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| James Dean, plaster 18 inches height, 2015 |
60 years after the death of James Dean, he is still regarded as an icon and with 2015 being the 60th anniversary of his death I decided to make this life size bust that will eventually get cast in bronze.
When I was young I used to watch James Dean movies and study photographs of him. He was such a unique, beautiful person and I remember trying to figure out what made him so alluring, so different. This was a few years before I began listening to Elvis Presley's music and playing the guitar. I will never forget the day when I was 16 years old I became discouraged that I couldn't sound like him. My mom saw me really upset and told me something along the lines of "Why do you want to be Elvis or James Dean when you get to be YOU". We had a long discussion and argument about this but those words stuck with me over all these years. From this moment onwards I started to look for my own talents and tried to build on them rather than trying to be like someone else.
The James Dean bust I sculpted was inspired by the film East of Eden and Rebel Without a Cause. He is wearing a collared shirt under a sweater, one that he wore often in East of Eden, and I wanted his expression to be calm yet with the unique glare that he often had in the few movies he made. A glare that seemed to speak volumes. The bust is 18 inches tall and is currently cast in plaster.
