Face: the Primal Frontier

After completing the fine arts diploma program at Central Tech., I embarked on a personal project to study the anatomy of the face. My goal was to learn more about the complex arrangement of all those muscles, and to satisfy my curiosity about what makes one expression so easily distinguished from another.

I began by working the clay up into a portrait with a bland face, unencumbered by any distinctive features, history, or personality. Not knowing anyone who fits that description, I worked without a model to pose for this piece. The expression I gave it was neutral; relaxed and unemotional.

From that dull starting point, I continued to work the clay into one expression after another, each one bringing the face to life. In portraying these diverse feelings, countless facial muscles stretch and contract every which way. Wrinkles appear in one place, and disappear somewhere else.

For additional complexity, I let the jaw drop in surprise, terror, a yawn, and laughter. It was the last of these, laughter, that I cast in ciment fondu. All the rest are preserved only in photos that follow.