Sculpture- Move One Place On – Alice in Wonderland
On To A Mad Hatter
The last blog post updating the Mad Hatter Tea party sculpture project was August 7th. This was just days after the foam for the March Hare came in. Much has happened in that short amount of time. Keep an eye on my sculpting blog or on the Finding Alice Facebook Page. I have created a notes section on the Facebook page with all of these updates.
Many people walk into the studio and say, “Wow, everything is coming along so quickly.” I look at the entire project and think that it is moving slowly. That is because there is so much to do, and so many people to manage while sculpting. Plus, it all depends on me, so I am pulled in many directions. However, I can’t complain. I am getting paid to create a Wonderland. Let’s see what we accomplished in the last 30 days. Below is some of our accomplishments this last month. I talk a lot about my process of creating using digital and traditional. If you are interested in learning more about this process, I have a book that is coming out on the 28th of this month called 3D Technology in Fine Art and Craft: Exploring 3D Printing, Scanning, Sculpting and Milling
The March Hare
Here I am fooling around with the tea cup of the March Hare.
I really can’t wait to get back to finishing this table.
The March Hare came in around August 7th. He had to be dry fitted. We made an internal armature, and he was mounted. After that, I had much hand sculpting to do. Because I revised the digital model in the computer for 3D printing, more detail was made on the digital model than on the Alice and the Mad Hatter figures. This detail was reflected by Synappsys Digital Services that provided this CNC (Computer Numerically Controlled) Foam. Still, there was a tremendous amount of sculpting to do.
It is like putting a puzzle together.
Slices are glued together and carved.
After the carving on the foam, a layer of wax is put on the sculpture. This seal the foam. Then finally a layer of clay and more detail is added to that. I put together the video of the CNC milling and dry fit and love watching it. As of this date, the March Hare is nearly complete. I’ll save some photos for next month or follow along on theFinding Alice Facebook Page.
The Table base
the table. After all I have to hide
150 elements in this entire scene,
so plan on finding quite a few of
them in this table base. I covered
the foam with foundry wax to seal
it and give it a different texture.
I really love this foam.
We worked on the March Hare this month, but I also carved the massive base for the table. The base was designed and carved in foam from Duna USA. It is a new foam for me, and I absolutely love it. I’ll be writing more on that foam later. Then, a layer of wax and finally a we added a layer of paint to that. The paint is the same color as the clay we are using which will cause less visual disturbance when people come to approve the sculpture. I almost hate painting the art as I love the color of the wax on the foam, and this wax color will be more true to the patina or color in the bronze. We will be putting the table away for the time being as we proceed with the other figures.
The Hatter and Alice
The Mad Hatter was delivered, as was Alice. They were huge crates, and it was like Christmas when opening them. Originally we were going to work on Alice first and then the Hatter, but the order of this has been changed.
of Alice and the Mad hatter.
The Workers
We had a team of six interns working this last month putting in various hours. I hope to post more about these wonderful people in up and coming posts. Interns come and go throughout the day and so that means that means I am working pretty much two shifts.
warehouse and is quite large.
I guess in hindsight we have accomplished a lot considering we also had a couple other small jobs in the studio.
What have we hidden? I think a more appropriate question is where will you hide things? Sculpting the table allowed me to create many nooks and crannies. One of the last things to do on the table was to trace the table base onto the table top. I need to know how it fits together so that I know places to hide things under the table as well. I’m thinking of places all of the time, and, for the most part, will create these smaller items last and hide them within the pieces that we sculpted. Of course there is something to be said about buttons and tea cups. Well, I guess that is your hints for now.
Alice In Wonderland Gets Bigger and Smaller Digitally Instead of With Mushrooms
PRESS RELEASE
Alice In Wonderland Gets Bigger and Smaller digitally Instead of With Mushrooms.
In Lewis Carroll’s book, Alice in Wonderland gets bigger and smaller by eating a mushroom, cake and elixirs of sorts. In sculptor Bridgette Mongeon’s Wonderland, the characters are changing size—digitally.
The Evelyn Rubenstein Park of Bellaire, Texas has commissioned the artist to make eight-foot tall characters placed within the scene of the Mad Hatter Tea Party. Estimated date of delivery of this bronze is just over a year away in fall of 2016. “That short time frame is a monumental task at best, but the digital tools make my job easier and faster,” states Mongeon. The name of the sculpture- Move One Place on is what the Mad Hatter beckons before everyone changes places in the story. The artist hopes visitors to the sculpture will be prompted to do the same.
