Junior Alexandra (Sasha) Allen is working on a year-long sculpture project –– a statue of a man chasing after a wild gazelle –– using senior Luke Sanders as her model.
Allen and Sanders are good friends who met at The Donnybrook, an off-campus house located behind Simpson Dormitory. When Allen started her project last semester, she knew she would need a human model and that Sanders was looking for job. He immediately accepted the position.
Both have quirky senses of humor. Their friendship is full of insults and teasing, but it’s all in good fun.
“I call him ‘gazelle boy,’” Allen said of Sanders.
Inspired by his long neck and the time she saw him sniffing flowers, Allen originally wanted to sculpt him as half human, half gazelle. Associate Professor of Art Anthony Frudakis, her sculpture professor, persuaded her otherwise.
Though the sculpture itself is nude, Allen made one thing clear about her model.
“He does not stand here nude,” she said. “He wears shorts.”
The sculpture looks as if he is beckoning after the gazelle.
“He is calling after his inner essence,” Allen said.
Sanders was not as thrilled with the pose merely because it required endurance to keep still.
“It was very agonizing,” Sanders said. “My arms were out in this yoga pose — ”
“ — He talks as if he stands there for the whole two hours,” Allen responded. “He does take breaks.”
Although the sculpture is unfinished, Allen plans to add stylized lotus flowers beneath the man and gazelle for an ancient Minoan motif. Given Sanders’ wide shoulders and small waist (commonly seen in Minoan art), he proved to be an ideal model for her desired style.
When sculpting, knowledge of the proper anatomy ratios is key. Much of the sculpture involves forming the skeletal and muscle structures.
“He’s weird-shaped,” Allen said. “There are all these ratios, and they are suppose to be perfect. But Luke has small hands, a long neck, and long face.”
“Sasha is harder on herself than she needs to be,” Sanders said. “She is a perfectionist and good at what she does.”
Allen will finish the sculpture by the end of the semester. She sculpts using oil-based clay, which is strictly a modeling and casting clay and cannot be fired. When completed, she will cover the sculpture with foil and plaster which can be fired.
Allen hopes to enter her leaping gazelle piece into this year’s energy-themed art competition. The entire completed piece will also be in the Hillsdale College student art show.
Though Allen has a passion for art, she is a history major with an art minor.
“I didn’t figure out I should be an art major until second semester of my sophomore year, so that’s why I’m a minor,” she said. “I never thought of art as a professional option. I knew I liked art, but never thought I was good enough at anything to make a job out of it.”
Surrounded by an artistic family, Allen’s sister-in-law, who also loves sculpting, inspired her to try the Sculpting 101 class last year. Allen enjoys sculpting; however, her real love is textile art. After graduation, Allen is thinking about pursuing art school and culinary school.
As for Sanders and his modeling career, he said: “This has been a fun experience. Though I’m open to the idea of modeling, I’m not actively pursuing it. But I definitely would do it again.”
Sanders will be graduating this spring with a religion and philosophy degree and biology minor.
tknopf@hillsdale.edu