#38 anatomy of the lower leg

Ecorche's have been used by artists for many many years. They are used in art schools and in the studios of many accomplished artists. When I was a student at the Academy of Art College (now University) I was fortunate that there was a decent collection of plaster casts of anatomical models, busts, torsos, etc. in the schools collection. The very first drawing class I had to take was a foundations class on drawing. There we studied light and shadow using primarily charcoal on 18x24" white drawing paper and the plaster models were our subject matter. It was a great way to learn. Over the next couple of years at the Academy I became incredible fascinated by the human anatomy. 15 years later here I am with the same passion. For a long time I had wanted to sculpt an ecorche, but hadn't taken the time to do it. With limited time for doing anything anymore this morning I decided I'll never find the time so I have to make the time. And that is what I did. The anatomical leg measures about 9.5" tall including the base and I used a harder clay to allow for more detail. Although it is a work in progress, you can see much of the anatomy is clearly defined. The soleus and gastrocnemius, the tibialis anterior and peroneous longus. Once I finish this I will make a urethane mold in order to cast a harder material, such as resin, forton or plaster. I hope to refine that casting a little further (that the clay won't allow me to do) and then make another mold, this time a silicone mold, and offer castings for sale. Hopefully someone can use this the same way I used the anatomical models back in school.

Anatomy of lower leg (w.i.p.), approximately 9.5" tall by Sutton Betti



#37 fluidity and flow

After a request to email alternate views of two of my sculptures earlier today, I decided to post them on here. The nudes were sculpted back in 2004 from live models and molded and casted in bronze a couple of years later after I moved to Colorado. They were the beginning of a series of sculptures called simple beauty in which the model was not so much posed according to a design I had in mind, but rather doing what she thought looked natural. Of course, there is nothing new with this idea as most art schools let the model choose the pose. I had observed some artists' works whom I thought would let the model pose to their liking and noticed that the works were usually more pleasing to the eye. These were artworks that didn't have much meaning and I had guessed them to be almost 'spontaneously' created. There seems to be a flow when you let a model choose a pose. Another example of this is in a commissioned piece I am working on. Several months ago, I had four models who were to pose for a project I was hoping to get. They were willing to take direction from me and when I had them take the pose that I had in mind, everything looked static and didn't flow. So I asked them to naturally get in a pose that they were comfortable with (within certain guidelines). Well, what happened was the pose that they got into happened to be the pose I used for the maquette which ended up winning the competition. So this theory worked in the public art arena as well. My lesson was to not plan every detail out until models are hired (if they are hired) as nature usually proves to be the best option. Simple beauty was my first experiment into that idea.

#36 remembering Mrs. Bradley

In the studio today I focused my attention on sculpting hands and several times throughout the day I was thinking of a great teacher I had and wishing that she were still with us.

Barbara Bradley was a great illustrator, teacher, and author of a book "Drawing People". She was most known for her incredible drawing skills of children. What I learned in her class is immeasurable. Some days we would go outside of our classroom and into another classroom, those of elementary school children to study their behaviors, gesture, and proportions. It was great to sit next to her and watch her draw and listen to the little insights she had of kids. I know without Mrs. Bradley's knowledge I wouldn't have been able to win this commission "Sowing the Seeds". I am applying as much as I can remember from those days long ago and I hope that she is watching from above and smiling. 

There are a lot of hands on this life size sculpture and each hand is a challenge. I do not consider hands my strongest talent, I do however realize this and I constantly work on it. Knowing that hands are the second most important part of a great sculpture, next to the face, I have to spend extra time making sure that they get plenty of attention. I was fortunate to have studied with a wonderful teacher back in the academy days as much of what I know about sculpting children was born with this great teacher, Mrs. Bradley. 



#35 2/9/12 Davis Enterprise article

Davisite creates bronze tribute to dam builders

"Puddler's Lunch Break," a bronze statue of two Hoover Dam workers swapping stories, was created by artist Sutton Betti, who was born and raised in Davis. The monument was installed in 2009 in Boulder City, Nev. Courtesy photo

By Special to The Enterprise
From page A4 | February 09, 2012

“What is all the fuss about?”