The artist had worked on the creating and selling of the design for three years before she and the park finalized the paperwork. This happened on July 3, 2015, the day before the 150th anniversary of the beloved story of Alice in Wonderland. She explains that her process of creating the digital models for the pitch to the client needed to be quick, as she still had not secured the commission. Mongeon first used Daz, Poser, ZBrush, Mudbox and Photoshop to create the virtual digital scene that won her this commission. Once the idea was sold to the client, the artist moves to traditional clay to finalize the designs and make them her own. The Mad Hatter, Alice, and March Hare are then 3D scanned using the NextEngine 3D Laser Scanner. “I love my NextEngine Scanner. It is a bit of work to get good scans, but it saves me time and money to have a dependable, affordable, scanner that I can use right in my studio.” The digital files are once again changed and modified by the artist using MeshLab, Meshmixer andZBrush.
One would think it would be senseless to have a 3D print of the figures if you already have a clay version at the same size. But Mongeon says that having the 3D print created by 3D RP in California was very valuable in her creative process. “The clay is fragile and hard to handle. Also, creating things like a tiny cup and saucer and a pocket watch were much easier to create digitally than trying to sculpt a half inch cup with soft clay. The digital model helps me to refine the design further, and the 3D print puts all of these elements together and gives me something to refer to when the large sculpture comes to the studio.” Mongeon claims that in her workflow she goes back and forth between digitally and traditional sculpting as much as Alice goes between big and small in the Lewis Carroll stories.
The NextEngine scanner was not the only scanner used in translating the art into a digital world. Mongeon was elated when Evan Lee of Super Solid 3D offered to come in and scan some items using an Artec Structured Light Scanner. “I’m hiding 150 small elements in the scene of The Mad Hatter Tea party. Yes, the project in itself is a huge undertaking and I must be mad as a hatter to decide to create and hide these elements. But is fun to create them and it will be even more fun to find them,” states Mongeon.Super Solid 3D used the Artec scanner to scan a portrait that the artist created and that she will use as one of the hidden elements. (The crying baby in Alice In Wonderland turns into a pig.) Super Solid 3D also scanned Mongeon’s mother’s chair that she will use as the Mad Hatter’s chair in the scene. She is working with Zbrush artist Johannes Huber to work in Zbrush, modify the chair and hide even more elements of the story.” I loved the results of the Artec Scan. One day I might like to try it on my own, however I fear the Artec scanner is over my studio budget at this time, though I am elated to see the results.”
Mongeon uses more tricks in her wonderland of creating to make Alice and her Friends grow to eight-foot tall. She turns the digital files are into Gcode and Computer Numerically Controlled or CNC Mills out the foam at Synappsys Digital Services in Oklahoma and Across the Board Creations in Canada. The pieces then travel back to the artist’s studio. Mongeon documents the carving of the characters and the “hare-raising” event in a recent YouTube video as she reassembles the monumental foam hare.
Once again, Mongeon will use traditional processes in her workflow. She now is carving the foam and adding detail to the sculpture with a fine layer of clay before the scene goes through the lost wax method of bronze casting at Shidoni Foundry in New Mexico. She will continue to document her process of creating the sculpture titled “Move one Place On” sharing it online through her blog and the Finding Alice Sculpture page on Facebook. Once the project is complete she will write about it in a new book.
Mongeon enjoys sharing her process with others. She hopes it will inspire artists to combine the processes and go beyond what the technology is presently doing and what other artist have done. She has written about the processes of incorporating digital techniques in her own studio and the studio of many artists around the world in a new book titled 3D Technology in Fine Art and Craft: Exploring 3D Printing, Scanning, Sculpting and Milling
Bridgette Mongeon has much more to do and share with the creating of the sculpture “Move One Place On.” Stay tuned, she will be sharing her process along the way as she goes further down the rabbit hole.
I LOVE TEA! Thank You Salada and Lipton- Come Join The Tea Party
I’m a tea drinker. I know many in the world are passionate about their coffee, but as this coffee cup says, “As For Me Make Mine Tea!”
I guess it is appropriate that I have been commissioned to sculpt the Mad Hatter tea party. Tea is in my blood. So are tea cups, tea pots ,and everything tea. More on that later. I grew up on tea as a kid and love it as an adult.
