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Gold Star Mother at Gracelawn Cemetery is a tribute to all of the Gold Star families that have lost children in war. The sculpture honors the families in the US, but its design was inspired by old European cemetery art. 

Beautiful and Old

Some of the most beautiful sculptures I have seen are located in old historic cemeteries. Many of these aged sculptures show great craftsmanship and talent. Often times the subjects are of grieving women and angels and are usually ignored by the art seeking public. It’s easy to understand why they aren’t revered as great art; sculptures in cemeteries are usually somber figures representing the non-living. Nothing joyful or hopeful about them. They don’t represent dreams or ambitions but instead death, something we all try to avoid. 

All too often, these outdoor statues don’t have any kind of maintenance plan in place. But perhaps their neglect makes them even more beautiful. With the oxidized surfaces of blues and greens adding to the emotional scene maybe they were intended to age naturally. This does make me wonder though; how did they look when they were fresh from the art studios that made them.

It makes sense that these old sculptures have been neglected. After all, the people that they represent are long gone. And it’s likely that the family or friend that commissioned the statue are also long gone.

But these uncared for bronze sculptures don’t have to be ignored. The cemeteries that own the artworks can take steps towards maintaining their collection. As much as they spend on maintaining the grounds, I can’t imagine not having funds to clean and wax the sculptures. If there is no plan in place eventually the oxidation process will morph the patina into greens and blues. In time, the sculpture will not look as young and pretty as it once did.

Looking in the Past for Inspiration

In 2017, I created concept sketches for a sculpture to honor Gold Star Mothers. The sketch I created was inspired by these oxidized and neglected cemetery sculptures. One sculpture, in particular, caught my attention and inspired me with my final designs. A grieving woman kneeling at a grave and clutching a flower in her hand captured my attention and imagination. Who is she and who is she grieving for? What’s her story. Although the history of this old sculpture is unknown and appears to be uncared for it is nonetheless a beautiful and great work of art. At least in my humble opinion.

Full Circle

The finished life size bronze sculpture of Gold Star Mother was installed at Gracelawn Cemetery in Edmond, Oklahoma in the Spring of 2021. Established in 1895, Gracelawn Cemetery contains the graves of some of Edmonds prominent leaders. The sculpture has become the heart of the cemetery, as I was later told. It has received visitors during Memorial Day and Gold Star Mothers Day since it’s installation earlier this year.

On Memorial Day, Josh Spinger, a photographer from Oklahoma captured the sculpture during a small ceremony. The photographs are vivid and full of emotion. They remind me of the sculpture that inspired her and the full circle it made. Inspired by an old cemetery sculpture and installed at an old cemetery.

Art brings us together

We all love art, whether it’s our favorite author, music, poetry or painting; art is vital to our well being. It is also important for economic growth as it impacts the community and brings us together. Without art we would be boring creatures living mundane lives.

One of the amazing parts of creating outdoor sculpture is meeting new people in a new community and learning and expressing this communities values through art. I’ve met some really wonderful and talented people. Because I love what I do I’ve stayed in touch with many of them over the years and this gives so much meaning to the work that I do.

In a community, public art invites us out of our homes and into a town square. Perhaps its for a local art studio tour, a sculpture unveiling or a new movie in theaters that gets us out and about. Or perhaps it’s to watch a concert. Art invites good conversation and can help form a bond between two strangers.

Treasures within a community

Anyone can engage with art in a public setting. It gives people a sense of belonging to a community and encourages interaction with others, sometimes strangers. Whether it’s a single permanently installed bronze sculpture or a large veterans park, art reflects a community and attracts people to its uniqueness.

Some of the benefits of public sculpture and how art impacts the community are:

• Economic growth. People are more inclined to venture out if there is artwork to see and experience. Increased foot traffic means people are spending money in a community.
• Cultural identity. Art expresses life in so many ways. When community members see themselves reflected in public spaces, they feel connected to where they live. Artwork gives them a sense of identity within their community.
• Awareness. When a sculpture or mural in a public space has added meaning, a community might develop more of an appreciation for its subject.
• Education. Often times art in a public setting serves to educate a community. Whether it’s a bronze sculpture of a city founder or of a local inventor, art can be a beaming light on an otherwise unknown or forgotten subject.

Take it from a leader…

“The arts empower and give a voice to the voiceless. The arts help transform American communities and, as I often say, the result can be a better child, a better town, a better nation and certainly a better world. Let’s champion our arts action heroes, emulate them and make our communities everything we want them to be.” ~ Robert L. Lynch, President, Americans for the Arts

on Brodie’s influence 

Before I became a sculptor I was heavily influenced by combat artist Howard Brodie. His illustrations became a building block of my work creating military themed sculptures.