Those were not the words artist Sutton Betti had in mind when sculpting “Puddler’s Lunch Break,” a monument in Boulder City, Nev. However, the statue created a lot of controversy when it was installed a couple of years ago in this small town 20 miles southeast of Las Vegas and home of the second largest dam in the United States.

The monument was created to honor the workers of Hoover Dam — known as puddlers — whose job it was to pour and smooth layer upon layer of concrete in what would be, at the time, the tallest dam in the world.

The statue came with an expensive price tag and many Boulder City residents were upset that the project happened despite budget cuts. But the classically inspired sculpture, which educates the many tourists who visit Hoover Dam, eventually won over the critics.

Sutton Betti, born and raised in Davis, is the artist who created “Puddler’s Lunch Break,” a monument showing two workers telling stories during a lunch break while building the dam.

“Although these guys lived during the Great Depression, they were not unhappy people as they were the lucky few who had jobs,” Betti said. “I wanted to show them happy.”

Now living in Colorado, the artist makes his home in Loveland, one of the world’s largest exporters of bronze sculpture. Although a small city of about 70,000 people, Loveland houses more sculptors per capita than any U.S. city and is known as the gateway to the Rockies.

With four bronze foundries, a stone quarry and dozens and dozens of independent specialists in the bronze business, Loveland is a unique city for a sculptor to live and work in.

Betti said he finds comfort in being surrounded by many of the nation’s most notable sculptors, including Jane Dedecker, George Lundeen and Kent Ullberg.

“These are artists whom I’ve admired for many years,” he said in a news release, “artists who have created monuments all over the United States. And now that I live here I get to learn from them and see how they work.”

Betti’s work is classical, and he has an appreciation of the old masters that goes back to his teenage years, when he received a book on Michelangelo from his grandmother.

He remembers traveling to Italy to study marble carving from master stone carvers and developing a deep appreciation of this ancient tradition.

“It was as if what was being taught to me was something that will soon be forgotten and these were men who were carrying on their backs hundreds of years of knowledge in marble carving,” Betti said.

In fact, many of the master craftsmen spoke unfavorably of the influence of modern and abstract art as if it were one of the reasons behind the loss of interest in stone carving, Betti said.

Until the turn of the 20th century, sculptors would hire these skilled artisans to create their monuments in stone. But today, with an influx of different abstract and modern art styles, these men are hard to find as they are not needed as much.

“The human figure in art, up until the late 19th/early 20th century, was very common,” Betti said. “After the impressionists came about, that all changed.”

Although Betti was surrounded by abstract and modern art for most of his life, he found something more meaningful and challenging in creating a realistic portrayal of the human body.

“There is so much freedom and expressiveness that can be created in a human figure, once you learn the basics of anatomy,” he said.

#34 bronze sculpture of a baseball player

Sutton Betti's "Homerun" bronze sculpture 

The latest sculpture to have sold from the 2012 Loveland Sculpture Invitational was from my athletics series. The sculpture was originally a private commission in 2011 from a woman in northern California who wanted to honor her grandson with a statue of him hitting a homerun. The sculpture is approximately 1/6 scale and is a limited edition of 15. Since selling the piece I had a friend tell me that I should enlarge this to half life or life size. Of course, it is always a mystery to me what pieces to choose to enlarge, but if I go by the feeling I have of the piece I'd like to do it.

#33 7/26/12 Broomfield Enterprise

Sculpture picked as winner of Broomfield's Choice Award evokes joy

By Megan Quinn Enterprise Staff Writer

Posted:   07/26/2012 12:00:00 AM MDT

Fran Milner, member of the Broomfield Public Art Committee, poses in March with the sculpture Green Thumb by artist Sutton Betti. The work was selected as the Art For Awhile program Broomfield s Choice Award winner through public voting. ( David R Jennings )

The joyful attitude of Sutton Betti's "Green Thumb" sculpture has captured art lovers' attention since it was installed as part of an art-on-loan program in Broomfield. Now the artist has won Art For Awhile's Broomfield's Choice Award for creating the statue of the elf with the wide grin.

Betti will receive a $1,000 award for his popular sculpture, which sits near the Mamie Doud Eisenhower Public Library. Members of the public named it their favorite of eight sculptures installed throughout the Broomfield Civic Center area and the 1stBank Center promenade.