Now, don’t bring me any of your fancy tea bags in pretty boxes, there are only two teas I will drink. I grew up on Salada in the North and drink it when I visit Buffalo, and when I moved to the south, I turned to Lipton.
For me, tea is associated with many of the warm fuzzies in my day. Writing in bed, a walk through my garden and chat with a friend. I bring tea bags in my suitcases, backpack and purse. When playing grandmother at my daughter’s house and spending the night I have two things I have requested. I need a place to put my toothbrush and a place for my tea bags. If my children want me to come, they know they must have tea.
With all of that said, You know I absolutely have to have a Salada Tea bag and a Lipton Tea bag as a part of this monumental bronze sculpture.
You may be following along with this bronze project on Facebook. Perhpas you are one of the many that are trying to record and know all of the 150 secret elements of this bronze. Here are two more hints to the 150 hidden items I am placing in this scene in honor of the 150th anniversary of Alice in Wonderland. There will be two tea bags hidden in this scene. I have contacted both companies and let them know they will be included. I also plan on 3D printing these tea bags out on a 3D printer, then they, like the other elements will be embedded in the clay before it is cast in bronze. So, is there any 3D printing company out there that would like to help me by 3D printing some tea bag labels for me? If so, please contact me! Please note I will need to request that the 3D printing company film the tea bags being printed because I’m sure these tea companies will want to see the technology at work.
I hope both tea companies will take part in passing the word. With Salada, I have asked them for some help. You see Salada always has a saying on the back of a tea bag label. My question to them and other lovers of Lewis Carroll. What saying would be on the back of this tea label at the Mad Hatter Tea Party?
Stay tuned as I have much more to share about tea in the future. And please, there is no need to remind me of the accuracy of history. I know the history of tea, and I know that there were really no tea bags 150 years ago, I am an artist, and I love these teas and it is my sculpture. I guess that is what others mean when they say I have “artistic license.”
Note: there are other “tea” related hidden items. Ooooo this is so much fun.
Lipton, Salada, please feel free to invite six guests to this tea party when it is done. If you decide to do this let me know. They will become a part of the coveted thimble invite. More on this later. I will provide the finger sandwiches, and you can provide the tea at the most interesting dining experience and the most famous tea party in the United States.
Side note: Do I collect tea things? Well, because I use them yes. But it seems that this new project is bringing a desire for Alice related tea items. A dance friend gave me this lovely Lewis Carroll tea cup. I saw one at the Harry Ransom Center that had a Cheshire cat on it that appeared and disappeared depending on the heat in the cup. I wanted it, but I was so busy getting ready for my lecture at the 150th Anniversary celebration of the North American Society of Lewis Carroll I never purchased it.
I do plan on making tea related items that will be associated with Alice in Wonderland, this project, and tea.They will be for sale so stay tuned. But first, I have a monumental bronze sculpture to finish.
For more information about this project watch the video below and follow the progress of this project on the Finding Alice Facebook Page. I love to hear people’s suggestions and comments.
Updates On Alice- Take A Seat And Get Ready
July 19, 2015
“Begin at the beginning,” the King said, very gravely, “and go on till you come to the end: then stop.”
― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
I reported in the last post on the Mad Hatter Tea party project that the project actually began 3 years ago. Things may look like they are now moving slowly in the studio, but, there is so much work going on by many people concerning this project from all over the World. In the overall picture we are way ahead of the game.
√ Digital designs approved by client
√ Photo sittings with Alice and the Mad Hatter
√ Collect other reference material.
√ Maquettes sculpted
√ Maquettes (small clay sculptures) scanned using the Next Engine laser scanner, revised in the computer and sent to CNC Milling Companies.
– IN PROGRESS
1. Maquettes enlarged- Updates on these very soon, they are at Synappys Digital Services in Oklahoma and Across the Board in Canada. They should start coming into the studio in about 7 days.
2. I am purchasing materials and get the studio ready. We may just have a very special company helping me to “set the table for the most creative dining experience.” More on this soon to come.
3. Hire on interns and get them ready.
The studio will soon become very crowded. I can visualize how crowded by seeing the bases that are being built by my incredible son-in-law and resident handy man Bill Sizemore. I love that “family” energy is all over this project. Before anything can be sculpted- rolling bases must be made. Each of the pieces the table, the March Hare, Alice, The Mad Hatter, the pedestal and every bench must have a rolling base so that the I and my interns can roll them into place, work on them ,and then roll them to get them out of the way again. The studio is small and it will be close quarters as interns maneuver around art.
