#105, Tuskegee Airman revisit

Joe Gomer (Tuskegee airman) by Sutton Betti, bronze, life size, Ellsworth Community College, Iowa Falls, IA

Last week, while I was in Wayne, Nebraska doing the install for Remembering at Wayne County Veterans Memorial, I decided to drive to Ellsworth Community College in Iowa Falls, Iowa to see my bronze statue of the Tuskegee Airman Joe Gomer. The leaves were changing and being that I didn't have very good pictures of my first WW2 statue and that I was only about 3 hours away at the time, I thought why not. The sculpture was commissioned in 2012 and is the first war statue that I made in what seems to be a steady flow of work in this field (knock on wood), and worthy of a visit. It was a cold and frosty morning, but well worth the drive. Iowa Falls IA, like Wayne, NE, is a very small town of about 5,000 people and both towns also have a beautiful college campus. ...Interesting story, while snapping these pictures early Saturday morning a young man walks up to me and we start chatting about the bronze sculpture. He told me many of the community college students will walk by and take selfies and put their pictures on Ellsworth facebook page. After a few minutes I told him that it's time for me to make the long drive back to Colorado and he then tells me how much he misses it there. "Where from, I ask?" Loveland, CO, he tells me! ...Small world.

#104, Wayne County Veterans Memorial

Remembering at Wayne County Veterans Memorial, Wayne, Nebraska

Remembering at Wayne County Veterans Memorial, Wayne, NE

detail of Remembering at Wayne County Veterans Memorial, Wayne, Nebraska

A couple of days ago I had the honor to install my bronze sculpture of a US Marine who is remembering the fallen at a beautiful veterans memorial in Wayne, Nebraska. The veterans memorial was built in 2010 and lists every veteran, living and dead, from Wayne county who served in the military during all of our countries wars. Over 3100 of them! In the background is the courthouse. 

The 200 pound bronze statue located in Wayne is the second in the edition of ten. It is a life-sized sculpture titled Remembering depicting a U.S. Marine kneeling and remembering a fallen soldier.

#103, Booth Display

For the past 3 years I've been spending time and money in designing my booth for art festivals. Not only am I creating more of a consistent body of work (as is required by many of these shows), I've also been purchasing things like propanel walls and lights. Although it does get costly, I am mostly quite happy that I've made this investment. This was my booth display in Vail, CO at Art on the Rockies.

#102, Moment of Reflection relief

Moment of Reflection, 2014

17 inches x 12.5 inches

Aluminum

The idea behind this relief was to show our connection to our past through our thoughts. As if to remember a particular moment more clearly and to feel something that has been lost. Perhaps it is of a lost lover or the memory of someone close. Her eyes are slightly closed in order to help remember this special event yet slightly opened in order to help bring the memory to the present.

#101, Into the Evening relief

Into the Evening by Sutton Betti
21 inches x 11 inches x 2 inches
aluminum, limited edition of 20

    I have been a fan of the Italian oil painter Pino for many years and when I created this mid relief sculpture I had in mind that I wanted to pay tribute to him. Some of the techniques I use I have adapted from his paintings, modified and applied towards my art.

#100, Confidence relief

 "Confidence", aluminum

Confidence is from my series of nudes where I'm exploring simple compositions, focusing mostly on the soft forms of the female figure. This relief was created of one of my favorite nude models whose proportions and unique facial features remind me of paintings from the turn of the century, in particular Bouguereau's painting of The Bather.

#99, Portrait of Spring and Peasant Woman, aluminum

Portrait of Spring, 10"x10", aluminum

Peasant Woman, 16"x13", aluminum

Although I'm in the middle of two public art commissions I'm still making time to get myself ready for the next show, Art on the Rockies. These two reliefs will be among 24 sculptures that I'll have displayed next month in Edwards, CO (just west of Vail). They are cast in lightweight and durable aluminum using the lost wax method which makes them great for hanging on walls.