"Green Thumb" features an elf-like figure celebrating as he discovers a tiny plant growing at his feet. Lynn Jeffers, chairwoman of Broomfield's public art committee, said voters liked the whimsical, light-hearted image.

"People wrote about how happy it made them and how they wanted to feel like that all the time," she said.

"Green Thumb" and seven other sculptures are part of the Art For Awhile program. The art-on-loan program features rotating artists who offer everything from patriotic tributes to firefighters to celebrations of the environment to abstract, geometric works.

Art For Awhile has been around since 2009, but this is the first year the program has featured the Broomfield's Choice Award. Residents were encouraged to visit all the sculpture sites and vote for their favorite.

More than 100 people voted, "which is pretty good for our first year," said Cultural Affairs Manager Karen Gerrity.

Betti, the first Broomfield's Choice Award winner, was honored at the final Wednesdays on the Waterfront show at the Broomfield Amphitheater.

Betti's sculptures are inspired by what he describes as "a stew of art forms," including illustration from the early to mid 20th century, classical music, the Beatles and Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling.

His family is made up of other artists and musicians, according to his website.

"You can see a lot of Sutton's personality in the piece... you can really tell he had his heart in this one," Jeffers said.

Jeffers said Betti's sculpture complements the other Art For Awhile pieces, which are varied in style and expression. The collection will be up until October, when a new round of public art will be installed.

"All of our pieces are exceptional in their own ways," she said. "Maybe people really appreciate modern or abstract work, maybe something deeply sentimental. We have a mix."

Art For Awhile began as a thrifty way to brighten the city with public art, Gerrity said. Instead of investing in full-blown, permanent city art, a smaller amount of money went to sculpture "pads" that allowed a rotating display of art from around the country. Borrowed sculptures could be affixed to the pads for a certain amount of time, then replaced with newly borrowed pieces.

Organizers plan to continue Art For Awhile and the Broomfield's Choice Award next year. Funding for the award comes from the Public Art Committee's budget, and 20 percent of proceeds from the sale of the art also goes into the award fund as an honorarium for the winning artist. The award is also a way to attract quality work from around the country.

"We just want people to look at the art and say, 'Hey, that's pretty cool.' That's what public art is about," Jeffers said.

#32 10/17/2012 update

Nothing new to write about so I guess I'll update you on the progress of Sowing the Seeds sculpture. Today I put in quite a bit of time on the sunday school teacher bulking her out some more. The woman and the little girl are still in rough form. Once I have the two of them filled out and I'm happy with the positioning than I'll start laying on the clothing and updating with pics. I may start welding up the frame for the little boy next week once I find the time to run over to Fort Collins for some steel and welding wire. For the last several weeks, I've had quite a bit going on (details excluded so as not to bore anyone), but I'm finally beginning to feel normal again (or rather to feel abnormal again, ha!!). This weekend Jess and myself will take a much needed mini vaca. I've been stressed for too long and Jess is about to start school which I know will take up a lot of her time. Hopefully we will come back rejuvinated and ready for the work that lies ahead.

#31 Getting older and making art

One of the neat things about being an artist is the reality that the older I get the more my collection of art grows. I think it is something that actually helps me as I approach 39 next month. Although I am shocked that I could possibly be closing in on 40, if I turn my attention instead to 'well, look at how much my inventory is growing' then the sadness turns to happiness and the barely visible wrinkles and bald head can be things to poke fun of at myself. "Oh look, I'm BALD, waaaahhhaaaahhaaaaa" or "my skin, it's getting dry and wrinkles are forming, waaaahhhaaaahhaaaaa". Having a growing inventory makes all of those problems disappear for me. When I think of say George Burns or Mother Theresa I don't think "what old and wrinkly folks" I think "if I live that old what in the hell will my collection of art look like?" I mean, perhaps I'm a little off in some areas, well many areas perhaps, but this thought gives me comfort. I feel great knowing that if I play my cards right and don't do something stupid like getting myself hurt so I can't sculpt than my inventory will grow. Being a fine artist, freelance artist, commissioned artist, whatever, I have learned that the larger and more diverse my inventory is the greater the likelihood I can continue my passion of sculpting. It is a wonderful feeling for me and I imagine for most or all other artists and I hope that my passion for sculpting rubs off on those around me in the meanwhile. I believe the world needs more artists. More people who can laugh at themselves as they get fat, bald and wrinkly. Can't you imagine walking into a restaurant with your best friend or wife and laughing hysterically that you discovered a new wrinkle on your forehead? How great would this place be? We wouldn't have a need to go bombing other countries, religion wouldn't need to be taken so damn seriously and school wouldn't suck. I would've loved it if my teachers said things like "look at how ugly I am, but I don't give a %$#$ because I have a lot of art". Wouldn't it be great?

