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While there has been a little dip in commissions I took the time to create a 11 inch tall clay relief of one of my favorite artists Norman Rockwell. The Norman Rockwell portrait relief sculpture will be molded and cast in aluminum and available for purchase in a limited edition. 

Rockwells art has inspired me since I was a little kid. I was fortunate to have grown up surrounded by art as well as art books. One of the many memories I have as a young kid was flipping through the pages of a large Norman Rockwell book that my Grandma had. His paintings leaped off the pages and into my creative mind during those awkward teen years when art was becoming a place to escape to. What I remember feeling back then was awe and admiration at his artwork. The vast imagination that Rockwell had was mind blowing and he created this unique way of visual storytelling with such technical mastery. To this day, I still smile when I see his work. 

Here are some great quotes by Norman Rockwell

“The ’20’s ended in an era of extravagance, sort of like the one we’re in now. There was a big crash, but then the country picked itself up again, and we had some great years. Those were the days when Americans believed in itself. I was happy and proud to be painting it.”

“I’ll never have enough time to paint all the pictures I’d like to.”

“The secret to so many artists living so long is that every painting is a new adventure. So, you see, they’re always looking ahead to something new and exciting. The secret is not to look back.”

“I’m the oldest antique in town.”

“Some people have been kind enough to call me a fine artist. I’ve always called myself an illustrator. I’m not sure what the difference is. All I know is that whatever type of work I do, I try to give it my very best. Art has been my life.”

-Thank you Norman Rockwell!!

Here is a time-lapse video on the making of my Norman Rockwell portrait relief sculpture

As a sculptor, there are oftentimes crazy/fun projects I get to be a part of. For the past couple of years I’ve been collaborating with a designer and friend Pat Kelley on making bottle toppers that we proposed to Buffalo Trace whiskey in Frankfort, Kentucky. These would have been for a new limited edition and expensive a.f. whiskey (I think I said that right) and for an over life size bronze monument on their 400+ acre property (also an expensive proposal). Unfortunately, it seems as though it all fell through after some meetings.

I sculpted two sizes of Bison, the larger size around 12-14 inches in height. We 3D scanned the larger clay original and reduced down to about 2 inches and the 3D files were emailed to a jewelers foundry in New York. Although there were quite a few jewelers foundries around the country the designer went with one in New York. After some adjustments and 40 castings later (ouch!!) they were finished. Since I can now share the project, here are some of the stages it went through. 

First Pitch II, clay for bronze, 1/2 scale

I originally designed First Pitch II in the beginning of the Covid pandemic in 2020. I had seen a dip in commissions and like all business owners, employees and well, human beings, I was terribly uncertain of the future of business and life. It was a unique moment that we will all remember.

This time in our lives where everything paused had me think about many things. One of the things I put under a microscope were art-on-loan sculpture programs that were popping up all across the nation, many of them in Colorado.

Several years before Covid I had temporarily placed sculptures in two loan programs; Lafayette, Colorado and Brighton, Colorado. One of my bronze sculptures had won people choice award, which I thought was cool. But overall I wasn’t impressed, in general, with the idea behind these programs. And so I stopped applying to them. At the time I felt like they were taking away opportunities for sculptors by paying us a small amount of money (a stipend) to loan our expensive artworks for a year. While to the non-artist this may sound hoity-toity but it really isn’t if you think about how many hours and money we spend to have a finished artwork. And if sculptors, like me, cast in bronze there is even more money out of pocket to have a finished sculpture to place on loan. While it didn’t dawn on me that these programs are no different than how galleries operate, at the time I felt artists were getting short-changed and they only hurt our chances for financial survival. 

Fast forward to Covid, a time when many of us, including me, had several a-ha moments. What had me think differently about all these art-on-loan programs was realizing that they were spreading like a wildfire across the nation and I believe also into Canada as well. They just couldn’t be stopped and I really had to reconsider my views of them. I also began trying to understand their potential to lead to sales, not just to the city that accepts it into their loan program, but to the many people and businesses in that city.

While Covid was keeping us in, I thought about how to get more of my work out there more and more. The initial rotten taste I had gotten from the loan programs began to subside, so-to-speak. I started seeing the light and their potential for success. Could the cities that place loan sculptures also commission sculptures? Why sure they can and sure they would want to. They aren’t replacing commissions they are adding to the opportunities for sculptors.

