Archive for August 2008
I Think I Need to Declare an Apprentice Appreciation Day
I love my apprentices.
I can’t believe it has taken me so long to show a picture of Caroline, one of my apprentices at work. So far she has helped on waxes and is now getting to try her hand in the clay. Her hours only consist of two evenings as she works another job. Unfortunately she misses out on some of the fun stuff, like taking trips to the foundry.
Please also keep Russo, my former apprentice in your prayers. As I mentioned in the Dick Hathaway video, she was an exchange student from Georgia. No one has heard from her since the upheaval between Georgia and Russia.
Approving A Bronze
Long after the sculptures are completed and approved, the molds are made, the waxes are cleaned, and the metal is poured, I’m at the foundry approving the metal. Basically I have photographs that I took of the sculpture when it was sculpted. I want to be sure that all of the pieces go back together again, the way they should and textures are matched- a trademark of my sculptures. This is what I am doing this week and next. The two- year long project of Dick Hathaway is coming to a close. He will be delivered at the end of this month, taking the trip to Vermont College ( see video). Baby Jenna will be traveling with him, going a bit further up to Main. Both will be complete next week. When approving the metal I’ll go around the sculpture circling with a marker all of the things that need to be changed by the master foundry man, and believe me Miguel is a master foundry man. The foundry was miserable, no air conditioning and the Houston, Texas temperature was in the 90’s. Here are some photographs of the foundry trip. I’m headed back again next week, and then the patina ( the coloring of the sculpture.)
Is There A Message From Beyond?
Please pass this post on to everyone that you know.
Would you like to be a part of this book project called – Kisses from Heaven?
Bridgette Mongeon is a sculptor that specializes in creating posthumous sculpture for memorials, prayer gardens and personal art collections. She has heard numerous encounters of messages of comfort from beyond. This book project was created to give her clients and others an opportunity to share these blessings and comfort. The book is compiled by sculptor Bridgette Mongeon, and her client Rosanna Mangini, who recently lost her beautiful baby to cancer.
The two authors met in 2008 when Rosanna Mangini commissioned Sculptor Bridgette Mongeon to create a life size sculpture of baby Jenna for Jenna’s gravesite. As they began to share their own feather moments and kisses from heaven, as well as report the experiences of others, they realized these stories needed to be told. Now they are working on two projects—the completion of the Jenna sculpture and the memories contained in the many Kisses From Heaven.
Here is more information on how to contribute. Please do not send contributions via e-mail but instead submit them through the contract form link listed below. Writers guidelines and samples can also be found at this website.
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Writers are wanted to share their stories in an upcoming book- Kisses from Heaven
There are special cherished moments after the death of a loved one. Some call them coincidences, others a message from beyond. In this case we are calling them Kisses from Heaven.
They are simple things that happen that remind us of our deceased loved one. Some seem so bizarre we are not sure how they could happen. They may be snuggling in a dream, or perhaps having a symbol of a loved one continue to appear over and over, smelling the perfume of a deceased mother, or cigar of a father who passed away. These moments, however strange, comfort us. It is our personal opinion that God gives these moments to the bereaved as a way to say, “I know your pain, and I’m still here.”
If you have a story and would like to submit for consideration for Kisses from Heaven you can find a complete set of writers guidelines at https://creativesculpture.com/kisses_from_heaven.html . There is no monetary compensation for your submissions, but you will be able to share your blessings.
Author Bridgette Mongeon
co-author Rosanna Mangini
Found- She Is Glad To Be Home Again!
Tilly was found- If one could roll around on the ground with a turtle I would have. Snuggle or lavish kisses, maybe. But the relationship between Tilly and I is one of respect. She came to me- wild. I don’t touch her or turn her upside down, or things of that nature. Sometimes I will put my hand in the water and feel her as she passes by.
Now for the story.
She was found outside of the yard, apparently trying to get back home. She crawled beetwen two fences and the report is, she was wedged there sideways. I feared she was ill, or stressed. Was it instuition, or just an owners panic? I was on an important phone call when they reported she was found. It was hard to concentrate on our conversation. The old hispanic women next door found her and somehow was aware that we had a turtle. I guess she watched through the fence one day. She nocked on my father-in- laws window and reported her find. I went over there just now crying and saying, “thank you, gracias, gracias.” Though we don’t speak the same language, She understood. I gave her a hug, which was a little unsettling because she was holding a machete and a cigarette.
