completed clay idols

Suddenly a couple of days ago I noticed that the clay idols I made had dried - were effectively complete.

I decided I should take some photos of them in groups - and this evening arranged them in the corridor outside the studio at the Mill and did just that.

To be honest a lot of the shots are shaky and blurry. That's partly because I was crouching down a lot of the time when I wasn't lying on the floor. It was actually a lot of fun.

I'm not quite sure whether the pieces are better alone or in small groups. I do know that it would have been nice to conceal them a bit more - I may try photographing them actually in the studio or somewhere outside.

There is something of a theme emerging in the way I think about presenting my work - that I rather like it being fugitive, concealed, dispersed among other work. I'm not quite sure why this should be.

Something the photos reveal that I can't say I'm entirely happy with is how anthropomorphic they can seem both individually and in groups. I'd rather they were a little less expressive.

Anyway, as always now the project's finished I haven't the faintest fucking idea what to do with it. Probably I should take more pictures and make some submissions. Although actually I do want to play around getting some sounds from the figures first.

Some of these photos probably demonstrate that my attention was kind of wandering. I got more interested in the colours of stains at the bottom of the walls, in the light reflecting off the floor, in getting the most interesting representation of the colours.

Maybe if I'd spent more time arranging the figures in more interesting configurations I would have been more careful. But my main aim was just to get some images. I was also cautious about putting the idols anywhere someone might inadvertently kick them.

I am glad I got the photos though, and I'm pretty happy with them. And like I say I'll probably take some more in different locations.

It often feels a bit odd finishing work. Suddenly it's done and there's nothing more needed. I feel disconnected from it and eager to get on with the next thing.

The next thing in this case being the sculptural form I wrote about recently.