C.V.SmithARTWORKS - Meanderings of a Maine Artist... sculptor Cynthia Smith

Midsummer Night's Dream ... Mask Sculpture for River Arts

5/1/2022

As the May 7th deadline for the upcoming "Wild Things" show at River Arts Gallery in Damariscotta approached, I consulted my inventory of potential sculpture submission pieces. The piece that jumped out as most appropriate for the theme was a mask that I had done a number of years ago. It featured the face of a character that had a jester-like appearance with wild hair, a broad collar with bells, and large donkey-like ears... and, with a little tweak, would fit the bill.

Mold ... gessoed mask ... plaster cast

Front view

Detail

Detail

Back view

The original process for making the mask had first involved making a life-mold of my face and then making a plaster cast from that mold. The cast was covered with plastic wrap and then then draped with artificial chamois cloth that had been dipped into a mixture of wheat paste and wood glue (1/5 ratio). Once the chamois dried it was trimmed into the desired shape. I added ears cut from sheets of backed gray felt, then coated the mask and the felt backing with gesso. After attaching the mask to a dowel and sealing the inside of the mask with a thin handmade paper that had pieces of natural grasses imbedded in it, I tinted the face with color and added leather eyebrows and thin strips of leather for the hair. Finally I attached the small bells on wires to grommets I had placed along the edge of the mask collar. Ready for fun and frolic.
In order to show the mask to best advantage at the River Arts show, I wanted to mount it on a stand, but I still wanted to be able to preserve its integrity as a usable mask. To this end, I drilled a hole in the end of the handle so that the mask could be placed on a base for display, but could be easily removed, if so desired. I made a base out from a 6" x 6" x 3" block of sapele wood. I sanded and sealed the base with satin poly and then added a short 1/4" metal rod.
"Midsummer Night's Dream" was now ready for show!

Base

Midsummer Night's Dream

Underwater Landscaping ... Deep Sea Diver Upgrade

12/28/2021

Original "Deep Sea Diver"

Recent downtime found me taking a second look at a sculpture titled "Deep Sea Diver" that I made last spring (see blog entry for 4/29/21). I felt that the support rod took away from the desired visual impact of the "dive" concept of the piece. The question was - how to hide or obscure the rod and not the "diver". I think I knew the answer before I asked the question... that I might be able to incorporate some leftover pieces of twisted bark that I had used in the making of my bronze sculpture "Lucky Seven" (see my blog posts for 4/22/16 & 7/18/16). Bingo!
As I experimented with the placement of several of the bark strips, I found that the curved ends of the strips would curl closely around both the bottom of the rod and the body of the "diver". The next step was to figure out how to attach the strips securely.

Testing

First 2 insertion holes

Attachment pins

2 attached

Attaching the strips involved using my Dremel to create insertion holes for the ends of each strip in the driftwood base. I also added a small metal pin into the edge of each strip at the point where the edge of the strip actually touched the body of the "Diver". I drilled holes to receive the pins in the body and then epoxied each strip end and pin into their respective holes. I further secured the strips by adding a toothpick "pin" through overlapping flat areas of the strips. In addition to the 3 long strips that I attached around the rod, I also added 2 shorter strips about an inch further behind the base of the rod to further enhance the flow and effectiveness of the composition. I feel the addition of the "landscaping" added to the illusion of motion and of being underwater...and, even better, added a sense of playfulness. :)

ArtinME '21 & the YARMOUTH ART FESTIVAL ...

10/11/2021

ArtinME, the annual statewide juried art show at BRAF Gallery in Boothbay Harbor
is back for 2021!

Viscerl Torso... 3 views

After a year off due to the pandemic, the Boothbay Region Art Foundation again will be holding the their annual juried exhibit that is open to all full and part time Maine residents who work in drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture and mixed media. The juror for this year's show was Keith Oehmig, an accomplished painter and the Director of the Wiscasset Bay Gallery. He chose 63 pieces for the show, representing the work of 41 artists. The two that I entered, "Visceral Torso" and Unintended Baggage", I'm happy to say, both were juried into the show. The show will run from Oct.ober 14th through Nov. 14th, Thurs. - Sun., 11am - 5 pm.