I lavished Tilly with pellets of food, bent as close to her as possible and told her I loved her. Sounds silly, loving a turtle. We will fix the hole near the fence and the ground, and definitely watch after a rain. That is when she likes to explore.
NExt thing on my list of things to do, was to make up lost turtle posters. Crazy turtle lady. Don’t have to do that now. Can’t wait to be in the studio and watching Tilly while I work. Such a friendly face. My yard once again feels full of life.
In Fond Memory Of…My Dear Studio Companion, Tilly
Many of seen my posts about my studio companion, not a studio cat or dog, but a turtle. Outside my studio door is a wonderful stream and pond. We live in the middle of Houston and the yard is fenced in, however three years ago when we built the studio Tilly appeared. She is approximately 9″ in length and an estimated 10 years old. I never thought I would bond with a turtle, but I have. She knows my voice and often comes running when I call. Each fall she would hibernate at the bottom of the pond and I was elated when she was a regular site in spring. She has had several clutches of babies, only one has survived.
Tilly has been missing for 3 days. I have searched everywhere and can not find her. I fear she is gone. We did find a gab in our fence near the gate where some recent construction was done. The ground had sunk in. Though it is far from the pond, Tilly has free reign of the entire yard and has been seen all the way in the back of the studio. I never would have thought I could bond with this turtle but I have, and my walks back and forth from house to studio seem lonelier now. My only reprieve from my grief is that she has left behind this baby. I will miss our sharing of fruit in the morning and her coming when I call. I have story after story of Tilly and have often thought of writing a children’s book about the Tilly Tales. People on the turtle forum loved to hear the stories of Tilly. 
In loving memory of Techla Turtle ( Tilly)
SHHHH…… Don’t Tell Anyone….
My newest project is hush, hush, until December when it is given as a gift from wife to husband. I love the idea of portrait sculpture as a gift. How can you go wrong? You are giving what will turn into a family heirloom. Envision this, Sculpture of children given to a parent or gandparent, wife with baby, husband with “man’s best friend”. What to give the person that has everything- commissioned portrait sculpture. I’ll often get calls from organziations. We really want to honor so-and-so for their work with our organziation. What can you give someone who has crystal vases and plaques on every wall? A commissioned sculpture of of their loved one. SO cool.
SURPRISE! Many women have difficulty with figuring out how to “hide” the large sums of money that are taken out of personal accounts on a regular basis to make the three payments. I have heard some interesting stories. This was the first time I ever had 100 bills wrapped in the little purple bank sleeve with 2,000 on it! Felt strange. Sorry, No pictures until December on this project. I am also going to create a video of the process so that it can play at the christmas party and she can have a documentation of the process. An added feature of surprise and intrigue!
Art and Technology?
I have recently returned from the computer graphics convention called Siggraph in LA. My job was to focus on how technology was entering the art studio. I have been intrigued by this concept since writing about the digital milling and scanning process this past spring for Sculpture Review magazine. I do hope to create a few videos on the subject and am looking for a venue that would like to receive regular articles on both technology in the fine art studio and psychology and art/creativity. Two subjects that intrigue me. In the meantime please be sure to check out this blog as well as my online column at Best of Artists and Artisans and read about the wonderful things that I found at the convention. I can’t wait to share!
New Article- Best of Artists & Artisans
There is a new article posted at the Best of Artists and Artisans blog titled
Mold Making and Bronze Casting-Part I . For those interested I have listed suppliers and materials. The article goes along with the recent video created of the Richard Hathaway Memorial Sculpture.
New Video Created For The Richard Hathaway Memorial
I posted a new video on you tube and blip.tv about the bronze casting process in creating the Richard Hathaway Memorial project. Anyone interested in checking it out ? Here is the YouTube version. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYgZZjcHCW4
The Thoughts of A Sculpture Judge
created for Best of Artists and Artisans web site
By Bridgette Mongeon © 2008
Seven Houston, Texas-area high school students were selected as grand-prize winners in the eighth annual Culture Shapers Visual Arts competition, winning $5,000 each. With more than 1,370 entries, the competition awarded $83,000 to 71 students at a January 31 ceremony held at Westfield High School. In addition to the grand-prize winners, dozens of other finalists received cash prizes ranging from $250 to $2,500.
The competition’s seven categories include Drawing, Electronic Media, Film, Mixed Media, Painting, Photography and Sculpture. Many of the students entered and placed in multiple categories.