#30 Sowing the Seeds- in progress

For the next 3 months I'll be busy working on this sculpture called "Sowing the Seeds". It will be installed June 2013 at a local church here in my hometown of Loveland, Colorado. The theme is inspired by the parable of the sower in which Christ compares the seed to God, the sower to those who spread the word of God and the soil to the people who hear the word. In the sculpture a Sunday school teacher reads to two young children who are supposed to represent the 'good soil'. The figures will be seated on a sandstone bench and cast in bronze. I expect this to be an 8-9 month long project, but I will not be working exclusively on this piece during that time as much of the process will be done at the foundry.

#29 Sowing the Seeds commission

Sowing the Seeds-maquette for life size

Last month I was given the great news that I'll be sculpting my model of "Sowing the Seeds" to a life size bronze for a Presbyterian church here in Loveland-my first permanent installation in this great art community. The installation will take place in June 2013 and we are currently in the middle of signing the contract. The sculpture is of a Sunday school teacher reading the bible to two young children and I plan on it being my finest life size bronze so far in my oeuvre. But only time will tell if that happens.

#28 managing stress while making art

Being an artist it is sometimes uncertain where ones work will come from, will there even be any. I am currently in the middle of three projects, beginning a fourth project in a week or two. Two of these are large commissions, one is through an ongoing client which is an important part of my income and the fourth is a crazy freelance gig that is just plain fun. With these projects being simultaneously created with four different deadlines (fortunately they are all at varying times) you'd think I'd be stressed out beyond anything you've ever seen. I'm not bragging that I'm doing alright, well maybe a little actually. Well, I'm actually learning how to manage my stress now as it is something that I really want to keep under control and I feel that logging it into cyberspace will allow me to return to read it if I feel the stress coming on with a vengeance. I imagine much of my life will be like this as you cannot predict what is coming down the tube. It is all up to the big guy upstairs. So in the meantime, I do my very best to make deadlines and make everyone happy while continuously looking for work. For the last 2 months though I've been tested and failed. I'm proud to say, however, that if I follow a couple of rules than I will be alright. Perhaps everything can be looked as a lesson to be learned from. Well, for the last couple of months with some deadlines coming in all directions from unrelated projects I'd like to offer up what I've learned. THE most important thing that I learned is stress can be a killer. It is not only unhealthy to be stressed, it is also not very fun. Who wants to be around a cranky, bald man who is no fun and is a work-a-holic? The answer is NO ONE!! Well, living in a house full of wonderful girls (my gf, her two daughters and one kitty) the prospect of me being boring is NOT cool! So, I've been forced to focus my attention on how to not be stressed. The answer is FOCUS! If I lose my focus and start dabbling at one thing and two minutes later go to something else and so on, then I end up feeding my stress. Stress is fed on this kind of behavior. My girlfriend caught me at my very very worst one day when I had managed to walk to three of my projects within a minute. I was very fortunate that that day my love was with me to take notice. I would not be writing this if it wasn't for her discovery. When I focus on one thing at a time (and I do mean focus with 110% of my being) I accomplish great things and fast. A great thing happened to me last week when I told myself I was going to focus on one project. Well, one of the projects was full of things that needed my attention so I picked an area that was in the least completed state and worked on it until it was done. I told myself I wasn't leaving for lunch until it was done. I finished that shoe VERY fast! Not only that but it looks very good. What I learned is focusing with all of your being is incredibly important. I then switched to one of my other projects and did the same thing and voila! Miracle!! Then I started thinking that is all I need to do and I'll get everything done and on time. What a great feeling. Well, the next day I realized I cannot do that everyday. Somedays are simply bad days and it was important that I not work if I did not feel inspired to do so. But it was the following day that I felt an incredible rush of juice. I was in the zone like no other day. This was Saturday, last week I think. When I went to lunch I remember still feeling in the zone and able to focus, yet aware of my surroundings. It was a bizarre feeling, one that made me think of some kind of high. I hadn't done any drugs, it was the intensity of working and focusing so hard that continued outside of work. This surreal feeling enlightened me to how I was improving my stress levels for the last few weeks and I felt compelled to share this. Although I don't feel that I have an answer to stress and how to manage it entirely, I am fairly certain that if I let things get to me than I have failed and the stress has won. I must remember in those situations to focus with all of my being on what is of utmost priority. Making a goal such as do this until so and such is done or do this for 3 hours than move on has helped me so much and I hope any of you reading might be able to apply it to your life. Have a good night all...

