Sutton Betti

Modern Classical Bronze Sculpture

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#139, preparation for installing in Norfolk

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Next week I will be installing three sculptures: Freedom Wings, Bald Eagle and Flag and the Forgotten Soldier. The sculptures will be permanently installed at two Veterans Parks in Nebraska. 
Freedom Wings will be cantilevered on a granite column 17 feet above the ground. The life size female American bald eagle will be perched above a beautifully designed Veterans Park in Nebraska about to take flight. The 250 pound bronze sculpture is our symbol for freedom and strength and will soar above the park for many many years.
Bald Eagle with Flag is a 5 foot tall bronze sculpture that will be installed on top of a nine foot tall black granite column with laser etched images from WWII on the sides. The six sided column will also have laser etched words describing significant battles during the war, such as the Battle of Normandy.
Korean War Soldier, aka The Forgotten Soldier, is a statue of a life size soldier on the frontline during the Korean War. The aluminum sculpture will be permanently installed at the same sight as the Bald Eagle with Flag representing the Korean War on top of a similar black granite column representing that war. Laser etched images and text will represent scenes from the Korean War.

#138, details details details

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The other day I was sculpting on small detail work when my friend asked what I was doing? “Working on details” was my reply. “Everyone LOVES details.” And this sculpture of a US Marine Honor Guard has a lot of them. There are Marine emblems of different sizes on the belt buckle, cap, buttons on the jacket and collar. In addition to all of the detail work that had to be placed just right, there was also symmetry to deal with, something that is always challenging on a sculpture. Feet together, shoulders square, eyes straight forward. It’s all of these little things (as well as the big things like composition and the silhouette) that make a sculpture really good. If there is symmetry involved it needs to be done really well. If there is detail work that needs to be done EXTREMELY well. Details help to bring people closer to a sculpture allowing them to admire the artwork for a longer period of time.

 

Present Arms Honor Guard (US Marine) clay sculpture
Honor Guard Presenting Arms (US Marine) by Sutton Betti, detail

 

#137, Present Arms clay sculpture

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Honor Guard Present Arms by Sutton Betti
This life size sculpture of a Marine Honor Guard will be cast in bronze and installed at the entrance to a veterans park, along with his twin brother of an Army Honor Guard. There is still more clay work to do, but it’s mostly there.

#136, Kneeling soldier with folded flag

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remembering with folded flag
Kneeling Soldier with Folded Flag, clay for bronze

remembering with folded flag
Kneeling Soldier with Folded Flag, clay for bronze

The kneeling soldier that I made a couple of years ago was designed to have his hand against a wall, head bowed as if remembering a fallen soldier, perhaps a friend. Recently a client asked if I could make one incorporating a folded flag and modifying the arms so he doesn’t have to be placed against a vertical wall. I said no problem and cast a plaster of the torso and head (without the arms) so that I could resculpt the new changes. When finished the full figure bronze sculpture will be kneeling in front of a battlefield cross. The folded flag, I believe, will add a touching tribute to a soldier remembering a family member, perhaps his own father.

#135, waxes of Eagle and Flag sculpture

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Eagle and Flag, waxes for bronze casting
Yesterday, I went to Art Castings of Colorado foundry to look over the waxes for my eagle and flag sculpture. The main purpose of such a visit is to make sure the quality of the waxes are good since casting in wax usually produces imperfections. I was very happy with how they came out, especially the talons on the eagle as those were of concern since the mold fit tight around them and I thought they might have broken off. The waxes are now off to the spruing room where they will get prepped for bronze casting.

#134, Removal of old statues?

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male nude Sistine Chapel ceiling
11.5 inches height X 8.5 inches wide, low relief study of a male nude (Sistine Chapel ceiling) after Michelangelo

With all of the recent attention on outdoor monuments I have somewhat mixed feelings about the removal of confederate statues. On the one hand, yeah they represent slavery and since the South lost the war slavery has been illegal. And if we can model ourselves after Germany there aren’t any statues of Hitler in Berlin so it would make sense to remove them. Right? At the same time, the statues have been around for over 100 years with little to no attention given to them, or at least not compared with the attention they are getting in the last few months. The next thing we know Mt. Rushmore will be vandalized or threatened in some way. So why should we remove them now?

I feel as though by removing these statues (in todays political divide) it is like pouring gasoline on a fire. Both sides are so upset at each other that the removal of these statues, at this particular time of political unrest and protests, it is probably not the smartest thing to do. People are fighting hate with hate and we should know by now that hate never solves anything. I believe in tolerance and trying to understand both sides of an argument. In my mind, the way I see things playing out by removing the statues now (that maybe should have been removed a long time ago and a little more inconspicuously, if removed at all) is there will be more backlash and violence. But who really knows.

