C.V.SmithARTWORKS
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Sculptures
    • Bronze
    • Clay / Apoxie Clay
    • Plaster
    • Wood
    • Stone
    • SLIDESHOW
  • Galleries
  • Contact
  • Book
  • River Arts
  • BRAF
  • Saltwater Artists
  • CMCA
  • Yarmouth Art Festival

Art Exhibitions ... the Curse &  Blessing of Themes

9/28/2013

0 Comments

 
     Themed art shows can be both a curse and a blessing for me as a sculptor. On the one hand, I might not have pieces that fit into a specific theme... on the other hand, this frequently forces me to tackle a new piece that I otherwise might not ever have considered doing. It's a challenge, and I enjoy a challenge. My most recent piece came about as a result of just such a challenge. The theme was 'autumn'. Very suitable for painters (pumpkins, dried cornstalks, colorful leaves and landscapes, etc.), but for a sculptor, not so much! My idea came to me while I was out on an early morning run and had to avoid slipping on a slew of acorns strewn across the road like marbles. Aha!  Acorns + squirrel = autumn! I picked up a handful of the little devils and ran home with them. 
Picture
Acorns 'au natruel'
Picture
Acorns baked, poly'd, painted & caps glued
Picture
Basic squirrel armature shaped from 2"x4"
       Next I had to unify those elements into a sculptural concept. I went right to my wood scrap pile. It is mostly made up of the sometimes exotic leftovers from my brother's wood projects. In the scrap pile I found an interesting large bowl remnant made from cherry, maple and padauk wood. After trimming off the excess board ends and sanding the wood, I added a small wenge wood platform at the top of each end of the arch, with a heavy bent wire suspended in between them. I attached that structure to a yellowheart wood baseboard, and coated all of the wood surfaces with satin polyeurethane. As for the acorns, I first had to bake them to dry them out. After baking them, I removed the caps from the nuts and I coated both parts with polyeurethane to seal them. I then spray painted the nut portion 
and epoxied the caps back on. I attached these with wood pegs and glue to the higher of the 2 platforms. Now I was ready to tackle making the squirrel that would be placed on the opposing platform.
Picture
Sanded and trimmed 'bowl scrap' base
Picture
Base with platforms, wire and underbase board added
Picture
Acorns mounted on base
Picture
Armature bulked out with styrofoam
Picture
Squirrel shaped with Apoxie clay over armature
Picture
Apoxie squirrel painted
Picture
Squirrel mounted on base
    I used the same technique for making the squirrel as I had used in making the seagull for 'The Prize' ( *see my blog entry for 7/10/13 .) I fashioned a roughed out squirrel form out of a piece of 2"x4" and glued pieces of styrofoam to the sides. After rounding out the styrofoam, I mixed and applied small amounts of  Apoxie clay to build up and complete the form of the squirrel. The squirrel was then sanded and spray painted with primer. I used 4 different shades of gray spray paint (including 'Satin Nickel') to color the body and added a touch of black in the eyes. The last step was to fasten the squirrel to his platform with a wooden peg and to add a single acorn to the center of the curve of the base. I was ready for 'Autumn' at the gallery.
Picture
Picture
            'I think I can, I think I can...'
Picture

           *This piece can be viewed in the juried show 'Autumn', from Oct. 4th through Nov. 7th at River Arts Gallery in Damariscotta.

0 Comments

Maine Wood 2014 Biennial ... Entered & Accepted

9/16/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
'Tradition' ... view 1
Picture
'Tradition' ... view 2
Picture
'Tradition' ... view 3
Picture
'Tradition' ... view 4
       I received notification this past weekend that my wood carving 'Tradition' has been accepted into the Maine Wood 2014 Biennial Exhibition. The exhibition will be shown at the Messler Gallery at the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship in Rockport, Maine from January 24,
2014 until April 2nd. The jurors for the show were Asa Christiana, Editor, Fine Woodworking Magazine, Jonathan Fairbanks, Director, Fuller Craft Museum, and Laura Mays, Director, Fine Woodworking Program, College of the Redwoods. I am looking forward to be showing with the other 19 talented artists and craftsmen who have been accepted into this exhibition.

     *Additional information about 'Tradtion' can be found in my blog entry for 10/13/2012. This sculpture is        currently on exhibit until September 26th at River Arts Gallery in Damariscotta, Maine.
0 Comments

Clay, Plaster, Wax, Bronze ... here's lookin' at ya!

9/1/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
Photo of the artist
Picture
Clay relief ... framed & ready for pouring plaster mold
Picture
Plaster mold in wooden frame ... ready for pouring wax cast
Picture
Wax cast
    I have used molds for a variety of projects, and on a number of occasions I have been able to repurpose the molds for other projects. This is what happened when I was working on a plaster cast self-portrait. I started by taking some close-up photos of my eyes and nose and then created a clay relief of the image that I thought best expressed my personality. After creating a plaster waste mold of the clay relief, I cast the image in plaster. I had to break the original mold, but the clay relief survived in excellent shape, so I used it to make another mold. I used the second mold to make a wax cast of the image, and then I cast it in bronze. I was quite happy with the way it came out. When it came time to make up business cards, I decided that this would be a fitting image to put on the card to represent both my aesthetic and the sense of play that I bring to my work. To top it off, I still have the plaster mold, so I may find yet another use for this up close and personal self-portrait in the future.
Stay tuned!
Picture
Unfinished bronze cast ... ready for chasing
Picture
Completed bronze
Picture
Business card
0 Comments

    Author

    Cynthia Smith, Maine artist, originally from Connecticut. Taught art at secondary level for 35 years, retired in 2004. Sculpts in bronze, wood, stone, clay & plaster. Her work can be seen at several mid-coast Maine galleries and shows.

    Picture

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    February 2023
    October 2022
    May 2022
    December 2021
    October 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    October 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    January 2020
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    January 2017
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    June 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.