I am one of the three sculptors that judge annually for the Culture Shapers Art contest. The sculpture category contains a variety of sculpture–clay, wire, welded bronze, glass, jewelry, and fabric, basically anything 3D that does not fit into the other categories. The two other judges that accompany me in the sculpture category are Richard Fielden and Ben Woitena. It is a good mix of judges, because our styles and background in sculpting are all quite different. When I come across a piece in the competition that is created in a different medium than what I am familiar with, such as carved alabaster or a welded abstract, I fall back on the expertise of these two men. I am not; however, bashful about sharing my own opinion and fighting for the pieces that I love.
It is important to have more than one judge and to have time to communicate with each other about the pieces. Often one judge may notice something about a piece that another will not. This is easy to do when you are looking at so many pieces of art. I am always reminded of the Esther Ruiz piece in 2003. Upon first glance it was easy to walk by this entry. I refer to it as “Baby in a box,” but the title is “Unbecoming Becoming”. Upon the initial viewing, you would think that this piece was nothing, but upon close investigating there was much more to this sculpture than met the eye. The other judges were glad that I pointed it out.
Judging for many years, I am still surprised at how subjective the process is. I try to express this to the students. Just because your piece did not make it into this show, does not mean it would not place in another show. It really depends on the judges and their likes and dislikes. I even overheard one judge state that they mark the student’s work lower if they have misspellings on their entry forms. I was appalled at this statement. We are not judging their spelling but their creative process, and as an artist and writer who struggled with spelling, I know these two are not the same.
There are, of course, pieces that you see where you know that the students did not push themselves as far as they could. Creating has that false point of abandonment. It gets difficult and often you must wrestle with it. But if you say, “I give up,” it shows in the work. It is said that artwork is never finished, only abandoned, but this “good” abandonment comes after a great deal of wrestling. Those who could not stay with the fight in their own creative process never make the cut to the finals.
This year there were no arguments between the judges when it came to the grand prize in the sculpture category. You can tell that Hung Pahm with the piece “Verbal Struggle” really wrestled to the final “good” abandonment. It was the artist’s description that made me think about this piece of art. The piece by Pahm was created after moving to America and reflects the struggle of not being able to speak the language. This is apparent in the sewn lips, but it had not occurred to me that it not only affects the speaking but the hearing, and this was cleverly displayed by this artist’s omission of ears!
These descriptions are so important to me as a judge. They give the piece meaning. My eyes glass over when I read a description that states, “I created this artwork because the teacher made us create in clay.” It is honest, but it lends nothing to the emotion of the piece. And I must say, I judge on emotion.
You can sense the uncertainty of the future in many of the young artists. Their own inner struggle with growing up, leaving home, and becoming what they should be. This is apparent in the 2nd Place winner’s piece by Anda Brown, “I am only Human.” Close observation shows the rocks have statements such as “great expectations, measure up, have it all, ugly.” The head turns on a base, amidst the wall of thoughts.
Often there are pieces that I become emotionally involved with. That was the case with “All that’s left,” by Merlene Robertson. I would have placed this piece much higher; however, there are other judges. Subjectivity is apparent when I explain my reasons, “My daughter recently graduated college and left home.” This sculpture depicts the empty nest. Certainly it is my own emotion that swayed my judging of this piece, but it was the artist’s work that brought that emotion to the surface, and that, in my opinion, should be accredited to the artist. Of course I love to look at the art in other categories. There was one painting on painting section of the Culture Shapers website that I thought was spectacular, and I could not wait to see it in person. In fact, it was one of the reasons I looked forward to the awards night. It was Ahra Cho’s Self- Portrait. I was very disappointed because it only received honorable mention and it was not displayed at the awards ceremony.
I cannot look at the finalist on the sculpting section of the Culture Shaper website without noticing that Teacher Bob Mosier from The John Cooper School had four students in the finals and two students in honorable mention, along with Terri Fotz-Fox from Clear Creek High School who was the teacher behind this years first and second place winners. My hat goes off to all teachers who invest their time into coaxing out the creativity and encouraging the wrestling to continue until the final “good” abandonment of the student’s artwork.
Onward with our own creative wrestling! Remembering that the opinion of artwork is subjective, and our job is to push ourselves past wanting to give up and striving onward until the final “good” abandonment of our sculpted work.Here are a few of my favorites from other categories.
Here are a few of my favorites from other categories.
4th Place: Painting
“Diminuendo”
Lauren Laumbach
4th Place Drawing
“Abba, Father”
Autumn Farrell
8th Place Drawing
“Homework”
Abby Cho
Honorable mention
“Colors of an Enlightened World”
Meng Chen