Welcome Johannes Huber to the team. Johannes is a digital artist using ZBrush. I’m going to count on Johannes a lot in the up and coming months. There are many different hidden objects that I have created or am creating digitally that will be in the scenes. I will count on Johannes, to either rough in a design or clean up my designs as I move through creating 150 elements in the scene. Most of those things will be for 3D printing. However, Johannes has a
very big part of the project right now. He is helping me with the Mad Hatter’s chair. Remember I’m writing a book on the creating of the Alice Project. It is similar to my book 3D Technology in Fine Art and Craft: Exploring 3D Printing, Scanning, Sculpting and Milling
The Mad Hatter’s Chair.
As you can see in the original photo shoot of the mad hatter, the chair is tipped. I decided to use a chair that was my mother’s and have it scanned. Digital Designer Evan Lee from Super Solid 3D came to my studio and scanned my chair using a Artec Eva and Artec Spider structured light scanners as well as a few other things for the Alice project. Evan needed to try out the scanner as he is working with The Center for Advanced Computing and Data Systems (CACDS) at the University of Houston (UH). They use the Artec 3D scanners to work in collaboration with local museums and UH art historians for research into new data and computational techniques in the study of art. I was delighted that Evan wanted to try it out on the alice pieces. This scanner certainly will help the pieces change shape. I guess you can say in my story Alice and her friends change shape digitally instead of using alixers and mushrooms.
I have never seen this scanner work and it was good to get to see the results. Now we must make that scan workable and make it our own. Johannes will help me with the digital file. The chair will eventually go for CNC milling on A CarveWright Machine. I can’t wait to show this process, as I’m very intrigued with the CarveWright. I featured it in my previous book and am thrilled that it will become a major tutorial.
Alice Project- How it Began – Getting Ready to Jump Down The Rabbit Hole
In 2011, I was contacted by Amy Freeman of Freeman Design Associates who was working with Jerry Rubenstein on signage for the newly named Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center. The Rubensteins were looking for an artist to create a bronze sculpture of their mother for the Jewish Community Center. If you are interested, I documented the creation of Evelyn on a website blog. The Rubensteins and Amy came to my studio, and we all hit it off. At this time, the Rubensteins were also talking about a possible second sculpture of Evelyn for a park. My focus was on the sculpture for the Jewish Community Center, but I was curious about this mention of a sculpture for a park.
Over the many visits to my studio, Jerry and Linda would share artwork and artists that they discovered, I assumed they were ideas for the park. One such piece was the Alice In Wonderland sculpture in central park. Over the years, I have received numerous photographs from the Rubensteins of this sculpture, but I have yet to see it for myself. My wheels began to turn about Alice. I was delighted to find that the story and illustrations were in the public domain, I was even more delighted to find that the story would be celebrating 150 years in 2015. I immediately purchased an The Annotated Alice,Diliberto Photo and Design helped. We had so much fun searching for all of these elements and putting them together in this very classy package.
presented it along with the book to my client. Securing a great commission
like this take a lot of time and finesse.
I have sculpted quite a few deceased loved ones. It is my specialty, and I develop a certain connection to the loved ones. Last year the Texas Country Reporter came out and created a wonderful segment on this part of my artwork. You can see it on this YouTube video. You could say when doing this type of artwork…I develop a relationship with the deceased, and though I had never known Evelyn, I became friends with her as I created the sculpture for the Jewish Community Center.
sizes. 1. digital sketch for client to get the feel for my idea.
2. Digital sketch enlarging characters 3. The clay sculpted
maquettes added to the scene and sized proportionately
to each other. These last scene is the truest to how the
large scene will look, but it continues to morph and change.
Not long after beginning the sculpture of Evelyn in 2012 I began to create digital designs to present to the Rubensteins. I had several designs that I spent hours on and never presented. The one design that had me was Alice. I just kept coming back to Alice.
The interesting thing is that, originally the Rubensteins did not want just a random sculpture, they wanted another portrait of Evelyn. Over time, I think Alice and her friends won the heart of the Rubensteins. Or maybe I’m just a good sales woman, I’ll never know, but this sculpture as it has morphed between my client and I, will be a destination spot when people come to Houston. Visitors will enjoy the interaction and the most coveted dining experience in Texas. I think Evelyn would be proud for all that it represents, family, imagination, literature, creativity, and fun.