#27 inspiration and what causes it

There are days when I get inspired and when I do I try to take note on three things: 1) what I ate for breakfast 2) did someone make me feel this way or did I just wake up inspired and 3) how long my inspiration lasts. What I conclude is that eating does make a difference, but it's usually did I eat leafy greens such as kale, chard or spinach. I try to eat those everyday, because mostly when I do eat raw veggies I feel better. I sometimes have to force down some greens, but I have found if I make it an interesting salad with say sunflower seeds, cherry tomatoes, croutons, spinach, chard, dandelion root, pickle, cucumber, and a sesame garlic dressing with some olive oil and lemon juice than this gives me extra energy and mental sharpness. When I was younger, I suffered from cloudiness of thinking and lack of energy, but in the last two years I'd say I have gotten more and more energy which has spilled over into my creativity and therefore my art. I believe this change has been from my change in diet. This diet change was influenced by a man who I shall call "John". I was fortunate enough to have gotten to know "John" through many wonderful dinners. I have learned a lot from John, not only in my art (as he is a well known and respected gallery owner, patron, and an all around expert in the business of sculpture), but also in my personal life-namely my choices in food. Through these many weekly dinners (and a few drinks) John cooked some incredible dishes. Food that I could only get from a 5 star restaurant was made right before my eyes. I took note and learned as much as I could, however, I don't remember much of it-lol. What I do remember though is John spontaneously creating dishes. He never followed a cookbook but tried things out. I remember him saying to me he was testing out some dishes by having me over and he and I would laugh. Little did he know he was helping me get a taste for cooking. Although I am not near a good cook by any standards, I do prefer a grilled corn on the cob or grilled eggplant topped with cheese as opposed to spaghetti and ... and macaroni and cheese. Most of my diet was that up until a few years ago. What is interesting for me to note is my art has blossomed tremendously in those three years, my mind is quieter from distracting thoughts and I have become a better person (at least in my opinion-ha). Ok, so that covers numero uno. Number two is did someone make me feel this way. The answer to that in it's relation to my feeling inspired is usually yes it did contribute. There is no denying that a smile or a little recognition can make one feel good. I think if I woke up feeling inspired it might be short lived if there wasn't someone to make it skyrocket. One of my newest and favorite things to do once a week is to visit a local coffee shop. It is not just any coffee shop, but one that was started by a well known sculptor's husband. I am fortunate to know the sculptor and some of the family that runs the coffee shop. Just saying good morning and knowing that they remember my favorite coffee gives me an incredible amount of joy in my heart. How special they make me feel is beyond words and it's these little things that make me realize the importance of kindness and smiles. It is the same when I make someone else feel good. If I can do that I will have positive energy throughout the day. and 3) how long my inspiration lasts. This is directly related to the foods that I eat (the fuel I put in my body) and the positive energy I receive or give (mostly in the morning hours). If I have done the first two things than my conclusion is I will be inspired 25% of the time and it will last all day long. Now this is the inspiration to come up with new ideas, set and meet or exceed daily goals. My conclusion is if I do this all of the time, than 75% of the time my day will be "good" to "so-so" days, but almost never bad days (btw, where did the word "so-so" come from? Sounds Japanese to me). If I've had a bad day than I probably didn't eat well or someone pissed me off enough to make me go downhill. Now, it's important that I get enough sleep so these studies only include when I get about 7 hours of sleep, which is what I tend to need to function.