Brodie was a former instructor at the Academy of Art College. He was friends with the schools founder Richard Stephens and taught there during the 1970s inspiring many of the teachers that I had the honor of learning from.

In his book “Drawing Fire: a Combat Artist at War” his illustrations are filled with loose yet accurate depictions of WWII, the Korean War and Vietnam. What impresses me the most is they weren’t sketched in the comfort of his studio. As a combat artist Brodie didn’t carry a weapon to war. His pencil strokes created during combat are expressive, yet seemingly accurate. They are real life superheroes in action poses and close up portraits.  Grotesque and beautiful all rolled up into one.

“His drawings, like all great art, direct a penetrating light onto human activity-in this case of that most ridiculous, tragic and heroic of all human conflicts-war.”– Walter Cronkite

Using art to honor 

In 2005, my dad asked me to create concepts for military themed sculptures to show his Vietnam vet friends in Southern California. As president of the Vietnam Veterans of Ventura County we had hoped it would lead to a sculpture or project. Or perhaps a new direction for me since I was, at the time, a struggling artist. I referred back to the drawings of Howard Brodie to find inspiration. I created about six concepts that illustrated various scenes during the Vietnam war. One of which I recently reinterpreted for a potential project in Nebraska. Although those sketches didn’t lead to any projects with my dad, it eventually opened up the doors for many other military themed sculptures. 

Later that year I created a bronze sculpture honoring the Tuskegee Airman. The monument, now in Iowa Falls, Iowa was the first of many military sculptures I’d make in the coming years. Like the drawings I did inspired by Brodie, the Tuskegee Airman became a stepping stone for future monuments in bronze.

The next sculpture I made was of a kneeling soldier during the War on Terror. The kneeling US Marine has his hand against a wall, clutching his helmet and remembering a fallen brother. My dad beamed with pride with this monument. Enough so that he came to visit me in Colorado to see it in clay. Sadly, it would be the last time I would see my dad. But before he passed he would always tell me how much this sculpture meant to him.

Remembering Heroes (Vietnam era grieving soldier)

Six years following my dads sudden passing I created a slightly different sculpture from the original Remembering sculpture. Titled “Remembering Heroes”, this sculpture is based on the first design from the War on Terror. However, it is of a kneeling US Marine during the Vietnam war. Same pose as the original sculpture, but with Vietnam war era combat uniform, an M16 rifle and a pack of cigarettes in his helmet.

While making this sculpture earlier this year, I couldn’t help but think of my dad. I also thought of how much of my work is influenced by combat artist Howard Brodie.

The grieving soldier is each of us as we remember who our heroes are.

Not born with it

I believe we all have some kind of passion within us. For some of us it’s having a particular passion for cooking or for racing cars. For others it’s for dribbling a basketball. None of us were born with a talent. But at some point in our development years or even later, we become passionate about something. We pursue it or we ignore it. If we pursue it long enough we become good at it, and as such “talented”. Turning a passion into a talent is what it’s all about.

When I was a student at the Academy of Art in San Francisco I wanted to be a Disney animator. I had been drawing since I could first hold a pencil. I thought I was pretty good at drawing until I got to the Academy. There I learned that I had to be a beginner all over again. But this pushed me to succeed. I had to accept that I had a LOT to learn. 

I made an effort to learn as much as I could from my teachers, who were all incredibly gifted in art. But importantly I would also pay attention to what the other art students were producing and what direction they wanted to go in art. Eventually some of my friends would be hired as animators at Disney and Dreamworks. During my freshman year one of my friends close friend, who had just graduated from the Academy, had been hired to LucasFilm. I remember hearing the stories of his experiences working for George Lucas and getting to know him. This was a big turning point for me. Later I started hearing news of talented Seniors finding art jobs in companies like Hallmark cards and Fox Animation. This inspired me to practice drawing day and night.

Practice makes perfect

For about three years in the mid-1990’s I was a workshop junkie. That is, I was an art student who attended drawing workshops at the Academy almost daily, in addition to being a full time student. The many 3 hour weekly workshops that I frequented ranged from 1 min poses to 3 hour poses. They were held Monday through Saturdays throughout the school year. There were fashion workshops, clothed figure workshops and nude figure workshops. Most of them were focused on drawing, but you could bring in your paints too. 