Over the next three years, I modified the designs, and Alice grew from a life-size sculpture to a monumental sculpture with the mad hatter being 8 feet tall. At one point we talked about making the table much, much larger to accomodate more guests, but instead brought it down to this intimate size. Originally I had designed the sculpture to be a mix of materials-bronze and faux bois. Faux bois is concrete that is made to look like wood. The table and benches would be this faux bois. The first designs of the project were going to be a collaboration of myself and two master faux bois artists Donald Tucker and Cindee Klement. The work of these masters is nothing less than yummy, but the client changed the material desiring all bronze. Maybe one day I will see the mix of these two mediums, but it was back to the drawing board one more time.
In the last of the project designs, I had created and suggested an additional sculpture of Evelyn on a faux bois bench petting a large grey poodle. The Rubensteins had just lost their long time furry companion and because I love dogs and also specialize in pet memorials. I thought this might be a good addition to the park. I still hope that one day this additional piece will be added to the park. I loved the idea of Evelyn sitting back and watching everything that was taking place in her special wonderland, and I thought kids would love to interact with the dog as much as the other art. But budget and time were an issue, and we narrowed it down to the characters, table, benches, and podium with the book. To sculpt all of this in such a short amount of time is still a massive undertaking. Be sure to watch to see how I do this on both this blog and the Finding Alice Facebook Page
The idea of hiding things in the wood was an early decision of my own. At first I was not going to tell anyone. When I found out it was the 150th anniversary of the story, the “150” becomes a personal challenge for me. Plus after reading the annotated Alice I realized there were so many hidden things in Lewis Carroll’s original story that I have much from which to choose. I’m delighted to be writing two books on this project one about he process from start to finish and documenting all of the technology used in the creation. The Alice Process book will be very similar to my new book coming out in Sept called 3D Technology in Fine Art and Craft: Exploring 3D Printing, Scanning, Sculpting and Milling
The other book I will create, after the sculpture is done being sculpted and off to the foundry, is a field guide written in Rhyme and riddle. It is about the 150 hidden elements. Note: this does not mean just 150 hidden things. There are meanings behind the pieces that are a part of the hidden elements. So, take out your the Annotated Alice,my blog and to the Finding Alice Page to see how we progress from here. If you have not seen the YouTube video on the project, it describes some of the ins and outs of the project and technology better than can be explained right here. Get ready… this should be a curious adventure. Thanks for coming down the rabbit hole with me.
Announcement Has Been Made- Now We Run Around Like Those In The Caucus Race
If you know your Alice In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll then you know that in one chapter the characters ran around like crazy to get dry. This was called a caucus race. Well that is what I feel like I have been doing at the studio since the announcement that Bellaire, Texas is going to receive the sculpture of the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party that I am creating. It has been compounded with the fact that July 4th is the 150th anniversary celebration of the story of Alice in Wonderland.
For some that follow my work, friends, family etc. you know I have been working on a project for three years. It is a monumental sculpture of Alice in Wonderland. I could not make the official announcement until all of the details were settled. They are now settled and we sent out official press releases.
The park that is getting the sculpture is the Evelyn’s Park in Bellaire, Texas (Bellaire is in the Houston, Texas area.) The park broke ground just a few weeks ago on June 18th, but we had not yet finalized the paper work on the sculpture and so we had to keep it hush hush. I went with my daughter, son in law and granddaughter. The kids were painting pickets and I painted one with my granddaughter. My contribution was that I painted “Alice?”
My two year old granddaughter got into the event bringing her own shovel and breaking ground. One day she will bring her children or grand children to this sculpture, long after I am gone and tell them that their grandmother or great grandmother built this. They will look and see so many special things within the sculpture.
I’m glad the Cheshire cat is out of the bag, so to speak. Please keep an eye on the Finding Alice Facebook page to watch the progress and learn about the 150 things I’m hiding in the Alice sculpture.
You might also want to watch the you tube video on the project. It tells more about this project than I can fit in this post. Please share with others and invite them to help me and watch the project on The Finding Alice page.