Unintended Baggage

The Yarmouth Art Festival is back to its in-person format for the 13th edition of this annual juried show at St. Bartholomew's Church in Yarmouth show after having to go virtual in 2020 . The jurors for this years show were Peggy Greenhut, founder of the Greenhut

Of One Mind

Gallery, Anne Haas, former Bowdoin College art librarian, and freelance art curator Wes Lafountain. Out of the 587 pieces submitted, the jurors chose 179 by 108 artists for this year's exhibition. Again, I'm happy to say that my plaster relief sculpture entry,"Of One Mind", was juried into the show. Net proceeds from the '21 show will be donated to the Yarmouth Food Pantry, St. Elizabeth's Jubilee Center, and the Friendship House. The show will run Wednesday through Friday from October 20-22 (10 am-7 pm), and on Saturday, October 23 (10 am-3 pm) at St. Bartholomew's Epsicopal Church in Yarmouth.

Saltwater Artists Gallery '21 ... New Harbor, Maine

6/24/2021

Early sales and a display area update

Life in Maine is finally getting back to a more familiar state of normal. Masks are coming off, vaccinations are going into people's arms, and businesses are gearing up for full capacity. After opening for long weekends in mid-May, Saltwater Artists Gallery in New Harbor opened full time, seven days a week, on June 18th. There has been a steady stream of visitors stopping by the gallery. Folks then head just down the street to see the view from the Pemaquid Point Lighthouse and to check on the progress of the rebuilding of the Seagull Shop & Restaurant that was destroyed by fire in 2020.
This Saturday, June 28th, we will be hosting our "Meet the Artist" reception from 1-5 PM. It's a great chance for visitors to stop by to talk to our member artists while viewing all of the artwork on display in the gallery. We are a non-profit cooperative gallery with 25 jury-selected member artists, who work in a wide variety of media: painting, sculpture, wood-turning, glass, jewelry, printmaking, pottery, pottery and fiber arts. The 2021 season has started off strong, and we are looking forward to the reception on Saturday and to meeting the many folks who appreciate and support our local Maine artists.

Open full time for the season

Stairway Triptych ... Hanging at Saltwater Artists Gallery

5/26/2021

3 pieces

Holes drilled

With the start of the Maine art season fast approaching, I used the last couple of weeks to finish up one more project for my display area at Saltwater Artists Gallery in New Harbor. It is a three-piece ceramic relief sculpture that had been glazed and fired, but still needed to be mounted on a backing board.
On the back side of each piece there were a series of holes for mounting pegs. After determining the spacing of the pieces on the backing board, I drilled corresponding peg holes in the board and spray painted the board with Caribbean Sand textured spray paint. I then epoxied short wooden dowels into the holes in the ceramic pieces. The last step before mounting the pieces on

Pegs epoxied

Reverse side set-up

the board was to attach a wooden strip on the back (to allow the piece to hang flat in spite of the weight of the ceramic pieces) and a hanging wire.
Finally I epoxied each piece to the backing board - it was ready to hang! I loaded it and the rest of the work that I had selected into my car and headed to New Harbor to set up my display area at Saltwater Artists Gallery. The gallery opens for long weekends starting May 28th and then will be open daily starting on June 18th...stop by if you are in the neighborhood!

Mounted

Hung

..."Stairway Triptych" and friends - ready for Saltwater Artists Gallery opening day

Deep Sea Diver ... Driftwood Rescued, Rehabbed, and Reborn

4/29/2021

Driftwood "seal" - view 1

Driftwood "seal" - view 2

My latest project was the rehabbing and rebirth of a piece of driftwood that I found a number of years ago at a coastal antique/collectible/junk shop. Someone had tapered it, sanded some areas smooth, given it a glossy coat of shellac or polyurethane and some kind of push pin eyes. How it eventually ended up at the shop I don't know, but it called out to be rescued. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it, but I couldn't leave it behind.

