Ron Mueck

For this week’s assignment, we were asked to choose an art or design piece we had created, and describe its relationship to an inspiration. Unfortunately I think I read the assignment wrong, and instead I found another person’s work and described it. I will probably have to do the assignment again, but it’s still an interesting process so I figured I would post it anyway.



Ron Mueck makes realistic sculptures of human beings. His creative process consists of looking at photographs and visual textbooks, but in the case of this piece, he had a pregnant woman model for him. He made the decision to work on a monumental scale by using big sketches on brown paper. His finished works are cast in silicon and fiberglass after being molded in clay. He constructs a frame of scaffolding tubes on which he defines the forms of the woman with chicken wire covered with layers of bandaging soaked in pasta. Once the clay layers are complete, and the form is made, he has to create a mold. This mold has to be made in sections, with joints in several different places. Silicon is applied in liquid form for this particular piece, along with resin and fiberglass. A wooden frame is made to keep the mold for removal. It is a long and difficult process, which destroys the clay sculpture underneath, so it is vital that it is cast correctly on the first attempt.

He presents his work on many different scales. For the pregnant woman, the large scale and realistic detail shapes viewer perceptions and reactions to the piece. Check this video out to see the process. Courtesy of Youtube.



More of his work:

Ron Mueck