The most popular of the weekly workshops was on Friday nights; quick drawing. The student who ran it always had great models, great music and great stories. We all enjoyed the workshop. It was broken up into 1 min, 2 min, 3 min and 5 min poses. If you were one of the Academy’s top drawing students you were there. This attracted a lot of us to the Friday night drawing group. The Friday night session was how we learned what the other students were doing. For those with eyes and ears that wanted to improve, we would check out someones sketchbook. And if David Mar was using a Pigma micron 005 pen to sketch people on the Muni, we would do the same. 

If someone says you can’t, do it anyway

Mozart didn’t know how to play the piano fresh out of the womb. Perhaps close to it though. He just happened to really like music at a very young age and when he was old enough to hit the keys he practiced. He had all the right support and tutelage plus the incredible passion for it which is how he became a child prodigy. Then later a legendary composer. But it all started with a passion.

Practicing your passion is what it’s all about. If you love something, do it. It doesn’t matter what someone says about you or your skills. Do it in spite of them. Do not give up. Work harder and smarter. You will find your happy place and someday it will become a “talent”.

I believe we all have something we are naturally drawn to. For those that practice their passion often they get good at it. It’s just how it works. But don’t forget to take breaks so you don’t burn out or lose interest. Breaks are necessary for the longevity required to be “talented”.

Take advice from Forrest Gump when recounting his success: “When I got tired, I slept. When I got hungry, I ate. When I had to go, you know, I went.”

 

mid-relief sculpture of the Globe Refiners

The rarity of relief

Sculpting in relief is probably the rarest of art forms. It is difficult to find instruction on it for those wanting to learn the techniques. The courses offered are few and far-between because there is, simply enough, not a high demand for wanting to learn it. At least not compared to the more popular courses; modeling the portrait bust or sculpting from the nude model that every aspiring sculptor wants to learn. The few artists I know of that make bas-relief sculptures professionally are self taught.

Starting in 1995, I was a student at a well known fine art school in San Francisco; the Academy of Art College (now University). Not one of the many fine art classes offered back then focused on bas-relief. In fact, I didn’t see any fine art examples of relief sculpture until I visited Italy in 1998. There, it became obvious, that relief sculpture was once a popular art form. Later, when the internet became available, I began to see wonderful examples of bas-relief. Seeing examples from other artists helped me develop an appreciation and an understanding of how to do it. I began to take it seriously when I realized that relief sculpture had more to do with drawing and painting then three dimensional sculpture. What made it more closely related to painting was that it dealt with perspective.

So how do you learn sculpting in relief? Practice, practice, practice. 

What a relief!

The sculpture of the McPherson Globe Refiners was by far larger than any other relief sculpture I had made previously. The sculpture is what is known as a “mid-relief” monument. That is, it was sculpted between bas-relief (flat) and high-relief (3 dimensional). The highest points of the life size forms (from the background) are 8 inches in depth. The forms, essentially, were flattened by slightly more than 50% of real life. 

In mid-relief sculpture there are undercuts, unlike bas-relief. Undercuts, in my opinion, are what give a relief sculpture it’s added umph. It’s the dark shadows created from these undercuts that are it’s source.

For more information on the sculpture of the Globe Refiners history, click on portfolio then scroll down to the gallery “Globe Refiners Monument” which highlights the history of the team and the monument in central Kansas. Or visit Visit McPherson for more info on this dominant basketball team from central Kansas.

The Beats

The Beat generation inspired an era that I wish I could have lived through. The 1960s. I wouldn’t necessarily want to experience the rebellious nature of youth nor for the protests and the anti-government movements. Nor would I care to experience the pop art scene with artist like Andy Warhol leading the way or Jackson Pollock and the abstract expressionists walking the streets. But to experience the incredible music and originality from the mid to late 60’s fresh out of the gate would have been amazing.

The Beat goes on…

In 2018, I was asked to design and create a monument to two beat writers; Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady. The two were instrumental in shaping the 60’s with their unique writing style and subject matter. I indulged in the music of the 60’s (more then ever) and picked up Kerouac’s On The Road. And just like that I was living in the greatest decade.

A scaled down model, aka maquette, was sculpted at about 1/3 scale. The pose was interpreted from a photograph by Carolyn Cassady, Neals second wife. I was very conscious of creating the close bond between Neal (on the left) and Jack. They were close friends and the photograph depicts their friendship well and I had to pick up on these cues and re-interpret them in the clay. The comfort that these two straight men felt when hugging so close; the slight head tilt to one side, the embrace, their stance. It was all captured in the photograph and I had to pull as much as I could observe in order to create a living and breathing clay model.

