John Turner
Getting To Know My Subject
and recognitions look over a dog who love and now have
a challenge of helping the blind to see.
I have thought of this photo often as I think of the many memories they have had.
After arriving in Dallas, John and Linda took me to their home. I love visiting a subjects home. I have always said, “you really don’t know someone until you run your finger along their bookshelves.”
This type of interaction though brief is important. While trying not to be intrusive and asking permission to take photographs I try to absorb a life time of memories. I often wish I could be alone in these spaces to run my finger along the shelves and envision a past. These pictures remind me of another commission of a former professor at my undergraduate college in Vermont and visiting Richard Hathaway’s home, or spending time in his office.
I have a book about casting faces
of famous people so the blind
can “see” their faces. I cast faces
and hands, as well as digitally scan
them. My favorite personal possession
is the casts of my mom’s and dad’s hands.
Reviewing The Space For The Sculpture
under a water color Texas evening sky.
The Texas sky streaked into watercolor purples and the wind bit through my poncho as we explored the area where the sculpture celebrating a man, a journey and possibilities would be placed. The Heritage center and the Heritage Museum is located at 6455 Page Street Frisco, Texas 75034.
“The mission of the Frisco Heritage Museum is to collect, preserve, study, interpret, exhibit, and stimulate appreciation for and knowledge of the history and culture of Frisco, Texas and the North Texas region to all the people of the region and to the visitors attracted to the area”
The Patrons of this project Linda and David Griffin
John Turner and his wife Linda Turner and Ebon
A Visit To Frisco Texas
I knew I had to take time away from Wonderland, and visit Shirley and David. I looked forward to the opportunity of meeting John Turner. A date was set, and on January 5th, I made a quick trip from my Houston, studio to fly to Dallas and then drive over to Frisco, Texas to see sculpture was to be placed.
GETTING TO KNOW A SUBJECT
To meet a subject in person is so very important and really a luxury in my creative journey. I work on many different types of projects. People are my favorite thing to sculpt, along with dogs and especially children. Though, over the last few years, more people have been calling me “the cat lady” after creating the panther for Prairie View A & M and the Grambling tiger for Grambling State University, Louisiana. But many of my subjects I never meet. This is either because they are far away or they are deceased. This is a wonderful treat to be able to meet John.
John and his wife Linda met me at the airport. To my surprise they walked up to me inside the airport Now, for many people that may not seem like anything special, but for me it was a treat. I have traveled often and my hometown is not Houston, though I have lived here over 35 years. When I would fly home in years gone by, I remember how people could greet you at the gate. I remember my mom waiting anxiously to greet me with my baby girl, or my sister and brother waiting for hugs. It occurred to me, that over the years, with the extra security and people not going down to the gate, that things have gotten very lax and when traveling and visiting used to be a treat, the process has become impersonal. Many times in my travels, I find myself taking taxis, or maybe waiting at the curb for family to drive by, open their door and I jump in before some guy in a yellow vest shouts at us and waves us off. So seeing these friendly faces greet me with a hug, meant more to me than I even realized at the time. It was the perfect way to start this adventure.
The Beginning
In June of 2015 Shirley and David Griffin contacted me about creating a possible commission of John Turner. There are always many things to figure out at the beginning of a commission. What size sculpture does the client envision? What is the vision of the possible client and then, once these are decided, it is important to get prices from my foundry so all of the costs are known. Meanwhile, my client searches for the proper spot to place this tribute and, if I am not installing the sculpture then they will need to figure out who will install the sculpture. Needless to say, there are lots of details to figure out before things are settled, before I can think about sculpting.
|While Shirley and David where working on these details, I was signing one of the biggest commission of my career, a monumental sculpture of the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party for Evelyn’s Park in Bellaire, Texas. ( You can follow along with this job on the Finding Alice Sculpture Facebook Page. ) Though this sculpture is not as large as the Grambling Tiger sculpture at 15’ tall, it is the largest in scope as it contains an 8’ mad hatter, Alice and March Still, Shirley said she knew I was the one to create this sculpture. She felt we clicked, and when all of the other details were confirmed, we signed a contract. It was a lovely Christmas gift to get the contract the day before Christmas. I’m delighted that this contract holds a place in our studio schedule and we are all excited about starting the project.
Hare, along with a 10 foot table, and if that were not enough to sculpt, there is a plaque and 150 elements that I am trying to hide in the scene. I knew this job would take a big chunk out of my schedule for the 2016.