Sutton Betti

Modern Classical Bronze Sculpture

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#143, goodbye 2017! It’s been a hellava year

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As we close out 2017 I can’t help but feel grateful for all that has happened this past year. In the spring I visited Germany and France with my family. I got to visit the Louvre for the first time which was the highlight of my trip. I also got to visit the Rodin museum hotel Biron which had many of Rodin’s sculptures and where Rodin himself lived for the last 9 years or so of his life. As soon as I returned to the states I immediately began work on several life size sculptures some of which were installed last month for Norfolk Veterans Home, Heroes Park in Nebraska. My mom, aunt and step dad were able to attend the celebration/unveiling which included a fly over. It was such an honorable yet humble experience to see so many people take part in honoring the veterans of the Korean War memorial and the WWII memorial that these sculptures represented, despite the frigid cold weather of eastern Nebraska. The families that I worked with for the two sculptures expressed to me their gratitude for the work I did in creating the sculptures and for putting my heart and soul into them.

This year has been a busy year having sculpted 7 life size monuments, as well as various other smaller projects. One of these monuments I worked on is a three figure composition of a military family called Returning Home. The sculpture composition depicts a husband returning home from war and greeting his wife and child and will be cast in bronze and installed in 2018 at American Veterans Park in West Point, Nebraska.

returning home, military family, military sculpture, coast guard sculpture, after the war statue, Sutton Betti
in progress life size clay sculpture of a military family

#142, Present Arms, Honor Guard (US Army) clay

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The latest life size clay sculpture is this US Army Honor Guard that will be cast in bronze and permanently installed about 30 feet from the US Marine Honor Guard (completed a couple of months ago) for a Veterans park in Nebraska. Since I had sculpted the first Honor Guard in the exact same pose I was able to modify the clay for this sculpture without having to tear off the clay from the armature. This sculpture is a WWII era honor guard and it was interesting noting the differences in how they used to wear their uniforms back in the 1940’s. I particularly like the slight tilt of the cap that seemed to be common in the military back then.

Honor Guard sculpture, bronze military sculpture, present arms US army, by Sutton Betti
Present Arms Honor Guard (US Army), life size clay for bronze

#140, Norfolk Veterans Home unveiling

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On Sunday, November 5 the Korean War memorial and World War II memorial at Norfolk Veterans Home (both additions to Norfolk Veterans Home) were unveiled. The ceremony paid tribute to our service men and women from the Korean War and WWII and included ribbon cuttings, a fly over, various speakers including author Joyce Winfield (author of “Forever Heroes: A collection of WWII stories from Nebraska Veterans”) and musical guests.
The eagle and flag sculpture measures 58″ tall and weighs 290 lbs. The bronze statue sits on top of a 9 foot tall black granite and concrete column with laser etched text and images from major battles during World War II.
The Korean War soldier statue measures 68 1/2″ tall and weighs about 150 lbs. The aluminum sculpture sits on top of a 8 foot tall black granite and concrete column with laser etches text and images from major battles during the Korean War.
ww2 Memorial, bronze military sculpture, Bald eagle with ww2 American flag, Sutton Betti
WW2 Memorial “Bald eagle with WW2 American flag” life size bronze sculpture by Sutton Betti at Norfolk Veterans Home, Norfolk, NE

 

Korean War memorial, forgotten soldier sculpture, by Sutton Betti, Bronze military sculpture, Forgotten War aluminum sculpture
Korean War Memorial “The Forgotten Soldier”, life size aluminum sculpture by Sutton Betti at Norfolk Veterans Home, Norfolk, Nebraska

#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.