Studio Journal

So here is the beginning of my Thesis project. I would like to make very realistic and life sized trees. The above picture is the untrimmed roots of what will be a tree about six feet high.

This is body of the tree. It fits in place on top of the knarled roots. I have chosen to make the tree in three seperate pieces so it can be more easily work with and transported the tree in a car or through doorways.

Here you can see the seam between the two pices. They fix very well, but I am going to find a way to cover it. It will also look more uniform after it is painted.

Here is another side. This tree is made out of plaster. I first take wire mesh and form it into the shapes I want. Then I take burlap soaked in plaster and wrap it around the metal. I then add layers of thick plaster to the surface, and cover that with a few layers of thin dripping plaster. This creates a nice bark texture.

All this with be painted with a few layers of paint.

More pictures to come