Merry Christmas Stars 2011

I wanted to post few photographs of my Christmas stars!  Made of wet clay, baked, stained and sealed, gilded, and shined, I thought they turned out beautifully! 

Sculpture Presentation for the DUP

Home again after a quick trip to Salt Lake City to make a presentation to the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers.  I was invited to come, bring my sculptures, and speak about my work in Northern Utah.  It was a joy for me because I'm always happy to share my passion.  I hauled up 7 maquette-sized sculptures, and showed slides of my five monuments in St. George.  Thank you, LeeAnne Whitaker, (photo)!  It was fun to meet a distant cousin, Mindy.  And great to see Shaunna Whitaker (photo).  Special thank you to Laurel Simonsen for the photographs.   I claim you all for my friends and family!  The women of the DUP were gracious and welcoming and interested.  I enjoyed it very much.  Thank you for the invitation, ladies!

Adventures in Wet Clay

Today was a first for me! I am teaching a small sculpture class in my studio, using wet clay. We are memorizing and sculpting the skull and first 7 vertebrae. Isn't that a great October class! Next week we will memorize and lay the muscles over the top of the bones. The following week we will add features; the last week will be finishing and preparing the bust to dry to be kilned. Fun! A finished bust, complete with everything, except a brain. . . :-)

Sculpture Presentation in the schools

Thank you to Monte Vista Grade School in the Salt Lake City area for inviting me to present my sculpture to a few of their classes.  I have a great love for these children, particularly my two grandchildren, Makayla and Perry.  The name of the bronze piece is, "The World is Mine".  It was on its way from the foundry to a competition.  There was a window of opportunity to show and tell, so I did! 

"The World is Mine",  24x17x17", is available through Authentique Gallery in St. George, Utah.

Sitting on top of a world filled with unlimited wonders, a boy and a girl sit back to back, engrossed in their study. Through learning about this world, the potential for these children is infinite. My mother would not let us, her children declare that we were bored.  “You cannot be bored! Only boring people are bored!  You could live a hundred lifetimes and never do the same thing twice.  There is more here in this earth to learn about and enjoy than you ever could.”  She also taught that the Lord would never create a world that was inadequate for His purposes.  This sculpture is for the miracle of the creation of the earth, and my mother’s teachings.

Finishing the Standing Angel

As this clay hardens, I am finishing details.  It is a lot of fun to be working in this new medium.  One more day is all I have before it will be too hard to work.  I see some changes that will make me like it better, but small enough that the viewer might not notice. 

Angel 2, Day 2

Day 2, lots still to do before it's too dry to work. 

Angel #2, Standing

Just started Angel #2, Standing.  I'm enjoying working in wet clay.  Usually I work in oil based clay which is built around an armature, and is good only for making a mold around, and then finishing in bronze.  Wet clay is water based.  The walls of the sculpture will be carved to be a consistent width; when it dries completely it will be fired in a kiln.  It may be glazed, or oil painted to finish.  These angels will be a one-of-a-kind sculpture - no additional casts after the one and only.