#26 Joe Gomer, life size clay

Sculpture of Joe Gomer, Tuskegee Airman

I'm currently sculpting a life size statue of Joe Gomer, a Tuskegee airman which will be cast in bronze and installed in the hometown of Mr. Gomer in Iowa Falls, Iowa. The sculpture is my first ever war statue and as such I've had to do a lot of research on clothing and gear that the Tuskegee airman would have worn back in the 1940's. Although much of my work incorporates lots of clothing, this one is no exception. I still have more work to do, but this is how he looks now. 

#25 Liddell-McIntosh Memorial

Liddell-McIntosh Memorial. I visited Fairmount Cemetery yesterday following mother's day and what would have been Jessica's 26th birthday. Although I had a hard time photographing the piece with the harsh lighting I think it came out alright. The sculpture memorial is situated near one of the entrances to this large and beautiful cemetery located in Denver, Colorado.

#24 9" clay reduction of Paganini

Here is a demo I made yesterday showing the creation of a miniature version of Niccolo Paganini. The miniature sculpture is 9" height and will be cast in bronze this year, 2012. In the video (which is sped up at 20x normal speed) I demonstrate the entire clay process which took me 6 hours to make.

#23 evaluating my processes and techniques

For the past month I have been spending more time thinking about processes and techniques than I have been sculpting on my own works. There are bucket loads of ideas worming around in my little head and popping out when I least expect it; at night as soon as I hit the lights, on the toilet, when someone is talking to me. It is odd to most people, but I'm sure this is what all artists deal with-getting ideas out of nowhere. I do go through dry spells and I feel that it is natural, but I'm learning how to get out of them as they sometimes scare me: "what if I grow old and this is it, no more ideas" or "so this is what happened to Bernini when he got older". I'm determined to never let that happen! It is a promise to the universe that I've made-I will always have new ideas for sculpture. Period. So rethinking my processes and techniques is only to better serve the ideas and get them out there. The areas that are in need of major adjustments for me are armature building and reference materials. I have found that if I have all of that at hand I can usually go through a piece relatively quicker and achieve a high quality sculpture. If I don't have enough reference material or if I have questions I am tremendously slowed down and sometimes the sculpture will sit for way too long. Example: I started a sculpture over 10 years ago "Violinist" (not "Paganini", this was way before that) and it still sits in a storage shed in California! When I see it, I get very sad! I wish there was time as I would like to destroy it. The problems I ran into on that are deeper than I could fix, I had used sulfur based clay (which inhibits rubber mold making), the rebar armature was when I was learning to weld and has weak welded joints and it was a poorly planned out sculpture where I didn't make a small maquette first to work out bad angles, etc. 10 years later, I've made improvements in my sculpture (I don't use sulfur clays, I've learned how to tig weld and I make small clay studies before starting large pieces). However, there are still areas to improve that would make sculpting go much quicker and give a better end result. I recognize that I would like to have a variety of small aluminum armatures handy and ready to position and add clay to. Having these would allow me to jump right in a piece if I feel inspired to do so. This leads me to the second improvement I want to make, having all necessary reference photos printed and organized by sculpture. I've created a folder in my filing cabinet called "New Sculpture" and have been looking through photos I've taken of models, of myself, in different poses from all angles that I will print and put in their like a waiting line at the liquor store on a Saturday night. The reference photos answer many questions for me as a sculptor and are very important to keeping the piece fresh and alive-at least in my minds eyes. These two things are key to me producing more sculptures and I hope to finalize my thoughts on this soon so I can get back to creating clay people and more interesting blog posts!

#22 The birth of desire

When I was at the Academy of Art University one of my teachers, whom was a well respected artist as well as teacher, told his intermediate anatomy class that only 1% of us would make it as sculptors. This perked my ears up. It was meant to discourage I think, but got me curious about sculpture. I started researching what my teacher was creating artistically, his past works, education, etc which then introduced me to other sculptors works which led to me signing up for more sculpture classes. Essentially what this one statement did was challenge me and get me curious about a field that was apparently difficult to get into. This curiosity led to my passion which led to developing the necessary skills as a sculptor.  

