece of the work. The angular shapes were made to contrast the organic, messy nature of the soap and waterfall.

Soap Carving (FINAL)

ARTIST'S STATEMENT: Of all the projects I constructed throughout this semester, the soap hippo carvings were the most challenging. I wanted to chose an animal that was unique and sturdy, but also challenging to carve, as the hippo certainly proved to be. The texture of the lemon and rose soaps varied in their consistency and would react differently when I used carving tools on them, so adjusting to these changes as I switched between them was difficult. The strong scent from rose-scented soap in particular caused me to gain an allergic reaction while working with it for extended periods of time, which provided an additional challenge when working with the piece.

After working with the Masking Tape Shoes, I figured that the best way to go about this project would be to plan out my method of carving before I fully divulged into my work. I placed the hippo model I used for reference on a rotating table so that I could view the contour of its body from all angles as I worked with the soap. Instead of carving the soap replicas one at a time, I would take turns between work on them, so that what I learned while carving out a particular negative shape  on one, I could apply to the other.

My biggest regret on this project was in the soaps I chose to carve with. My allergic reaction to the rose soap prevented me from being able to put quite as much detail as I would have liked into it. While I gave myself breaks between work sessions to recover, I still had trouble achieving the effect I wanted to with the piece. I felt it was lackluster in comparison to my hippo carving with the lemon soap, which I could devote longer periods of time to. As a result, I chose the pink carving as my subject for the Soap Carving Changes project that followed.

Soap Carving (PROGRESS)

Soap Carving Changes (PROGRESS)

Carving's Condition Before Changes:

• Change 1: Dropped from the second floor of Wiley Art Building (Subtractive)

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• Change 2: Boiled in a teapot filled with water (Subtractive)
• NOTE: In the time between changes one and two, the hippo's jaw broke off of the carving during transportation and could not be recovered. The damaging of the jaw was due to the drop from change one.

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• Change 3: Sprinkled chamomile leaves over the carving (Additive) 
• NOTE: This was done immediately after change two, while the surface of the soap was still liquidized, so that the leaves would stick to the soap independently.

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• Change 4: Drizzled in red paint (Additive)
• NOTE: In order to get the paint to mix into the soap, the carving was wrapped in a paper towel (to keep the red paint from damaging the floor), and kicked down four flights of stairs.

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• Change 5: Steeped in boiling water with two bags of black tea leaves (Additive)
• Note: I considered this process additive due to the additional stain of the black tea leaves on the surface of the soap.

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• Change 6: Wrapped in a paper bag and slammed on a carpet floor 20 times (Subtractive)

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• Change 7: Beaten with a comb (Subtractive)

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• Change 8: Driven over 5 times with a car (Subtractive)
• Note: To keep from ruining the car wheel, the soap was wrapped in a paper towel. It had also recently rained before this process was done. The pavement was still wet, which helped the soap stay together despite the pressure of the car wheel.

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• Change 9 (FINAL): Frozen overnight in a cup of water, thawed, and removed (Additive & Subtractive)
• NOTE: I considered the first portion of this process additive due to addition of mass from the ice and its impact on the overall structure of the carving. The second portion of this process was additive due to the thawing of the ice, which eroded the surface of the soap before it was removed.

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