Thanks for the link lazydaisy
She is wonderful!!! How big is she?
Debbie

Wow, she is beautiful. I just have to try one of those. My conservative neighbors rolled their eyes with my grots wait till I put one of these in my garden. Move over grots, company is coming! Thanks for sharing lazydaisy.

Serene

I guess she's referred to as the Mud Maiden--something like that. There is also a Giant's Head which is quite interesting. I think Heligan.com revamped their site because it's quite different from what I remember and I wasn't able to find either of the giants pictures on it. It's a "forgotten" garden that was rediscovered after approx. 70 years--went through World Wars, etc and went unnoticed and unkept. I was under the impression that the giants were part of that but I guess they were part of the renovation process because here are the artists: Sue Hill and her brother, Pete, doing a cool sculpture for the Eden Project...

Here is a link that might be useful: Sue Hill --Heligan Artist

Daybees, I could only estimate how large she is. Actually this past link is the best picture I've seen to take her size in perspective. I'm guessing her head is possibly a foot to a foot and a half from chin to top of head. I think those are some type of daylilies on top of her head. I know I've recently seen a picture of the giant's head with the same plant on it and that's what it looked like.

Dena has done quite a great job on her own little mud maiden, which I believe is in her album.

Here's another link I found of the Eden Project in progress which shows various stages of their new Giant scultpure. I think she basically made of sticks, mud and plants but it's still pretty cool. Look for the "Apple" sculpture progression pictures which are mixed within all of the other photos...

Here is a link that might be useful: Apple sculpture

MudMaiden - wonderfully imaginative! Now there is a British 'folly' if ever I saw one! I wonder how old it is!

I'm a big fan of the Heligan sculptures. Happy to find out who made them Lazydaisy!
Not very old then, if I got it right?
The Eve from Eden is also fabulous, and what a great place!

Not sure HOW this works, "mud on sticks", I saw the in-progress pictures
and still can't fathom how it works! They must have superglue mud in Cornwall!
I understand they must be kept moist, but what happens in HEAVY rain I wonder?
Maybe the moss and plants hold it in shape.
With a reclining figure it's slightly more comprehensible, but Eve is a massive,
upright figure, and obviously strong (Sue Hill perched on her shoulder with a cell phone?!)
beats ME!

I've wanted to do a reclining female (just over life size) for a long time.
There's a wonderful "Mary Magdalen" at the castle of Kuks in Eastern Europe,
cut from the living rock by a 17th C. artist. There's a picture in "Gardens
of obsession" (great book, as good as the title) by Gordon Taylor/Guy Cooper.
Unfortunately I can't scan and post it, it's copyrighted and have failed to find it online.

My lady will be concrete, I'll have to look up posts on moss growing on concrete,
suppose you'd have to scour off the lime somehow?
Or maybe I should make her my first tufa project?

I made a snow woman once, with a friend, after a spring snow storm,
we were like posseesed:)
the light was going, the kids were crying, we had less than an hour to do it,
but I think that's where I first got the urge. The kid in the picture is 27 now,
so it's an old dream..

Here is a link that might be useful:

Linnea, is this the one you're talking about?

Here is a link that might be useful: magdalene

If I'm reading it correctly, they "rediscovered" the gardens again in 1990 after a flood? So I would think that the giants are done sometime after that. Considering that Ann Hill looks like she's in her late 60's or 70's, I'm assuming she wasn't around for the original grand opening a few hundred years ago. :) I was originally under the impression that the sculptures existed before rediscovery--got that one wrong!

Linnea, regarding Eve, I can understand that small woman sitting on the sculpture but that cell phone should have put it over it's brink! lol! There are some other photos on "page 9" of that link (http://www.eden-project.co.uk/latest_happenings9.htm_ ) near the middle that shows the beginnings--did you see those? Reminded me of how you made your "kitty" :) with those bags. It looks like she has something wrapped around the soil and the legs look like they're bags.... I guess there was a little more than mud and sticks to it. There's also a major "stick" coming out of the neck that's pretty thick. I guess that's the major support.

Serene, you're going to love the link below. This "Tiki Lady" is very talented and obviously very busy! Hit the "browse" button. If I were even slightly as ambitious I had thought of one of the ones that had their tongue sticking out to keep the neighbor away :) If they didn't like your grot...well, this will put them over the edge....

Linnea, your snow goddess is beautiful! You are quite the artist. I think you can accelerate the concrete leaching with vinegar or 100 years, whichever is more handy for you! But I would think hypertufa, or a recipe somewhere inbetween, would allow the moss to cling better and would still work on a reclining sculpture.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tiki Lady

Lazydaisy, YESS, that's the one, where did you find it? Thanks!

I was thinking "nude" (under the moss), but the draped fabric is rather tempting too.

