Renée Fukumoto

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Horse Portrait bas Relief Sculptures

I’ve been following my heart in sculpting a series of horse portrait sculptures that are larger than my pendant jewelry series.
I want to create a series of frameable sculpture that intrigue the eye and delight the heart.


I am fascinated with the artistic technique called “chiaroscuro”, the way shadows and light reveal form and the pristine beauty of the sculptures from antiquity that have been recovered by archeologists over the last several hundred years. Also fascinated with the story telling capacity of bas relief sculpture as seen on historical buildings from churches to government houses I find myself wanting to incorporate these elements in my work both large and small.

I’m primarily using hand building techniques with paper clay (not paper maché) as I love the ease of use and its non-toxic nature. I also love the white finished piece for its simple aesthetic.

I am also delving into using paper clay slip to build low relief “paintings” using palette knife amd other tools. These pieces, once finished, I can create a mold from and later cast reproductions that can be further customized and individually hand painted.

I’m fascinated with the process and transformations that result. I really like that this blurs the line between painting and sculpture.

One of the things I’ve about bas relief sculpture paintings is how they come alive in low light or angled light. Unlike a regular painting that requires correct lighting to even be seen let alone seen accurately and appreciated, a bas relief sculpture reveals new aspects of its character as light changes in a room.

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