Although the project is slow at getting off the ground, partially due to covid, there is still the same passion and drive to have this life size monument in bronze erected for the city of Denver, Colorado- Neal’s childhood home. The city is ready for it, the family of Neal are ready for it and a generation still moved by the beats are ready for it.

For more info about the project: https://denver.cbslocal.com/2020/01/26/neal-cassady-monument-denver/

https://303magazine.com/2019/03/cassady-kerouac-sculpture-denver/

In the beginning…

Being an artist is never an easy task. No one can tell you what you need to do in order to be successful. What you learn along the way is either useful to what you want to do or it is not. Eventually, through a series of trial runs you may find what you love to do. Then you can start to target what you need to learn in order to be successful. My journey as a sculptor was not easy. But I never gave up.

In 1998, after working in animation I worked for a halloween mask making company in the San Francisco Bay Area. I can’t remember the first mask I ever sculpted, but it was likely a monster or alien head, since those were popular masks. After a few weeks I was trusted to sculpt various realistic faces that were needed. Life size portrait busts of George W. Bush, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jack Nicholson, Monica Lewinski (yes there was a demand for her when Clinton was president) and several others were portraits I recall having sculpted. The busts were then turned into halloween masks and sold on the market. I remember modeling several masks of Cassandra Peterson, aka Elvira and other faces that required more anatomically correct likenesses.

There were about five or so clay sculptors all doing the same thing, each artist with a special skill. Molds would then be made in the next room over by a dedicated group of artisans and then those molds were shipped to China for mass production before hitting the market. Unfortunately, I rarely ventured out of the sculpting room so I didn’t get the chance to learn the other processes in detail.

A new calling

After a couple of months making halloween masks Mario Chiodo, the owner, asked me if I’d be interested in sculpting large monuments. At 23 years old any opportunity Mario wanted to throw my way would have made me happy. Heck, I would have scrubbed toilets with a toothbrush if it meant being hired to the coolest company and learning from a great sculptor. I was eager to learn and excited for the trust that he was showing me. Not only was Mario an incredible sculptor, he was a great business man and a genuinely good person all around.

In early summer of 1998, Mario brought me over to a warehouse a few blocks from the halloween company which had a couple of large sculptures in progress. James, Todd, Michael and Debra were hard at work on what was Mario’s first casino sculpture: “The Greenbacks”, still located at Harrah’s casino in Las Vegas.

Immediately I joined Todd and went to work on the other large monument “Birds of Paradise”, this one about 8 or 9 feet tall. From the first stroke of the tool I fell in love with making large scale sculptures. I especially loved problem solving and the challenges working large. The large commercial buildings where we worked in in the east bay were inspiring. With 16 foot rollup doors leading into a large and somewhat empty space filled my mind with possibilities and ideas. Sometimes there would be five or more monuments happening simultaneously. I loved talking with the other assistants, getting my hands dirty and feeling like an artist.

Eventually, I got to meet Mario’s main client for the casino sculptures, Henry Conversano. Henry used to drive up in a cherry-red dodge viper and he looked like Las Vegas! He was confident, well respected and enjoyed his time visiting Mario and his assistants. Sometime after meeting Henry I began designing a few of the monuments under Mario’s guidance. If memory serves we all did a little designing for Mario.

It was hands-on learning and by far better than any art school education out there. I had found my calling and I was ready to jump into the monument business head first.

The best kind of vice is ADvice

One day, Mario was alone working late and I somewhat awkwardly told him how much I wanted to start my own sculpture company, perhaps even run a foundry. I didn’t really expect him to care much at all. After all, I was young and had only been sculpting for him for about 4 or 5 months. But he saw my love for large scale sculpture and that I wanted to learn. Over the next few weeks he shared his thoughts with me when he wasn’t busy running around. Although I may be paraphrasing this short list here is some of the advice that has stuck with me over the years; 

1. You have to crawl before you walk, walk before you run and run before you fly. Everything is done in that order.
2. There is no immediate success in the sculpture business. 
3. You have to make your own luck. And the harder and smarter you work the luckier you get.
4. Go to Italy! It will change your life.
5. Don’t get your overhead so large where everything collapses (although this may have come from Mario’s cousin Denny)

I listened. I went to Italy and it did change my life. When I came back, I worked. I worked alone and hard…And I worked harder, then smarter.

