Clare Faley Q&A, Year 4 Art Scholarship Winner & Expert Sculptor
Clare Faley was one of our 2017 Zinggia Ohio Art Scholarship Winners! We checked in with Clare to see how she was loving art school. And no surprise, she loves it! She has a brand new website too, so check it out!
Q. How are you enjoying Ohio State University so far?
I’m really enjoying it! I feel like I’m a very different person than before I started college, definitely more independent and confident in my artistic abilities.
Q. Have you learned of any new directions that you can take your artistic talents that you didn’t know about or consider in high school?
For sure. This semester I am taking a photography class, as well as a course in life sculpture where we sculpt from a nude model. These classes really opened me up to new directions in which I could take my art. Working with clay is interesting; The process of building up a form from scratch rather than drawing it is a whole new way of thinking about art. Photography is unique as well. Being able to document the world around me with something better than my cellphone camera is definitely very satisfying! I would recommend a DSLR camera for all young artists, it’s the BEST for documenting your art!
Q. Is there anything you dislike so far with your schooling?
The DOLDRUMS. Sometimes I feel like I’m just marching in and out of class, in and out of work, infinitely. But then I see how much my skills have improved from all this practice, and it makes me feel a little better.
Q. What classes are you taking this semester, and how is your school work load?
I’m taking Life Sculpture, Digital Imaging (a Photoshop skills class), Photography, Visual Color Studies, and Geography. I am definitely busy 7 days of the week! Sometimes I get a little pooped out from it all. But it’s a labor of love.
Q. Are you still creating new stories for your Softies characters?
Oh yes, I am currently writing little comics about them! Here’s one rough example. It’s about hunting for faeries:
Q. Are you working with digital illustration & animation yet or is it mostly traditional mediums so far?
I have mostly been working traditionally. The only class where we work with digital media is Digital Imaging, where we focus on image manipulation and technical Photoshop stuff. Next year I would definitely like to take an animation course; I’m itching to make some animations!
Q. What’s been the most challenging school project you’ve worked on so far?
My first sculpture was definitely the most challenging thing I’ve created. I had to first build an armature out of wire, mount it on a pipe, smack clay onto it with a flat stick (which makes a rather funny sound), and then try to somehow make this vaguely humanoid blob look like the model!
The second hardest thing I’ve made is surely my first sculpted bust. I came to class 3 days before it was due to discover that his head had fallen right off of his shoulders! Luckily my professor helped me to salvage him. Here’s a picture.
Q. How long do you normally have to complete a class project?
It definitely depends on the course. In Life Sculpture we spend weeks and weeks on each project, in Photography we might only have a week to take 60 or 80 photos!
Q. What’s in your sketchbook right now?
Hmm, let’s see… lots of preliminary sketches for a comic that I’m working on. I’ve been conceptualizing it for ages and it feels good to finally get it down on paper! I plan to print copies of it and scatter them around campus once it’s finished. Free advertising!
Q. Does your school require you to take any financial or business classes later on to help you navigate a more profitable art career?
Not to my knowledge, no! It’s kind of surprising that they don’t.
Q. Are you sick of Ramen Noodles yet?
I’ve only eaten ONE (1) pack of ramen noodles since coming to OSU (incredibly). I must say that I’m pretty sick of dining hall food though!
Read all of the Q&A Artist Interviews with our past Zinggia Ohio Art Scholarship Winners.
