#109, Hoag patina

Amidst all of the chaos between two big projects, I got to find some peace of mind working with Art Castings of Colorado on the patina of Frank Hoag, Jr. This is the stage it is in now which only has liver of sulfur applied and rubbed back in select areas. On Monday, we will be completing the patina using ferric nitrate followed by lacquer and wax.

#108, Frank Hoag, Jr. monument

This 6' 8" bronze statue of the founder of Pueblo Community College will be installed on campus in the next week or two. I began work on the sculpture of Frank Hoag, Jr. earlier this year and it is now starting to come to a close. The patina is scheduled for next week.

Mr. Hoag, who died in 1989, was not only one of the schools main founders but was publisher and editor of The Chieftain and its afternoon sister publication, the Star-Journal. A graduate of Princeton University, he saw the need for higher education in his hometown and helped to start the college in 1933.

#107, Master Swimmer monument

By far, THE most difficult project I have done is this sculpture going to a pool and ice center in Northern Colorado. But I am confident that this will be a nice sculpture once it is all finished. The life size statue of a swimmer will be held up by two concrete columns about 6 feet tall. Sandwiched in between is 1 inch thick blue/green glass that will represent water. The major hurdles have been how to engineer this thing without making installation impossible. After back and forth between three engineers three separate times, we have finally come up with something that isn't too bad. This monument has definitely tested my patience, but it is starting to shape up nicely. 

#106, Waiting Temptress relief

Waiting Temptress, clay for aluminum

This pose captivated me because of it's unique angles and overlapping forms. Lately, I have noticed that the reliefs that I enjoy the most are the ones that have some kind of overlapping. Her left leg overlaps her right leg. Her left hand is placed on her left thigh. Her right elbow overlaps her left knee. I'm finding that these compositions are much more interesting in relief I think because they help to show the different levels creating a sense of depth. Although they are a lot more challenging to sculpt, they are worth the effort.

#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.