Bound By Devotion 2024

25x20x13

Polymer Clay and Plaster

The essence of this piece is to convey devotion in a relationship, regardless of the circumstances. It draws inspiration from my own personal experiences with friendship, expressed through an animal I feel deeply connected to. Having grown up with dogs, I’ve spent my life observing their behavior, often finding parallels between their actions and my own. In these moments, I humanize my dog’s behavior, using it as a lens to understand my own emotions and relationships. This connection became the foundation for this artwork, which reflects the complexities of friendship through the bond I share with my dog.
To create this piece, I began by shaping aluminum foil around a curved piece of rebar to form the dog’s bust. I then sculpted the details with polymer clay, carefully bringing the dog’s form to life with attention to every subtle detail. Next, I molded a friend’s hand using silicone, which I positioned gently on the dog’s nose, to show the controlling nature of the relationship. After baking the sculpture and attaching the hand, I used acrylic and airbrush paints to add depth and color to the piece. I collaged the dog’s collar with fabrics and paper, adding a metal-stamped dog tag that reads “BOUND BY DEVOTION”. The final detail, the fabric chain, grounds the sculpture and creates a sense of false boundedness for the dog as the chain is not pinned down. Through this process, I aimed to capture the emotional complexities of relationships through art.

This piece was inspired by my lifelong struggle to fall asleep, often resorting to “counting sheep” as a way to calm my mind. I chose to experiment with a new medium because I wanted the materials to enhance the meaning of the artwork. The repetitive action of placing each tile is similar to the meditative process of counting sheep. Additionally, the medium itself doesn’t create a smooth or flawless image reflecting the way someone might visualize it in their mind’s eye.