African American Woman, circa 1900
"Grace" (shown in clay)
"Diedre", bonded bronze
Since one of my commissions is on hold until enough funds can be raised I've been spending much of my free time making relief sculptures. Of course, I wish there were more hours in the day so I can get more of them done here are three of my newest ones. African American woman (top) is shown in bronze and it's the first relief (spec piece) I've done in bronze. The photo used for the relief was inspired by a photo taken in 1900 by WEB DuBois, one of the founders of the NAACP. I will be getting a frame for it soon, the bronze measures approximately 12"x12" and weighs about 10 lbs. A little heavier than I was expecting, but it still shouldn't be a problem hanging on a wall with a frame. "Grace" is a bit higher relief than the previous sculpture and it is a sculpture of a friends daughter named Livi Lundeen. It measures 10"x10"x1" and I will be casting this one in bronze also. The higher reliefs I tend to enjoy more if there is more movement and less emphasis on the portrait aspect. For me, portraits are easier and quicker in a flat relief. "Diedre" is a low relief and expresses the beauty of the female form in a simple pose although I like to think of it as more of a portrait. What struck me the most about Diedre is her unique facial features, she looks like a young Helena Bonham Carter. This pose struck me as elegant and portrait-like, simple yet full of beauty. I will eventually be casting her in bronze.
Although I'm leaning towards bronze for casting many of the reliefs I'm doing, I will soon be experimenting with aluminum (after having talked with a foundry who can cast), terracotta and glass. Aluminum will allow me to work a little bit larger, up to 30"x30" without having to weld together the metal. Also, an aluminum relief at 30"x30" will weigh substantially less than a bronze at the same size, generally it's about 1/3 the weight of bronze. The largest bronze relief I can do, without having to weld together the parts, is 24"x24", but at this scale the bronze would be quite heavy. Terracotta will be another casting material I will offer limited editions of. I've been talking with someone who will help fire them for me since I do not have a kiln. Another material I've been thinking about casting in is glass. Although I have never worked in glass, I recently met a wonderfully skilled glass artist named Dan Dagget and he is interested in working with me to see if we can make the glass castings work.
