ScottFHallSculpture017

myminifactory

These pieces comprise one body of work that art and design professor Scott F. Hall has been creating from 1989 to present, showcasing a consistent style developed over three decades. Initially, Hall invented this style by crafting large, entwined spans of figures within drawings which were up to 3.5 meters wide. The drawn figures emerged through an automatic process of additive and subtractive mark making that induced pareidolia, visions conjured from the amorphous field as in cloud reading. Once noticed, each figure could be elaborated upon to bring it into full view. As an undergraduate sculpture major at that time, Hall began creating equivalent 3-D imagery focused on single clay-modeled figures presented in particular poses, usually in half-bodied form depicted only from the pelvis upward. Throughout this series, Hall's sculptures show figures in a solitary and bound condition, directly referencing Existentialist philosophy which was of focal interest to him during the late '80s. Though his philosophical outlook has moved beyond Existentialism and Postmodernism, the stark and quietly tortured look of his figures persists for consistency. Every sculpture in this series remains untitled, reflecting its surrogate nature. Hall's creative process begins with white oil-based clay on a small scale, with each figure ranging about 12 to 20 centimeters in height. Modeling is done entirely with fingers, while composition of poses occurs during study phases prior to actual sculpting. Ultimately, Hall sculpts each figure quickly from memory. The works produced exhibit high realism but in an impressionist sense, allowing each viewer to interpret each Hall sculpture for themselves. Following sculpting, each clay figure is turntable-scanned, cleaned, and converted to STL file. Hall tends to accept minor digital processing artifacts as markers of process. Several of Hall's earliest pieces were molded in silicone and cast in wax, plaster, or resin. His very first piece remains a one-of-a-kind lost wax bronze, still part of his personal collection.