Artistic Philosophy and the Sculptural Process

Artistic Philosophy. As a figurative artist, I try to capture the essential character and energy of the subject.

For me the process of figurative art is to imbue the abstract elements (the stuff we’re really working with: lines, shape, volumes, textures…) with emotional qualities—strength, joy, tenderness, bravado, etc.—that express the character of the subject matter.

When I first began studying the figure and creating figurative art, I realized that we are never really interested in just the figure; what we are interested in when we walk in a room or walk down the street is what the other people are up to.

Our immediate response is to wonder if they are sleepy, angry, withdrawn, open and looking for a conversation, restless with energy, etc. And I believe this is what we are concerned with when we come to art—I know that is what I am concerned with. I believe we are not interested that Rembrandt painted a man whose measurements were just as he depicted; we’re responsive to the character of the man and the character of Rembrandt who painted the work, and the dexterity with which he painted it.

Sculptural Process. My technique for creating large sculptures begins with making sketches, either on paper or in clay, of my general impressions of the finished work. I work in earthenware clay for its tactile qualities, its responsiveness to touch, and its ability to capture emotional expression. I then make more defined models in clay, of which one is chosen to be the model for the final sculpture. The full-scale modeling is again done in clay, over a welded steel armature. I then have flexible rubber molds made, in which the sculpture is cast in wax; I then address any necessary changes.

The complete wax sculpture is invested, most often in pieces, in a high-temperature standing mold. The wax is melted out and the bronze is poured in to recreate the pieces in metal. The pieces are assembled and welded together, then worked back into the final sculpture, which is then colored with an acid patina and waxed or lacquered for preservation.

While my formal education emphasized the strongly held ideas of the 20th century on the individuality of artistic vision, when I do commissioned work I feel that it must reflect both the clients’ and future audiences’ feelings about the subject matter as well as my artistic vision.

This is not an espousal of sculpture by committee—in creating the work I must rely on my own skills and understanding. But my understanding is not inhibited or limited by carefully listening to the concerned community, rather it is always broadened and the work enhanced.