A Different Sculpture But Many Similarities
I spoke with David Johnson of Seeing Eye Inc. As I work with my own sculpture of John Turner I have many questions.
- Where does the dog face?
- How close to the man is he?
- Where is he in association to the handler?
- What is the hold on the Harness?
David helped me a lot. I am surprised at how much this David spoke a lot about John turner. HEre is his correspondence.
David told me about a sculpture similar to the one that I am doing. In fact I’m surprised that we have both come up with the same pose. According to WIKI.
” On April 29, 2005, a sculpture titled The Way to Independence was unveiled on Morristown Green in Morristown. The sculpture of Frank and Buddy, created by John Seward Johnson II, is made of bronze and painted in full color. It captures the pair in mid-stride, with Frank motioning his hand ahead as if he is giving Buddy the “forward” command. “
I wish I had a photograph to show of this sculpture. I was first motivated to create the type of work that I do because of a piece I had seen of Seward Johnson when I was young. I like the work, but have always felt that the faces lacked something. Even with all of the detail and color, it lacked something. It is my own personal opinion and I still love the work, but that is my observation. Seward is noted for his full color patinas. I prefer a traditional bronze patina.
“Please find the attached photo of a photo of Morris Frank and Buddy III that was used for our sculpture in Morristown. It gives good movement and posture perspective not dissimilar to John Turner.
As I mentioned earlier,
John is an honored and cherished graduate of The Seeing Eye. 25% of our Board of Trustees is comprised of graduates of the program, and John held a board seat for a number of years. John has been a huge advocate of our school for as long as I have known him, and I have had the privilege of being in class with him more than once. One of John’s hallmarks is that when he is engaged in conversation with you, you are the only person on earth. He is extremely sincere and a worthy opponent in debate. John has remained so close to The Seeing Eye that he opens his home to our staff any time we are in the Dallas area. Just last summer he, Linda, and Jessica entertained a dozen of us at their dinner table. John’s blessings before a meal in our presence always involve kind words and tearful emotion about his dogs, his instructors, and our organization. I am honored to call him a friend. One of the most endearing things about John is that we might not speak for months, and out of the blue he will leave me a message wishing me a good day and telling me how much our organization has meant to him in his life. He’s better than a paycheck.”
All of this is so inspiring, I can hardly wait to get back to sculpting.
The Foundry- The Fine Art Foundry of Texas
One of the most important elements to a sculpture is the foundry. The foundry is what makes my work into metal. It is a very interesting process that I will be sharing on this blogs I create John. When an artist starts a project they must obtain quotes from a foundry. Then the job is awarded to a foundry.
Shidoni Foundry in New Mexico is working on my Alice in Wonderland Project. They specialize in very large sculptures and are perfect for that job.
I am happy to be working a little closer to home with the sculpture of John Turner and delighted to announce that The Fine Art Foundry of Texas has been awarded the casting of the sculpture of John Turner. I have a long working relationship with The Fine Arts Foundry of Texas and their main worker, Miguel is the best in the business. Miguel has cast multiple projects for me. Below is a sample of the many pieces of work that Miguel has done for me. Keep following along with this blog to see the foundry process.
Richard was a professor, lover of the arts, and an all around intriguing man.
Texas Press Association. It is a limited edition of 10. 1 resides at the Texas Press
Association another is in North Carolina and a third is in the North West.
By Dallas Baptist University.
Notice the sign language symbol in her left hand. It means I love you.
Why John?
I was delighted to be with John Turner and his family the day that city council of Frisco, Texas declared John Turner day. It appears, that John is continuously being honored for his accomplishments and contributions.
The Dogs
What do I know of John?
He does not sit still. He told me repeatedly about the 80,000 miles he has taken on his journey with his dogs since 1953.
How many dogs?
Here is a list of John’s Seeing Eye dogs and the date he met his dogs:
1. Villa November 21,1953
2. Inky February 15, 1964
3. Pepper May 1, 1977
4. Gordy April 7, 1979
5. Steffie January 4,1989
6. Corinne September 20,1993
7. Robyn March 29, 2003
8. Eben May 23, 2014
We are honoring each of these dogs by putting their names and footprints that are left in the sidewalk as John walks on. These dogs gave John his freedom.
The sculpture will be of John at a quick pace. He is on the go. These dogs gave him that freedom. All of his guide dogs were trained at The Seeing Eye, Inc. in Morristown, NJ.
Their web site is www.SeeingEye.org. I have asked The Seeing Eye Inc for more information on their dogs and facility, perhaps they will give us some guest blog “dog” posts. It sure will help me. It will add more passion to the piece. I can’t help but wonder, what does the dog look like who is aware and walking and doing their job. Are their ears perked, tail high or low? I suppose each dog is different, but knowing dogs I would assume that a seeing eye dog has a certain personality. I can’t wait to hear more about it from the SeeingEye. This will help me with the sculpture.
Receiving Inspiration
In an interview today someone asked me how I capture the essence of someone.
That is exactly what I am after. I don’t just want a likeness I want the spirit of the person. Often when creating a sculpture I don’t get to meet my subject. In this case I did get to meet John. I could see his spirit. John Turner has a tremendous amount of spirit.
