Photographic Reference
I can’t say enough about photographic reference. I know you will think this is strange but an artist can make a sculpture look exactly like your loved one from one angle, say the front, but when you look at the sculpture from the side it could appear to be someone totally different. That is because the sculptor works in three dimensions. It is imperative that good photographs are provided to the sculptor from both side and front, in fact as many angles as possible, at the photographs should be at the age that you want the subject captured. If it is not possible to provide this then you must understand the limitations that are set upon the sculpture. You might be able to work with the artist one on one to fix any discrepancies in one view or another but this could take an enormous amount of time and patience and should be clarified before the artist give a price.
I believe it was Rodin that talked about how a person cannot look at a true portrait of himself or herself, because often the sculptor captures so much more than the image. It is true that this may play a part in the approval of some sculpture commissions. But more times than not it is something different entirely.
What If It Does Not Look Like My Loved One?
I am sure that many clients or potential clients have the fear that they will pay a lot for a sculpture and it will not look anything like what they have envisioned in their own mind. Here are some thoughts on that fear-
When commissioning an artist you must be absolutely sure that the artist understands what you want. First be clear of your thoughts. How do you see this loved one? Do you see them younger? Is it a formal pose or casual? If it is a full figure pose or life size what mannerisms does the individual have that can be portrayed?
If the artist requests a photo sitting it is assumed that the sculpture is at the same age as the sitting. If you request a different age be sure that you have as much reference of the person at that age that you can possibly provide.
It Is Not What I Expected…
The difficulty about blogging a process is that many times people see parts of the process and think that it has ended. It has not ended or complete until the artist writes- I am done. And then there is an entire client approval process. I am sure there are some artists who won’t change their artwork, but I am not one of them. This process of approval is an important element to the entire process. It is the place where the client can have input. I know you might ask is a sculpture totally correct when a client arrives to the studio? Sometimes, but this is rare. I think there are many reasons for this.
Let me give you an example…
Years ago, I was sculpting a little girl and the client came in and was quite bothered by the sculpture. They did not know how to explain it but, it was just not her. Together we looked at the piece and decided that indeed all the features were the features of the little girl. The main element in the sculpture that did change was the mouth. You see when I shot all of the photographs of this little girl for the sculpture sitting she was very timid toward me. This is not unusual; I am after all a stranger. In most of the photographs her mouth was closed, but her mother informed me that she is a talker and that is not normal for her. With a little work from my tools I had opened her mouth into a perpetual talking motion and that was all it took. This was a nuance that only the mother would know. This is what I depend upon from my client.
Jeanine
Working Around The Holidays
Working around the holidays. I have been working on this commission, slowly it is coming along. Remember what it looked like just a few weeks ago? I hope to have this bust complete by the end of the week. Another commission has come in and is a rush and must be started next week.
Jeanine and Lucas still have not shipped. I had to find a chain for Jeanine. The chain that is around her neck is real and threads through the heart pendant. Unfortunately it was too long and could not be shortened. So I ran around town for a few days trying to find just the right chain. When I found one it was not the proper metal to be hold a patina. The foundry came to my aid and helped me with providing a chain. Now Jeanine is finished!
meanwhile…
I am struggling with getting just the right materials together to send my book “Bringing to Life the Spirit of the Deceased—A Sculptor’s Journey” off to the publishers.
I Miss Them, And I Never Knew Them.
I don’t think I would call it melancholy, it is definitely reflective. I have spent a year of my life with Lucas and Jeanine. I have swum in my thoughts and feelings about them and searched desperately for them. Together we developed a relationship and they brought me to some really surprising discoveries about my process and myself.
I commented on my other blog that a parent who had lost a child looked at the Jeanine sculpture at the christmas party and said I have sculpted so much peace in her. His comment meant a great deal to me, because he too has suffered this loss. I documented the entire process of sculpting Jeanine for the book that I am writing, and shared it with the readers but in the end I step back and look at the piece and still wonder, how did we do this? I rejoice in thinking that the sculpture emits peace. Considering the pain in her life and the way that she died, finding this peace and capturing it has been very important to me. I know the parents will then see the peace in the sculpture and that will somehow help them.
But again, Lucas and Jeanine will soon be gone. They will be with their parents, and for that I am happy. I will have the memories of creating and loving them.
A Desire to Sit And Chat?
A friend of mine that was at the party said that she so wanted to sit down with Dick and chat. Her comment made me smile. She said she would catch a glimpse of him and think he was alive. That his mannerism made her feel comfortable and like having a conversation. The comment made me feel wonderful. I wondered what others would do when he is placed on the campus at Vermont College. I can only imagine.
I can’t wait to get back to sculpting Dick after the holidays.
Lucas, Don’t You Ever Stop Running In The Studio!
I will be very sad to see Lucas go home. I took these pictures yesterday so that I would have some of him. To see these pictures larger, click on the photograph to enlarge
Dick and The Christmas Party
This past weekend we had a Christmas party at my art studio. It is called the upside down Christmas party because we hang the tree upside down from the ceiling. The guests that come can decorate our tree from a found object, or anything that is on their person or in their car. It is fun to see what others come up with. I have posted some of the party pictures at my other blog. https://creativesculpture.com/blog . It is a creative event. Everyone enjoyed the tree and the sculptures.
The Jeanine and Lucas sculptures came home from the foundry for the show. Soon they will be with their parents. The holidays are always difficult for those who have lost a loved one. It is a time of continuous prayer for me. I feel compelled to lift up each one. Jeanine and Lucas will soon be home with their families.
It was fun to see people interact with Dick.
I thought I would share with you some of the adventures. There were a lot of people in attendance. We had several guests of honor. Lucas was running around with all of the adventures. Trying to charm everyone he met. He did a great job.
Jeanine has a smile that softened everyone. I was thrilled when Ellie’s parents commented on the peace that I captured with Jeanine. From anyone else I don’t think it would have mattered as much. But Ellie’s Parents have experienced the same loss.
Dick Hathaway sat near the upside down Christmas tree and lectured away. I envisioned him talking about the history of the event. We covered the bench next to him. It was fun to see people interact with him. I am not sure their conversation but they all seemed to be having a good time.
Upside Down Christmas Party-The Tree
An upside down Christmas party must have an upside down tree, but there is more to our upside down tree then just hanging it from the ceiling. We ask each of our guests to decorate our tree. They do this with something that is on their person, in their car or found objects. Anything goes. Below you will see just some of the things that are on our tree. On the top of the tree, which is the bottom is a shark that squeaks. Why? Because we can. The shark has been with the celebration for a long time. One of my sculptures look very intrigued with the idea of a shark ornament.
The tree seems to have a strange affect on the guests.