The journey

After working for Mario off and on for a couple years I decided to leave the bay area. My first job after leaving Northern California was as a sculpting assistant for Danielle Anjou in Santa Barbara, CA. After moving to Loveland, CO I worked for sculptors Gary Lange and Dee Clements. It was working for Dee Clements that gave me that final missing link that would soon allow me to get the ball rolling as my own artist. Dee taught me how to make good urethane molds, pour waxes into molds, chase waxes, weld and chase bronze. I also learned how to do patinas, maintain a working studio and greet clients with a smile.

After working for Dee for a couple of years I felt confident to go out on my own. I purchased equipment, found a large studio to work in and eventually started Sutton Betti Sculptures, Inc.

Passing the torch 

Recently I made the decision to hire a full-time sculpting assistant, one that is a little like me; hard-working, talented and determined to find his/her path in this business. Someone reliable that I can teach as much as I can.

I am optimistic. Optimistic that the skills I carry can be passed on.

 

The transformation of permanent art

I made two life size outdoor statues that are similar to each other in pose and feeling, but they are two different sculptures. Over time the meaning of the first one changed and I feel compelled to dissect how this happened. The two sculptures are Remembering and Remembering the Fallen. The transformation of permanent art happens. As we continue to create art, especially when we revisit a theme, it’s original concept can change. While both are US Marines kneeling and remembering, there are two slight differences that I’ll try to articulate here.

Remembering

Remembering is a kneeling soldier from the war on terror and represents a soldier fighting in the War in Afghanistan. This was the first US Marine I sculpted and was made a few years before Remembering the Fallen. The life size sculpture was modeled after a friend, a US Marine who served at the start of the war in Afghanistan.

The Marine is kneeling holding his combat helmet in his right arm and his left hand raised up against a wall. The wall is symbolic. It could be a concrete wall that was blasted from an attack or a wall symbolizing remembrance. The bronze military sculpture was designed to be remembering a fallen brother. That was what I had in my head while creating the original in clay. Over the years, however, the meaning has changed. This is partially due to the creation of another in the series, which I’ll detail below. I’ve reimagined him as remembering not a single soldier. Instead, he is remembering the sacrifices he and others make for the sake of freedom. Or perhaps it is the collateral loss or the price of war. Memories stay with us especially traumatic ones.

Remembering the Fallen

Remembering the Fallen is the second version in my Remembering “series” and was sculpted in 2017. This modern day soldier is not clutching his helmet or with his hand raised to a wall, but instead he is holding a folded flag. A ceremonial folded flag.

When I first made this sculpture my thought was would an active-duty soldier really be carrying a folded flag to combat? Initially, this question persisted in my head. But, I decided, after internal debating, if he recently lost a family member in war he might carry one.

This soldier is in a different emotional loss than the first Remembering. He takes the loss deeper. Deep enough to carry the most important memory he now has of his brother or sister, to the most dangerous locations on earth. To honor and to hold someone close one last time.

The meaning behind this newer sculpture seems to have transformed my thoughts on the previous sculpture. It’s weird how that happens.

When I first posted Remembering the Fallen on social media, it went something near viral.  It had hundreds of shares in a matter of days. It was impressive. I immediately started getting emails, private messages and phone calls from people who fell in love with it. They were from all over the country and what a surprise it was!

Meaning of an artwork can change, but the artwork itself doesn’t

It is interesting how time changes our views on something. Time changes our views on life, family, things we cherish or don’t cherish. We may have hated some of our teachers when we were in school but now we see their good side. But to stay on track, views on art change as well with time even though the artwork doesn’t. The transformation of permanent art is very real. In the case of Remembering vs. Remembering the Fallen, I think that because I had created a similar mood and pose with the second sculpture that it changed my views on the first sculpture.

I have admired and continue to admire many works of art, especially through social media which makes it easy to study someones artwork. Some artwork seem to have meaning or feeling that changes with time. Perhaps morphing into something else. I imagine the Mona Lisa and the Thinker are the best examples. They weren’t seen as icons of painting or sculpture right out of the womb, but they are now.

In Summary

An artworks feeling/energy/meaning/depth etc changes with time. But all artwork doesn’t change on the same level. Some probably don’t change at all. And that is what is fascinating to me. What makes artwork stand the test of time?

As I approach half a century on our planet art becomes more and more important to me. Some might say art is even more valued today with social media and the broader audience artists can get. Art changes us and gives us a place to put our thoughts and emotions. Art can be our worst enemy one day and our best friend the next. While the artwork itself doesn’t change, maybe we do.