Since coming to this conclusion, I shifted gears a little and began creating sculptures specifically for them. The very first sculpture I made with the art-on-loan in mind was “First Pitch II”. While the 2D design was actually a rejected proposal for the town of Hutchinson, KS, I came across the drawing and realized that it would be perfect for just about any town USA that 1) has children and 2) has a baseball field. To date, I have made five outdoor sculptures that were designed with the art on loan in mind, two of them already cast in bronze and placed on loan, by-passing First Pitch II. With the addition of a monthly S.C.U.L.P.T. group I co-founded with another sculptor, I now have many new additional designs that I plan on enlarging for the many art-on-loan programs. Stay tuned for more updates on these.

Recently, I came back from delivering my life size sculpture Returning Home to a client in Kansas City, Missouri where the sculpture will be stored until a Veterans Memorial site in Ocala, Florida is ready.

As with all of the life size sculptures I create and hand deliver I get to meet all kinds of wonderful people. Each pit stop for gas or lunch is an opportunity to share the sculpture which usually sits prominently in my open utility trailer.

Last spring on a trip to Altoona, Wisconsin with my Special Ops soldier sitting prominently in my trailer, I met a poet John Berg while at a rest stop somewhere in Minnesota. After we chatted for a good we all hit the road. I remember as I drove off thinking that I had met someone real special but didn’t expect I’d ever see or hear from him again. A couple of days later and 200 plus miles away Mr. John Berg and his wonderful wife show up to the unveiling of my Special Ops soldier during the Memorial Day services in Altoona. It was a wonderful surprise and it is one I’ll never forget! Since then, John and I have continued to stay in contact and occasionally he will write a poem on one of my sculptures. Below is the latest poem that John wrote about my sculpture Returning Home after I made a social media post about the sculpture’s progress in bronze:

“Welcome Home” by John Berg:

Welcome home my wayward soldier

I missed you so,

I cannot say

To see you here is such a pleasure

Welcome home my brave father

I missed you so

I cannot say

To see you here brings such joy

I missed you so

My beautiful wife and lovely daughter

To see you now is such a joy

Hold me close

And do not waiver

My travels have brought me home

Weekly Updates- May 22, 2024

This past week (or month since my last weekly update) has had me doing all sorts of things besides actually sculpting. It seems that the more work I produce the busier my life gets. Or maybe it’s more like the older I get, the more interest I have in life outside of art. And while the past month has given us more sunlight, it is maybe a little natural to feel the pull towards getting outside and getting our much needed dose of vitamin D.

A couple weekends ago we held a graduation party for Jessica’s oldest daughter who graduated from CSU with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Art and Art History with a concentration in fibers. We are so proud of her and how she has fought her way to getting her degree and now working in the field she loves (she was hired to a company that makes looms two days after graduation!!) She has been making art since I’ve known her (all of 13 years) and I know well before that, as well. While the gathering was almost broken up by crop dusters the morning of (our old farm house is surrounded by alfalfa fields), we had a great turnout, good weather and we displayed some of our daughters art as part of the party.

The nice Spring weather has had me out in the early mornings watching the sunrise and planning for each day’s tasks. While I have been struggling to find a rhythm and balance with producing new sculptures I have been busy with projects.

A couple weeks ago I installed two of my life size bronze Honor Guards in a small town in Nebraska. The sculptures were placed at a beautiful Veterans park that had been completed for a few years, designed by one of my clients. 

On my way to install, I had made a pit stop in another small town not far from where I had to be the next day. Bartlett, Nebraska is a town of about 100 people and has a beautiful sculpture garden by Loveland sculptor (and one of my biggest influences) Herb Mignery. The Mignery Sculpture Garden is a must see for any sculptor, young or old. About 40-50 of Herbs sculptures are placed outside the Museum in what feels like an outdoor display you’d find in Paris. The sculptures are well taken care of and well loved by the few people who called Bartlett home. I had the privilege of talking with Herb’s longtime friend, Bob who shared some stories of his friendship with the great sculptor. After I left Bartlett I felt I had a renewed sense of purpose and was inspired all over again.