On the other side of things, is the fact that I make my living as a sculptor. I can appreciate the techniques employed in creating some of these monuments while looking beyond the meaning. When I go to Europe to admire a Michelangelo or Bernini, I don’t get too caught up in the subject matter of the statue, but rather the techniques. After all, Michelangelo and Bernini are more known for their understanding of human anatomy, drapery, composition, etc. then they are for the statues they represent. When we study and draw from their sculptures, less emphasis is placed on who or what the subject is and more on how the drapery flows over the arm, etc. At least that is how it is for me. They were commissioned artists after all and who or what they sculpted would have been different had they lived in a different time. They wouldn’t have received these wonderful commissions if it weren’t for this beautiful understanding (granted they did live in the Renaissance and the Baroque, respectively, so great commissions were available). It’s fair to say, though, that the quality of their works are more significant than the subject matter of the sculptures (there are other statues of “David” created by other known sculptors but it’s Michelangelo’s David that is supreme so we should study and appreciate his David, not so much on the subject matter, but on the quality of the carving, anatomical beauty, composition, etc). In my opinion the subject matter, in this instance, takes a back seat. Michelangelos David was commissioned to be the protector of Florence, ready to fight the enemies which has been long forgotten. So from the point of view that some of these Confederate sculptures are beautifully composed with strong understanding of human anatomy, they should still be standing. Whether standing in a museum or in their originally designed location is the question. If we could fast forward 1,000 years from now, I would think most people living in that time would be more than happy to see these statues.

Yesterday, I was inspired to create a relief study of one of my favorite drawings done by Michelangelo as I wonder how long some of the artwork we admire will be around. The drawing that he did was one of his many nude studies (called “Ignudi”) designed for the Sistine Chapel ceiling. When I first saw the Sistine Chapel in person in 1998 I had a deep spiritual connection to it. I had studied it through books and drew from it many times, studying Michelangelo’s unique understanding of human anatomy and twists and turns of the torso. I will never forget sitting under this masterpiece of art and seeing first hand this beautiful composition. Whether the artwork created unrest during Michelangelo’s time or not it is still worth studying and appreciating today. At least that is my opinion.

#133, plaster cast of Australian Army Colonel

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military bas relief
portrait of an Australian Army Colonel, plaster, 14″ height, by Sutton Betti
Not a whole lot going on in the studio except lots and lots of mold making on three monuments that will be installed November of this year. Aside from all of the plaster dust and drips that seem to be everywhere, I managed to complete a bas relief portrait of an Australian Army Colonel. The 14 inch tall portrait, here shown in plaster, will be cast in bronze as part of a larger plaque. This is another of my commissioned relief work that is only 1/2″ thick.

#132, welding bronze

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One of the more important steps in the bronze casting process is tig welding. Tig welding is a delicate welding technique (compared with mig welding) that uses a long bronze welding rod held in one hand while you create an electric arc with the tungsten electrode torch held in the other hand. Argon gas is used as the shielding gas that helps to transfer the heat from the electrode to the bronze as well as protects the welded area from oxygen which can cause problems.

While there are many technical details that one can learn about welding, I don’t think it is really necessary to know to be a good welder of ones own work. The main thing is that the welds are good and strong (especially for larger monumental works) and you use the right welding rod for the metal you are welding.

Below are some examples of my monuments being welded together:

Paganini by Sutton Betti

 

Master Swimmer by Sutton Betti

 

Master Swimmer by Sutton Betti

 

Visionary by Sutton Betti and Dan Glanz
Founding Father by Sutton Betti

 

#131, Rodin Museum

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On Sunday April 16, 2017 I visited the Musee Rodin in Paris for the first time as part of a 10 day trip where I visited parts of Germany and Paris with my mom, step dad and brother. In Paris, we were fortunate to be staying at an apartment/hotel along the river Seine that was walking distance to the Louvre, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Rodin Museum as well as various other sites. My goal during my short 3 day stay in Paris was to visit 1) the Louvre and the 2) the Rodin museum to absorb as much art as I could possibly see. If there was time for anything else I would join my family. Because it was such a short stay I had to plan carefully so I wouldn’t regret my time there since there is so much art to see in Paris. I ended up visiting the Musee Rodin for about 5 hours absorbing as much as I could at the 7 acre sculpture garden and the old sculpture studio of Rodin (aka the hotel Biron, as it was called in Rodins time). The 18th century mansion was where Rodin worked towards the last 9 years of his life and donated all of his sculptures to the government if they would agree to turn the hotel Biron and the Villa des Brillants at Meudon (where he lived outside of Paris) into a museum. The two museums opened in 1919, two years after his death.
 

#130, concept drawing for veterans park

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battlefield cross kneeling soldier
concept proposal for a kneeling soldier with battlefield cross by Sutton Betti
Lately, I have been doing several concept sketches for a veteran park that I’m creating sculptures for. This one is based off of my existing sculpture Remembering. The client likes this bronze sculpture that I made in 2013, but because it was designed to have his raised hand against a column they wanted to modify it so he could be placed in the open with a battlefield cross.