Newsboy- The Morphing Of A Sculpture

December 14-21, 2004
Sculptor Bridgette Mongeon has documented the entire process of creating a figurine of a newsboy and a life-size bronze sculpture. Watch the artist work through these posts. In this blog, she has also included information for students and teachers. In the previous post, we learned a little about the frustration in the creative process

If you are lost and want to go back to the chronological running list of posts, follow this link.

I have had assistance with the sculpture, this week. My daughter, Christina, is home from college and is helping smooth out the clay on the sculpture.

Remember that this clay is very difficult to smooth. You have to heat it up with a torch or brush it with warm brushes. I spend time putting clay on and taking it off and Chris comes behind me and smoothes out the clay. I have always liked smooth clay and I can see the errors better if the sculpture is smoothed out. Many times I come right after her, add and take away and she smoothes all over again. I guess we have a system going.

I have had assistance with the sculpture, this week. My daughter, Christina, is home from college and is helping smooth out the clay on the sculpture.

Remember that this clay is very difficult to smooth. You have to heat it up with a torch or brush it with warm brushes. I spend time putting clay on and taking it off and Chris comes behind me and smoothes out the clay. I have always liked smooth clay and I can see the errors better if the sculpture is smoothed out. Many times I come right after her, add and take away and she smoothes all over again. I guess we have a system going.

After such a frustrating series of days, last week, the sculpture is finally becoming more friendly. At least that is the way it feels to this artist.

I had a sitting with Dusty to take photos of his teeth. Before I met with him, I printed out all the pages of this journal and some of the articles that have been printed about the sculpture. I put them in a photo album and gave them to him, a scrapbook of sorts. He was thrilled. I can only imagine what it must be like to be 12 years old and to have your image created in bronze and put at the State Capitol building.

I have many measurements that I took of Dusty, but because I am actually starting from the ground up, I was very interested in getting his calf measurements.

He also gave me his mom’s boots, with her permission of course. These boots were used in the initial photo sitting. I was so thrilled to get the teeth photos, boots, and calf measurement. I felt renewed creatively

Having the boots really has been a tremendous help. I spent a day, laying on the floor and roughing in the right boot. Then handed it off to Christina who spent another entire day smoothing the clay and defining the details that I indicated. We still have not finished it, but it has come a long way.From the boot I am moving my way up the leg, and those calf measurements sure are coming in handy, then on to the left leg. By the end of the week it looked as if the sculpture is morphing from the ground up. It is so cool to see.

Now let’s keep going. Working hard and to the next post –Working Through The Holidays.