Driftwood "wave" top surface

Underneath the "wave"

Assembled base with rod

I knew the first thing I had to do was to try to remove or tone down the glossy exterior coating on the driftwood. I ended up using paint thinner then denatured alcohol, followed by some gentle elbow grease with 220 grit sandpaper. After removing some areas of "punky" wood, I proceeded to shape and sand various "protuberances" to enhance the seal-like form that I saw in the contours of the driftwood. Finally I gave it a coat of satin polyurethane.
The next step was to create a base and support on which to mount the "seal". This would involve another piece of rescued driftwood, a short section of an old cedar post, and a metal rod. This second piece of nicely grayed driftwood had a wave-like shape that I thought would work well with the direction I was headed in with the piece. After cleaning up some pithy areas and shaping its edges a bit, I fitted and attached a 3 3/4" tall piece of an old cedar post to the underside of the "wave" to elevate it off of the yellowheart board that would act as the base of the sculpture.
The first step in assembling the piece involved drilling a hole in the base to accept the 12" metal rod that would hold up the seal., That was the easy part. Next I had to drill a hole in the seal's chest to receive the other end of the rod. I had to figure

out how I wanted to position the seal over the wave and then determine the angle the hole needed to be drilled in order to achieve that angle. The final step was to epoxy the rod into the base and then the seal onto the rod. The driftwood seal was finally where it was meant to be.

"Deep Sea Diver" ... 3 views

Branch Hole Sculpture ... Mounted & Complete

4/17/2021

As I said in the first installment of this series...a picture is worth a thousand words.

- and now on to my next adventure in sculptureland....

Branch Hole Back Side Details ... Maple Wonderland, Part 4

4/11/2021

Back side areas of concentration

The back side of the piece of maple that I have been writing about in my last 3 blog posts had a totally different character than its front side. I kept the central area containing the heart-like shape at the top and the callus material around the opening in their natural state, and concentrated my efforts on the surfaces surrounding them and the side edges shared with the front.
The only way to address my concerns about the viability and visual value of the upper right side "tendril" was to asses and reassess it from all sides as I gradually carved, sanded and shaped it. Once I decided that the tendril needed to stay and had re-enforced the weak area it at its base, I was able to finish refining it.

Upper "tendril"

Reveal

Re-shape

Repair & refine

I had identified an area at the bottom of the piece as the only place where I would be able to securely insert a rod to mount the piece to a base. I shaped and smoothed a "path" down the left side past the lower "tendril", continuing around and up along the right side, leaving a "nub of wood at the bottom. After drilling a hole to accommodate a 1/4" rod, I refined the area around the eventual insertion site. At this point I decided that the tendril needed to be removed and, after doing so, I was able to further shape and refine the area.

Identify

Create "nub"

Refine & assess

Remove & refine

I wanted the hole that I drilled from front side to the back side through the top behind the "heart" to serve as a visual connector between the two sides. I gradually opened the hole wider and curved the area around it on the back side, thinning the surrounding walls. Finally I changed the curve at the top from convex to concave, then refined and sanded the area.

Rough out

Open & explore

Revise

Refine

After adjusting the texture of the surfaces around the edge of the callus, making the right side smooth and creating a tradition from smooth to rough on the left side, the final step before mounting the piece on a base was to coat it with satin polyurethane. This process brought out a variety of color variations both in the natural surfaces and the sanded surfaces. The piece was ready for mounting with rod to base...tune in for Wonderland Part 5.