Jump Down the Rabbit Hole to Celebrate 150 Years of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ Houston-Area Park to Receive Original Sculpture of Mad Hatter Tea Party
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jump Down the Rabbit Hole to Celebrate 150 years of ‘Alice in Wonderland’
Houston-Area Park to Receive Original Sculpture of Mad Hatter Tea Party
July 2, 2015 – HOUSTON –
Tea party for eight? No reservations necessary! As the world celebrates the 150th Anniversary of Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland” July 4th, Houstonians eagerly anticipate a monumental sculpture of the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.
The Jerry and Maury Rubenstein Foundation commissioned the sculpture, in honor of their mother, Evelyn. The scene will be larger than life and reside within Evelyn’s Park at 4400 Bellaire Boulevard (the former site of Teas Nursery) with an anticipated completion of late 2016.
Bridgette Mongeon, a local Houston artist, designed and titled the sculpture, “Move One Place On.” The title of the sculpture is what the Mad Hatter beckons at the tea party. Mongeon hopes visitors will develop a tradition of shouting the proclamation and change places at the bronze table as they visit the sculpture.
The characters in Mongeon’s maquettes, which are miniature sculptures, are now growing like Alice. Over the next few months, the small digital and clay designs will turn into a 10-foot table with eight-foot bronze characters hosting the fanciful feast. The artist is carefully crafting each character to interact with visitors at the table. She invites everyone to join her in her studio through the Finding Alice Sculpture Facebook page where the scene comes to life.
The sculpture will seat six-to-eight additional guests allowing families to bring a picnic and join the tea party. The monumental figures of Alice, the March Hare, Cheshire Cat, Dormouse and Mad Hatter are waiting for you and your family to complete the scene!
In honor of the sesquicentennial, Mongeon is also creating – and hiding – 150 different elements within the scene, inviting park visitors on an interactive journey. For example, if guests look carefully, they may find a small Humpty Dumpty hiding, and the waiting White Queen tucked into the bronze “bark” legs of the table and benches.
The sculpture and Evelyn’s Park, located in Bellaire, will be a “destination spot” for visitors to the Houston area and the fans of the endearing story of Alice in Wonderland. To follow the artist’s process, learn more about the treasure hunt and receive hints about the 150 hidden items in “Move One Place On,” visit the artist’s website at www.creativesculpture.com or follow the artists’s process on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FindingAliceSculpture.
Learn more about the sculpture from this YouTube Video https://youtu.be/P1J821vwkr8
Bridgette Mongeon is a Houston, Texas sculptor whose commissioned work is collected worldwide. She is also an author of a new book “3D Technology in Fine Art and Craft: Exploring 3D Printing, Scanning, Sculpting and Milling.” She looks forward to documenting her process of creating “Move One Place On” for a new book. Mongeon uses a mixture of traditional sculpting and digital technology such as 3D printing in her work. She enjoys encouraging others as a visiting speaker on creativity, technology and math using this famous literary work and her art.
Evelyn Park is made possible by land donated to the City of Bellaire by the Jerry and Maury Rubenstein Foundation to honor their mother, Evelyn, who valued nature, community and family. The Rubenstein brothers hope to create a special kind of curious adventure on this 5-acre site in the heart of Bellaire by maintaining a green space in the heart of the city. For more information about Evelyn’s Park, please visit www.evelynspark.org.
ABOUT EVELYN’S PARK CONSERVANCY Founded in 2011, Evelyn’s Park Conservancy is a nonprofit citizens’ organization dedicated to the stewardship and improvement of Evelyn’s Park. The land was donated to the City of Bellaire on the condition that it would be developed as a park; a beautiful, safe and quiet respite for its surrounding communities. EPC is committed to designing, developing and transforming the 5-acre historic former Teas Nursery site into a park that will enhance the health, safety and well being of the citizens of Bellaire, Texas and surrounding communities. For more information, please visit www.evelynspark.org.
________________________________________
For more information about this press release, please contact:
Bridgette Mongeon 713-540-3201
Bridgette@creativesculpture.com
IMAGES- Images for this press release are found at:
More information can be found on the Finding Alice Press Page
Bridgett invites the media to come and jump down the rabbit hole and watch the process of creating “Move One Place” on.