When someone says something negative regarding generalizations one must look at why they would say such a thing and challenge it. If it is not proven challenge it, if it is proven challenge it anyways! You must always try to prove people wrong! Eventually you will find your passion and the people that support you no matter what; learn to embrace them and bring them into your life. Surround yourself with those that recognize your passions. The others respectfully discard and do not allow them to make choices for you! When you surround yourself with these supportive people you can begin to take the necessary criticism seriously as you begin to know them and they begin to know you. A general comment coming from a frustrated artist/teacher who maybe was rejected over a project is someone you cannot trust and you should not make decisions based off of someone who had a bad day!

As I got older I remembered what my teacher had told me, but it got me thinking more and more about sculpture. I became more and more curious about it, although I didn't realize it I was training myself for becoming a sculptor. After sculpting a few pieces soon after college I decided to apply for a job as a halloween mask maker. To my surprise I was hired. I was fortunate to be hired by someone who was incredibly ambitious, very talented, managed a multi-million dollar halloween company CMN Enterprises and Illusive Concepts, and quite simply was an amazing and inspirational man-and he believed in me enough to hire me. His name was Mario Chiodo. Mario trained me with the tricks of sculpting in the halloween industry and eventually pulling me aside to work with him and his clients directly as he created a second sculpture business: life size sculptures for the Las Vegas Hotel industry which was booming in the late 90's. Mario had me drawing and making small maquettes as designs for large sculptures for hotel lobbies and courtyards. This, in turn, led to me going to Italy (at Mario's suggestion) which cemented my desire to become a sculptor. I have not looked back since!

I had a lot of support in the arts beginning when I was a young child, but there has always been challenges and for every person who supported me I was dealt a handful of rejections and doubts. This is simply how the universe works when making a decision: testing us and once we've passed the test, supporting us and eventually being tested all over again followed by support. My decision to ignore these people and their unsupportive statements and by bringing in the necessary support in my life as a young artist was telling the Universe "hey, I WANT to be a sculptor!!" And the Universe supported that once I learned to overcome the challenges and doubts. Although there are still challenges and doubts, now I look at them differently.

#21 Tennis Player Alberta Brianti Sculpture

Sutton Betti.

Alberta Brianti clay for bronze, life size dimensions

Colorado, USA

Nearing completion on the clay sculpture of Alberta Brianti. The sculpture will be in a limited edition of 10 and cast in high quality silicon bronze. A small version of the sculpture (quarter scale) will be available in a limited edition and also cast in bronze. I'm planning on having the quarter scale piece and the life size plaster at the 2012 Loveland Sculpture Invitational. 

#20 Memorial for Jessica Liddell-McIntosh

Jessica Liddell-McIntosh (1986-2009)

Installation day for the memorial of Jessica Liddell-McIntosh. The project was installed at Fairmount Cemetery in Denver, Colorado on Thursday, March 29, 2012 and is my second permanent installation in Colorado. Although there is no figurative elements in the piece, I enjoyed making it as this is something quite unique from my past work. Commissioned by Jessica's mother, the memorial is designed to show the young woman's love of snowboarding. Being a snowboarder myself I was able to understand her daughters love of the sport. Today was a day, I felt, of closure to her daughters death. Emotions were expressed and love was shared. RIP Jessica Liddell-McIntosh. Photos of the finished installation in a few weeks.

#19 Niccolo Paganini-Bronze Sculpture

Niccolo Paganini, bronze, 66 inches height ©2011 Sutton Betti Sculptures

Niccolo Paganini (1782-1840)

"Paganini was called "The Devil's Son" and "Witch's Brat" for his demonic and amazing violin virtuosity!  Audiences thought Paganini made a pact with the devil to be able to perform supernatural displays of technique!" 

-wasn't that what they thought about the famous blues guitarist Robert Johnson? Jimi Hendrix?? and how about the Charlie Daniels Band and their song "Devil went down to Georgia", Steve Vai and Ralph Macchio in the movie Crossroads? Well, Paganini was negotiating with the devil before there ever was a Robert Johnson. And he deserves a little credit for doing so.

I made this sculpture because of my love of Paganini's music and his virtuoso playing skills as I am a former guitar player-although very amateurish. I listen to Paganini's music 200 years after it was created and imagine his world. Imagining what it would have been like to hear him play live. He was the first virtuoso, before Eddie Van Halen and was doing it when no one else was. Of course, Eddie popularized a new way of playing an instrument (finger tapping, harmonics, etc.), but he didn't invent it, he just did it in such a way that it become his signature. Paganini invented a whole new way of thinking of the instrument before anyone else did.  