Poly

Opening detail

Base detail

Tendril detail

The Other Side of Branch Hole ... Maple Wonderland, Part 3

4/4/2021

Side 2

The appearance of the back side of my piece of maple had nothing in common with the front side other than the shape of its perimeter. The callus that had formed to heal the absent branch had a very different character - it became wider and heavier in contrast with the tighter and slightly textured rings coming in from the front side. It was surrounded by light colored textured areas and topped with a natural formation that looked very much like a heart. This side's unique structural elements presented its own set of aesthetic decisions that had to be made, but the real challenge was to unify the shared perimeter elements and surfaces.

Begin

Explore

Open

Extend

Continue

The shared elements that I addressed first were the shared rough "tendrils" at the lower left and upper right sides. I had to access whether they were necessary elements to the form and, if they were, were they structurally sound enough to be retained. The second areas that needed assessment were the shared perimeter edges (the actual thickness of the wood that surrounded the the branch hole) - both were very rough and splintery. I had to decide if I wanted to smooth them, how much of each I wanted to smooth out, and what sort of shaping might be appropriate for the form, not to mention how to incorporate the tendrils!

Drill

Remove

Reshape

Refine

Finish

In addition to the previously mentioned decisions, there was the question of how I would eventually mount the piece. I knew that I wanted the heart shape at the top and that the form, because of its natural shape, would not be able to stand on its own. Sometimes the material limits your options, but also presents you with a clear solution. In this case, it appeared that the only logical and effective way to display the piece would be to mount it on a rod in a wooden base...and the only spot on the piece of wood that was thick enough and in a place that would allow the desired positioning was at the bottom of the piece of wood opposite the heart. As long as the area could be shaped appropriately and drilled correctly - problem solved! A closer look at the solutions in my next blog post... stay tuned!

Branch Hole Details ... A Maple Wonderland, Part 2

3/27/2021

As I said in my previous blog post, sculpting a piece of natural barked wood can present some surprises that may require attention, re-construction or re-direction. Upon inspection of this particular piece of maple, I saw that there was a place on either side of it that had a ragged slightly splintered-off section. I wasn't sure if I wanted to keep them or not, so I decided to gradually shape or shrink them as the sculpture evolved. After removing some of the bark, I sanded and shaped the wood revealed beneath, creating a contrast of smooth and rough textures. This allowed me to begin the process of assessing and refining the side two elements.

Areas of concern

Opening the "peak"

"one" worm hole

Revelations

Reshape & repair

Refine

As I began to refine and shape the elongated wood "tendril" on the left side I saw that it had an interesting way of echoing the contour of that side. After creating an opening at the "peak" to echo the opening of the branch hole, I continued to shape the area to the right of the tendril and, in doing so, I uncovered a small worm hole. Instead just of ignoring it, I tried to eliminate it by chiseling out more material but this revealed a cluster of worm holes. I ended up totally reshaping the area (I was pleased with the change), but it also exposed a splintery crack at the base of the tendril that made its survival doubtful. I was able to repair and strengthen the area by filling it with Quickwood (a mastic epoxy). This repair allowed me to continue to refine the shape of the tendril and the area around it.

Begin

Explore

More

Clean & assess

Remove

The fate of the second side element, a smaller "tendril", was decided after a step by step removal of bark at the lower end and side of the piece. As I removed the surrounding bark, I also started to shorten the length of the tendril. Initially I thought that it could act to mirror the upper tendril on the other side, but eventually I decided that it did nothing to enhance the form of the piece and needed removal. Again I was faced with a structural dilemma - a crack at the base of the tendril necessitated removing a fairly deep chunk of wood. There was no going back. In the end, I was pleased with the results of my re-shaping and sanding efforts.

Satin poly

Adjustment view 1

Adj.view 2

Adj. view 3

Final view

After applying a coat of satin polyurethane, I decided that the remaining area of bark was too uniform in texture. In order to vary the surface quality and break up the shape of the barked area, I smoothed out spaces at the top and bottom creating the effect of a raised bark oval around the branch hole. The side now felt complete. In my next blog post I will recount the evolution of the second side of the maple branch hole sculpture. Stay tuned!