The essence comes from a few other places. The first is through the loved ones that know the person. That is why I ask you to send me your stories, thoughts and ways you have been touched by John Turner.
I received some photographs today. I’m thrilled to have them. The pose with John, his dog and his brief case is very similar to the pose I had in mind. I can’t wait to get started.
Two Sculptures At Once- Getting Started
I have been absolutely overwhelmed with the latest commission, of a monumental sculpture of Alice in Wonderland’s Mad Hatter Tea Party. It has received a great deal of attention in the media. We are still not done, but I’m taking time to start on the sculpture of John Tuner. Can’t wait to share about John. If you are interested in this Alice in Wonderland Project for Evelyn’s Park in Bellaire, Texas, just outside of Houston, follow along on the Finding Alice Sculpture Facebook page.
This is a recent segment from PBS on my artwork.
Speaker Seeks Additional Venues in California July 2016- 3D Technology and Fine Art.
Sculptor Bridgette Mongeon has been on a curious adventure. She has a new book about 3D Technology in Fine art. The book has been a number one new release on Amazon. She also has and a new commission of a monumental Sculpture of the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party where she is using many of the processes she writes about in her book.
She is coming to California for a book signing at SIGGRAPH, a computer graphics conference and is seeking a few other venues to share her fascinating topic and book titled “3D Technology in Fine Art and Craft: Exploring 3D Printing, Scanning Sculpting, and Milling.”
Ms. Mongeon’s introduces attendees to the wonders of technology in fine art:
* 3D Scanning for digital preservation of art.
* See the work of some of the 80 different artists around the world that Mongeon shares in her book, and hear about their processes.
* Learn about advances in digital technology as it pertains to such things as medicine, engineering, and art.
* Watch how Mongeon creates the monumental scene of the Mad Hatter tea party using 3D scanning, sculpting, milling, and 3D . Learn about some of the inventive ways she is hiding 150 messages in the scene.
This lecture is perfect for
* Fine artists interested in learning more about digital processes
* Makers using 3D printing, scanning and milling
* Educators wanting to know more about STEAM education- using Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math.
Mongeon will be at SIGGRAPH in the Anaheim California area July 24 and 27. She is seeking speaking/ book signing opportunities for the week of the 24th while in the area.
If you are interested, please contact the artist through her website.
Recent Speaking Engagements
National Sculpture Society
3D Printing World Expo
Penn State
Crucible
Young Women in Math and Science
Recent World Wide press on Mongeon’s work
*Bridgette has been listed as on of the 25 influential women in 3D printing.
*She receives national attention for her work with 3D and fine art.
*Her recent work of the Mad Hatter Tea Party continues to gain momentum and attention.
* Houston PBS created a segment about the Bridgette Mongeon as artist.
* Street Stories CW 39 came in and did a segment on the Mad Hatter Project.
* KHOU Houston gave Alice her debut. Several segments aired live and then later on in the day.
Houston Public Broadcasting and Bridgette Mongeon
For artist Bridgette Mongeon having Houston Public Braodcasting come to her studio and film was like old times. When she first began her career they came to her studio and created an artist documentary segment. It won an award. Now, all these years later they are back in her studio.
Just in case you would like to compare the very old channel 8 segment here it is. This was produced by Manny Santos and won the best artists documentary award.
Sculptor Bridgette Mongeon Is Mad As a March Hare When It Comes to Bringing Literature to Life.
Sculptor Bridgette Mongeon is completing the sculpting on a monumental sculpture of Alice in Wonderland’s Mad Hatter Tea Party. As a lover of literature, she would be thrilled to find more patrons that could help her to bring to life children’s literature.
“I want to encourage literacy, inspiration, family and community, and wonder through these works. There are many wonderful books in the public domain from which we can choose- The Wizard of Oz, Brothers Grimm, Peter Rabbit just to name a few.” States Mongeon.
Follow along with the Alice in Wonderland’s sculpture on Facebook.
Alice Gets Bigger And Smaller Not With Mushrooms And Elixirs But With Technology
Many of you have been following along with my very busy schedule of creating the monumental sculpture of the Alice in Wonderland Mad Hatter Tea Party for Evelyn’s Park in Bellaire, Texas.
You may also know that I had a new book that came out last November called 3D Technology In Fine Art and Craft: Exploring 3D Printing, Scanning, Sculpting, and Milling. I’m proud to say it has been a number one new release on Amazon. It seems that from starting the sculpture last July, to the book release in November, it has been a whirlwind of activity in my studio.
You may not know that I have used the same digital technology with the Alice Sculpture as I have written about in the book. It is fascinating, and I can’t wait to write a new book on the process of sculpting Alice.
The Whirlwind Continues
I’m thrilled that my publisher, Focal Press is jumping on board. With the new Alice in Wonderland Movie coming out we have an entirely new promotion strategy for the sculpture and the book. I’m thrilled when Focal Press has asked me to come to book signings, be a featured author, etc. This is a great way to start off my first solo book. I have longed for a publisher that could work with me as a team, and Focal Press is doing just that. Thanks to everyone for jumping down the rabbit hole with me.
Bridgette