"Paganini single-handedly changed the course of music by inventing the cult of the performer. Before him, even the most talented, charismatic and successful musicians were at best respected, lived merely comfortably and were quickly forgotten upon their retirement or demise. Paganini, though, was worshipped hysterically, rewarded with fabulous wealth and still is remembered in awe. With Paganini, the performer became a superstar. Indeed, although he had no pupils and few successors, the line that began with Paganini extends through every musical idol of our time." -

-http://www.classicalnotes.net/classics/paganini.html

#18 Alberta Brianti maquette

Alberta Brianti maquette

A few weeks ago I got the approval to sculpt a life size statue of the popular Italian womens tennis player Alberta Brianti. The sculpture will be in a limited edition of 10 and cast in bronze available sometime in July or August. Alberta is a unique tennis player in that she is one of very few womens tennis players who still uses the single hand backhand swing. Most womens tennis players use the double hand backhand (ie gripping the racquet with both hands) when hitting the ball because it gives them more power. This sculpture is designed to show the once popular tennis technique in a modern way where it is more and more of an uncommon sight at womens tennis tournaments across the world. The technique has advantages and disadvantages over the two handed. The advantages are that it allows for greater reach, it's easier to hit lower and higher balls, and hitting slice is much easier. The disadvantages are that it does not have the power that a two handed has.

#17 Out with the new, in with the old

"Puddler's Lunch Break" by Sutton Betti

Out With the New, In With the Old

"What is all the fuss about?" Those were not the words that artist Sutton Betti had in mind when sculpting "Puddler's Lunch Break", a monument installed in Boulder City, Nevada. However, the statue created a lot of controversy in this small town 20 miles south-east of Las Vegas and home of the second largest dam in the United States. 

The monument was created to honor the workers of Hoover Dam whose job it was to pour and smooth layer upon layer of concrete in what would be, at the time, the tallest dam in the world. The statue came with an expensive price tag and many of the town citizens were upset that the project happened despite budget cuts. But it was the classically inspired sculpture that eventually won the people over as it serves to educate the many tourists who visit Hoover dam. 

Sutton Betti, born and raised in Davis, CA is the artist that created Puddler's Lunch Break, a monument showing two workers telling stories during a lunch break while building the dam. "Although these guys lived during the great depression they were not unhappy people as they were the lucky few who had jobs. I wanted to show them happy." Now living in Colorado the artist makes his home in one of the worlds largest exporters of bronze sculpture Loveland, Colorado. Although a small city of about 70,000 people it houses more sculptors per capita than any U.S. city and is known as the gateway to the Rockies. With four bronze foundries, a stone quarry and dozens and dozens of independent specialists in the bronze business, Loveland is a unique city for a sculptor to live and work in. Betti finds comfort in being surrounded by many of the nations most notable sculptors including Jane Dedecker, George Lundeen and Kent Ullberg. "These are artists whom I've admired for many years. Artists who have created monuments all over the United States and now that I live here I get to learn from them and see how they work."

Betti's work is classical and he has an appreciation of the old masters that goes back to when he was a teenager admiring a book on Michelangelo that his grandmother gave to him. He remembers going to Italy to study marble carving from master stone carvers and developing a deep appreciation of this long tradition. "It was as if what was being taught to me was something that will soon be forgotten and these were men who were carrying on their backs hundreds of years of knowledge in marble carving". In fact, many of the master craftsmen spoke unfavorably of the influence of modern and abstract art as if it were one of the reasons behind the loss of interest in stone carving, Betti says. Up until the turn of the century sculptors would hire these skilled artisans to create their monuments in stone. But today, with an influx of different abstract and modern art styles, these men are hard to find as they are no longer needed. "The human figure in art up until the late 19th/early 20th century was very common. After the impressionists came about that all changed."

Although Betti was surrounded by abstract and modern art for most of his life, he found something more meaningful and challenging in creating a realistic portrayal of the human body. "There is so much freedom and expressiveness that can be created in a human figure. Once you learn the basics of anatomy you can pretty much do and say anything you want."