Richard Hathaway

I hope to add the bronze process next.

Vermont College Union Institute provided me with this video taken at the completion Ceremonies—April 3, 2004. Richard Hathaway was the speaker. There is a lot more to the video but I edited it down to show Dick talking about progressive education. Listening to his talk, watching his hand motion and animation helped me to remember him, and I hope it allowed me to capture that in the clay. It is a shame that this video is not made available to more people to see. Especially those who loved him and need a little Professor Hathaway fix.

As I finish up the details on the sculpture, preparing it for the foundry join  me for a moment in the wonder, wit and charm of Professor Richard Hathaway. 

Well a younger Dick Hathaway is coming to life. I have attached the head of the sculpture and I am working on pulling everything all together. I changed the arm, raising it a bit. I was not sure I could do this, because the armature is rebar. Standing on the bench I pulled up. It worked. I also reattached the hand. Dick’s right leg is still removed so that we can get in close the finish some details. I keep moving around the shirt trying to get things just right. Shoulders, left arm and back. Every now and again I look up at the face and change a thing here and there.

The satchel is almost complete. The books, with their titles are carved and even the sheet of paper on the top of the satchel has been done.

It reads,

Dear Richard Hathaway,

May all that come after you emanate your love of family, history, education, and philanthropy. With great appreciation your family, friends, colleagues and students.

The elephant and feather are pouring out of the bag. Funny thing is that I have an irresistible urge to put in something round next to the elephant. I don’t know if this is a design thing or an intuitive thing. I don’t know why a round thing? Either coins or marbles. Why would I pick either one of these? I don’t know. Anyone have a clue? Anyone know anything about either coins or marbles relating to Dick Hathaway?

My apprentice needs to do some work on this satchel yet. Not much just clean up some areas, but she is busy smoothing out the Dick’s shirt If we could get it done we could actually put this satchel into the mold process. Then on to the bronze.

As I mention so many times in my new book “Bringing to Life the spirit of the Deceased—A Sculptor’s Journey”, the essence of the individual comes from the face. Of course many have “felt” Dick even though his face was not complete. When presenting the pictures of him a year ago at the TW Wood Gallery I had roughed in Dick’s face as well as his body. Many looking at it ‘felt” Dick Hathaway. The glasses I placed on Dick’s face were his glasses that were sent by his daughter. They were however covered with clear acetate to protect the lenses. I had not yet sculpted the eyes

Now I have removed the head and have been focusing on the face of Dick Hathaway. This has been a very difficult task. When you look at someone who has glasses on their eyes have shrunken because of the glass. If you are looking at them from a ¾ view you might even notice that the side of their face, through the glass, is smaller than their actual face. All of these things are things to consider when sculpting the face of Richard Hathaway. There will be no glass, and so I must give the impression of what everyone sees with the glass, so that when they look at him they will say, “ah, yes that is the person I know.” And this will create an emotional bond with the piece. The scientific process of empathy that I describe in my book will take place.

I have removed the glass from the frames and have been working on the eyes. All the while I keep wondering, “Where are you?” I feel I am getting there, I am close.

Old or young? I ask myself as I move from photograph to photograph. There are a couple of very good younger photographs of his eyes and therefore I am leaning toward that. Hairline changes, jowls change. I hope to have the face complete this weekend and may try to reattach it to the body to finish the upper torso.

I heard someone say that Dick said something like “My body is just something that I use to carry around my head.” well not right now. The head has been removed from the torso so that I can focus on the finishing of his face. How old are you? Maida wanted him younger and he definitely appears to be younger. How much younger I don’t know. Seems like some photographs have him in a much heavier period and then thinner again.

“Come out, come out where ever you are!” This sculpture is so different than the others I have worked on because once again I don’t really have a client. No one to say- I want it this way! So I probe to see what is coming out.

Nancy said she did not want Dick’s glasses back and that was so much help. I could pop the lenses out of the frame and work on his face. It is very difficult working on someone who has glasses. The illusion of how the eyes appear because of the glasses is what I am trying to get. Their is of course no glass in a bronze sculpture, just the frame. These glasses have been one of the most important things for me to have.

This week my new apprentice has worked diligently on the satchel. The question is what books are pouring out of the satchel. I have given this quite a bit of thought. Remember not all the titles can be seen.

If you are to look at the spine of each book this is what you see

PROGRESSIVE EDUCATION

A Book for You!

VERMONT

History

I toyed with the idea of actual books but I thought this is best. Dick would always have a book for you, no matter who you are. Anyone who has ever seen his office would know why.

I listen often to the video of Dick’s lecture on progressive education. It is all I have of him.

I find myself needing the stimulation of those who knew him. It is interesting how important that is for me to be able to pull that emotion into the piece. Charlotte, you helped with this before!

I also wish I had something for the satchel that represented his auctions. An auction ticket? Any suggestions? I still don’t know what the letter will say on the top of the satchel. I think it will be from all of us.

That’s the update for now.

I feel an urgency to get the life-size sculpture of Dick ready for the foundry. Not that I don’t like having him around, but when it got up to a couple of days of 100 something degrees here in Texas, the old Vermonter could not handle the heat and went to pieces. Literally! Yes, I came in and Dick’s leg had come off, then it was his hand. I quickly turned on the AC and told myself it was a sign, a sign that it was time to let go of Dick and get him into the next stage of bronze casting. So now we are going to finalize the details of our beloved Professor Hathaway, right now I am completing his back which never could be reached before. Then, as I add the appendages that have fallen off I am finalizing the details. It was great to have the hand cast of my dad, something I recently did while on a trip back home, the reference helped me with the details in Dick’s hands. You could say my dad lent a hand to the process, LOL!

I also have a new apprentice in the studio lending a hand a real one. She is taking over where the last apprentice, Bryan had left off. She is finishing up his satchel as we speak. A wonderful young girl who is a student and Lamar High school. I think Dick would have liked that idea that so many young people have utilized the sculpture of him as a experiential learning experience.

As the sculpture details are finished Dick will go to pieces again. This time pieces that are intentional. I’ll have to cut him apart to begin the mold making process. My goal is to have all of this done and Dick Hathaway to the foundry by the end of this year. I can only hope the gallery has good news about the raising of the funds. At least enough to put the deposit down on the bronze.

Bryan and I have been working diligently on the overflowing satchel that sits at the feet of Dick Hathaway.

Meanwhile, I have been adding the details to Professors Hathaway beckoning hands.

The life size sculpture of Dick Hathaway has been brought back to the center of the studio. He will be getting my full attention, or as full as it can be with other things needing to be done in the office and studio. Unfortunately we have had a few very hot days here and with the stress of moving the piece a few things have broken off of Dick Hathaway. It could be a devastating thing; however, I know the pieces, elbow, leg, hand will go back on. The silly thing is that no sooner do we put them back on and finish Dick, then they will have to come back off. I hesitated in cutting this piece up for mold, because the T.W. Woods Gallery in Vermont is still trying to get the balance to cast him. And once I cut the sculpture apart and create molds and wax, it will not go back together again until it is in bronze. I will miss having Dick Hathaway around, but it is time. time to get him ready to go back to his Green Mountain state and to make room for more life-size pieces.