For Immediate Release – Sculptor Jumps Down the Rabbit Hole in Celebration of Alice In Wonderland’s 150th Anniversary
Monday June 15, 2015
A Sculptor Jumps Down the Rabbit Hole
in Celebration of Alice In Wonderland’s 150th Anniversary
As the world celebrates the 150th Anniversary of Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland,” an artist is creating a special kind of curious adventure. Houston, Texas artist Bridgette Mongeon designed a monumental sculpture of the Mad Hatter Tea Party. She was inspired by the famous sculpture of “Alice in Wonderland” located in New York’s Central Park. Philanthropist George Delacorte commissioned that Alice sculpture from José de Creeft and donated the sculpture in 1959.
Mongeon has been working diligently over the last few years to finalize the design to celebrate Alice. The artist is now translating the small, sculpted maquette and digital designs into a ten-foot table that will seat six to eight additional guests. Eight-foot bronze characters host the fanciful feast.
Mongeon has titled the new sculpture of the Mad Hatter tea party, “Move One Place On.” The title reflects the Mad Hatter’s announcement at the tea party prior to everyone changing places. The artist hopes visitors will develop the tradition of shouting the proclamation and changing places on their visit to the sculpture at the park.
The Texas park (The location will soon be announced.) and the sculpture will be a “destination spot” for those in Texas and the fans of the endearing story of “Alice in Wonderland.” Visitors can bring their picnics, sit at the bronze table, and share a meal with the monumental figures of Alice, the March Hare, Cheshire Cat, Dormouse and Mad Hatter. In fact, Mongeon created each character to interact with the visitors at the table. That means that you and your family, as a curious guest, complete the scene.
You won’t need reservations for the most imaginative dining in Texas. However, if other guests occupy the Mad Hatter scene, there is still much to do as Mongeon is also creating a treasure hunt within the sculpture. In honor of the sesquicentennial Mongeon is placing 150 different elements within the scene. Look carefully, and you might find a hiding Humpty Dumpty and the waiting White Queen tucked into the wooden bark legs that make up the table and benches. To learn more about the treasure hunt and receive hints about the 150 hidden items in “Move One Place On” visit Bridgette Mongeon’s website at https://creativesculpture.com or follow the process on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/FindingAliceSculpture
Mongeon expects to complete and install the sculpture late 2016.
________________________________________
For more information concerning this press release contact:
Artist— Bridgette Mongeon 713-699-1739 landline
A video featuring the process and showing Bridgette Mongeon’s work has been created to accompany this press release. Find it on you tube at https://youtu.be/P1J821vwkr8
2 New Book Projects!
I have already started on another book project. This new project I’m tentatively calling Finding Alice- Process Book. It is similar to the 3D Technology in Fine Art and Craft: Exploring 3D Printing, Scanning, Sculpting and Milling
The second book project is titled Finding Alice-Field Guide. As the press on the project states, if you go to the sculpture and all of the seats are taken at the bronze tea party, do not dismay. You can begin to look for the 150 different elements hidden in the bronze. This second book written in rhyme, riddle etc is a field guide to understanding and finding all of the 150 elements. You may need the process book and an understanding of Lewis Carroll to know them all. Still looking for the correct publisher for this book. I’m not sure it is the right fit for the publisher of 3D Technology in Fine Art and Craft: Exploring 3D Printing, Scanning, Sculpting and Milling
These two books will be out in 2017 as I need to finish the sculpture first. Still have two other books 3/4 of the way done and inspired by others. Ah my two loves. Sculpting and writing, they do vie for my attention.
For hints on the 150 items follow this blog or the Finding Alice Page on Facebook.
The media and press pages have much more information about this sculpture project.
Here is a wonderful podcast that talks about the books. Thanks to Tom and Tracy for the interview.
Making “Magic” Happen
For those watching this process of creating the Alice in Wonderland Sculpture, who are not sculptors or artists, please let me share a bit of information. An artist knows their craft. They may have the basics down, for example, this is how I put clay on an armature, this is how I sculpt an arm, this is the proportions of a human. However, one can work on a sculpture and know all of the craft but not have “magic” happen. There is a point when working on a piece of art when the art becomes friendly and alive- this is the magic. One does not have to finish the sculpture for this to happen; there is just a point if you are luck, where you just feel like one. Please note this magic does not always happen. It is that “magic” part of the creative process for which we strive. This week the Mad Hatter and I made magic happen.
Bridgette Mongeon is a sculptor, writer, illustrator and educator as well as a public speaker.
Her blog can be found at https://creativesculpture.com.
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