So it's Ann Hill, not Sue, sorry.
Thanks for the pointer, I saved the site for browsing through when I've time.
Yes, "mud and sticks" is short-hand, it's more like logs, cloth and mud.
The bags are a great way to build mass and start defining form and footprint.
You can toss any old rubble in at that stage too, and use rocks to prop up
low areas.
If I'm still iffy on her location, I may build a hollow one,
though I like massive.

How much vinegar? Or is there a thread somewhere that expounds?
My computer has begun to get jammed in this site, not sure what's up,
some links just freeze it, like searches.
The Tiki lady site didn't work very well, I'll try again.

Yikes, it's Sue not Ann (I contradicted myself on that one) sorry.

The vinegar is also a mild acid and etches so it may not be the best solution. I think it would have to be a very diluted mixture. It changes the pH which allows the moss to grow. I was getting this information from some of the sites that create their own aquarium reefs from cement and they have to get their concrete's pH lowered for the fish. Let me look at those links again and see what I can find. But I guess if your sculpture wasn't something that you could easily put in a vat to soak, that it wouldn't work anyway. I was reading something recently that water curing will leach out more during the concrete's curing phase but, then again, because of the sculpture size that may not be feasible.

Otherwise, there's the yogurt, beer, and some other magic goop ingredients that you could spread on it to encourage the moss. I've also read something about putting a clay slurry on the surface. I think a hypertufa surface would look pretty cool for the surface on that reclining lady though and that would encourage the moss also.

Linnea, I think I did a search on "mary magdalene" and "kuks" on Yahoo search and came upon that cool photo. That guy's site is awesome--check out Braun's other sculptures and the guy's other traveling photos. He has some beautiful photography of geishas. I found a couple of other so-so references to that particular Magdelene sculpture.

I actually did the Tiki Lady site for Serene's neighbor :) but that woman's site is awesome too if you can get it loaded!

Lazydaisy or Dena can you please tell me how I can see Dena's mud maiden.
Wonderful snow woman linnea!!!!
Thanks for the inspiration lazydaisy, I loved the tiki lady site too.
Debbie~

Debbie,
Here is a link to my webshots. Terra May Firma has her very own album.
She did NOT grow moss as well as I would liked her to have. I will take a pic of recent developments with her. I put a leave over her very large high brow, which should grown at least a small trailing plant and I also gave her a slight tan that although it looks slightly out of place in our area, it will look ok by summer.
The Heligan Mud Madian is over 8ft long. The giant troll, I think someone asked about that. I saw a pic with someone standing next to it, It appears to be about 5ft at the peak of his head.
Dena

Here is a link that might be useful: Terra May Firma Behind the Fence

Thanks Dena,
Terra is WONDERFUL!!!!
Can I ask you an armature question?

I'm trying to make a 5 foot head, he'll be upright. I'm just working on him lying down.
I've got a piece of mesh attached to the top with 2 1/2" deck screws.

{{gwi:66526}}

I'm hoping to attach the facial feature armatures to this so the weight is held from the top. Do you think this will work?

{{gwi:66527}}

I was going to try and use this 1" for the face features as well but do you think I should use the diamond mesh instead?
Debbie

Debbie,
What is the core of your piece?
On Terra I happened to have diamond mesh but chicken wire would have worked equally well. You may have to put some foam or plastic bags or something behind the shapes of chicken wire, but once your mix is on it will be fine.
Remember when making your features to minimize them or thin them as adding mix will add girth to the overall piece.
What is the sub layer going to be and what sort of outerlayer of mix? Is the face going to be rough or smooth, are you planning to sculpt as you go or carve away after?
There are several others here who have experiences with large forms.
So ask away and I am sure there will be several who will answer.
Creating and experimenting is such fun.
Dena

Thanks Dena,
I used a mix of 1 pt cement,1 1/2 pt perlite, 1 1/2 pt peat.
The piece is 16 inches with a 8 inch spiral vent pipe in the center. It's hollow inside the 8 inch pipe.
I was hoping to sculpt as I go then cover with a mix of 1 pt cement,2pts peat,1/4 pts perlite.
I'll take your suggestion and fill under the wire with plastic bags.
It is great fun experimenting.My yard is full of (Guess that won't work! stuff)
Debbie

The more I look at the Heligan Mud Maiden, I wonder how much of it is actually concrete anyway. Obviously her face is and little moss has grown on it. Considering how much soil Sue Hill used on the Eve sculpture, I'm wondering if the Mud Maiden's body isn't made the same way--or at least parts of it so the vines and plants grow well on it.

Hi Lazydaisy,
Do you know of other works that Sue Hill has done.
Thanks
Debbie

Debbie, I did a search on her but could only come up the Heligan Garden's art and Eve at Eden. I wish I could find more now that I know she's still alive--well, I assuming that:) I wonder if she takes emails somehow? Maybe I'll try emailing that Eden Project site later and see if there's a way of contacting her.

Thanks Lazydaisy,
I thinks she's done a dreaming girl living statue but I haven't seen a picture.I hope you hear from her.
Debbie