My third character is the Juggler. The inspiration for the Juggler is a woman who tries to do everything: a working mother who cooks, cleans, takes care of the kids, and earns a paycheck all at the same time. My theoretical artist who designed and created the sculpture for the exhibit in the gallery in the story chose to represent this woman through a sculpture that appears to be constructed from found objects related to the various tasks that make up her life. The sculpture is not actually created out of found objects, however; most of the pieces are cast metal, with a few glass accents thrown in for visual interest. Below are some reference images I found while brainstorming for the design of the figure:
While gathering reference for the sculpture I studied a number of images of contortionists, acrobats, and jugglers. Since I wanted the sculpture all to be one piece I couldn’t really have things flying free through the air, so I chose to use one of the acrobatic/contortionist poses. I attempted a number of different shapes for the figure before choosing one that seemed appropriately dynamic, balanced, and allowed me to have the woman holding a baby upright.
I then filled in that pose with objects in groups by body part:
The right arm is constructed of objects relating to the workplace. The left arm relates to the children this woman has to care for and she holds a child aloft in that hand. The right leg is dedicated to cooking and she balances a plate on a chopstick held in her toes. The left leg is dedicated to housework and her toes balance a pincushion. The torso is comprised of hobbies that are close to her heart (when she can find time to get to them).
This is the second character that will be textured. It will all be cast metal of various colors and materials, with a bit of clear glass here and there where appropriate, as in the form of the light bulb and the cookie jar. Below are some of the images that I’ve chosen for reference for the texture.
The curious foal is my favorite reference on there, since I’ve seen that sculpture in person and it’s exactly what I had in mind when I was trying to envision the material I wanted it to be crafted out of, but I haven’t been able to find the greatest image of it online.
I think that about wraps up this character for now. I’ll begin working on it soon, as I’m texturing pieces in it for a class project this semester, so look forward for more to come!