In the studio we have a lot going on. In total there are 33 sculptures in various stages between clay and bronze! So, a lot of my time has been spent managing all of these projects and their various deadlines. When I’m not managing these projects I have been sculpting on a 6 foot 8 inch tall private commission called I/Universe. The sculpture, when complete, will be installed in Vail at a collectors home overlooking the beautiful Vail landscape.

Below are various photos from the past month. Happy SCULPTing! 

This week we installed two of my Honor Guards in a small town in eastern Nebraska at an existing Veterans Memorial Park that was built a few years ago. US Army from the Korean War era and US Marine from the modern War on Terror were two sculptures “Presenting Arms” that the committee decided to add to their park late last year.

During the installation several committee members came out to the site to help select their permanent install spot. The final decision on placement was near the entrance to the park with a large USA flag above their heads on a raised concrete pad.

The site was designed by a friend and art collector Earl Boston of West Point Monument who has designed many Veterans parks in Nebraska. The two sculptures greet the visitors to the site and will be a beautiful add-on for many generations.

This last weekend, with the help of the volunteers at the Art Around the Corner and City Parks crew I installed my half scale bronze of Charlie Chaplin right in front of St. George’s “Electric Theater” in the beautiful downtown of St. George, Utah. The sculpture is right at home facing this historic theater built in 1911 and will be part of the sculpture loan program through 2025. 

Electric Theater became Southern Utah’s first motion picture theater and during the 1920’s when people would first experience air conditioning in movie theaters across the country Electric became the first building in St. George where people got to experience “comfort cooling”. With its 3 foot thick walls Electric Theater was a popular place to escape to during the hot and dry summer months of St. George while watching the latest Hollywood stars light up the screen.

What impressed me with St. George was the abundance of sculpture the city has collected over the past 20 years  and the beautiful downtown area. The City Parks crew who had to install 37 sculptures during a 5 hour window were wonderful people. One of the install crew members whom I chatted with was a Charlie Chaplin fan and he would recount several funny scenes in Chaplin’s 1922 movie, Pay Day.

This week we had a private ceremony and unveiled a life size sculpture at my client’s home in Vail. Bruce on bench, aka B.O.B., was privately commissioned to memorialize a wonderful man who was well loved by all who knew him. Although I didn’t know Bruce, his family and friends made me feel like I was part of the group for years. The private ceremony and celebration was held on the one year anniversary of his passing and consisted of skiing with some of Bruce’s close friends/ family and ended with great food, stories and photos that will last for many, many years. Thank you to my client James and co. who welcomed me in like family.

Weekly update- Tuesday March 5, 2024

The past two weeks have seen the studio fairly busy with existing projects, one sculpting project and a few new concept/drawing designs.

Adam and I have been tag teaming the bronze assembly of a life size seated figure on a bench. The seated figure is a portrait of a clients close friend who passed away March 21, 2023. While Adam works mornings on the assembly, I come in just after lunch to take over from where he left off. This schedule allows Adam to continue with various other sculpting jobs he has and gives me quality time on the assembly. While its not every sculptors dream to assemble bronze, I seem to have a passion for it and like to think I’m quite good at it. One of the very first jobs I had when moving to Loveland was as a welder/metal assembler for a well known sculptor. But more on that on another post.

In addition to assembling the seated bench piece, we have 5 other life size figures that are in various stages of being cast in bronze or just waiting to be next up in the assembly schedule.

The mornings have been spent sculpting on a new bas-relief commission titled “War and Peace” for a very good client and friend in Nebraska. When I wasn’t busy sculpting on the relief commission I have been doing various designs for monuments for potential collectors. These designs have been submitted and are awaiting either funding or a set location to begin the sculpting process. I get great joy in making these designs when they are for life size sculptures. Some of the designs I created over the past three weeks.

1. Honoring a small business owner in Jacksonville, FL who passed away recently.
2. Honoring the founder of Winters, California (near my hometown of Davis)
3. Private commission showing a man enlightened by a spirit angel.

When I wasn’t assembling bronze sculptures, sculpting or drawing up designs I have been planning and boxing up for a move. As I’ve probably mentioned several times on previous blog posts, I will be moving my house and clay studio to one location in an attempt to bring my work closer to home. While I closed on this property Feb. 5 we will be getting the keys today, March 5 and will actually start moving in tomorrow morning. This is not my first move but it does feel that way. Overwhelmed, tired, emotionally and physically drained is how my partner and I describe ourselves for the past two months since we put the offer in.