Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Sculpture From Zimbabwe

There was another nice article in the Loveland Reporter-Herald today on our local Zimbabwe sculpture park and gallery, and the curator Roy Guthrie.

Unfortunately, the section of the paper (The Valley Window) where the article ran is not available online.

If you have not yet checked out the Chapungu Gallery or the sculpture park, be sure to go to some past blog posts--Roy is a wonderfully knowledgeable and giving man and the art work his gallery carries is of the highest quality. You could become a collector--Prince Phillip of England is, so you would be in fine company!!!

Here is a link to a post about the Sculpture Park
And click here to read about the Gallery and Warehouse!

You can also go right to the Chapungu website by clicking the link in the sidebar to the right, in Sculpture Sites I recommend!

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Making Time for What Feeds My Soul

Yesterday was an awesome day...the first day in a long time that I actually went into the studio.

Don't ask why. There are lots of "reasons"...but no good justification for it.

I kept telling myself that I was too busy. It takes a long time to carve a stone and I "didn't have time"... I had to focus on other tasks that were "more important"...what I was forgetting was that keeping myself happy is one of the most important things I can do in this life.

Lesson to self: remember to feed your soul and you will be fed for the rest of your life.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

"African Bazaar" , Sculptures and Stone Available

I heard from my friends at the Chapungu Gallery today...for all the stonecarvers out there, they have Springstone available in sizes up to 200 lbs.

For the first time in over two years, most of the Warehouse Gallery sculpture and all African Bazaar items are marked down by 25%.
This includes some beautiful work by Dominic Benhura, Amos Supuni, Arthur Fata, Royal Katiyo, Bernard Matemera and many other world famous artists.

Other items include batik products, beaded wire baskets, beaded Ndebele dolls, semi-precious stone eggs and paperweights as well as smaller stone sculptures in all of the beautiful stones of Zimbabwe starting at $5!

This offer is valid until December 19th for Warehouse Gallery items only.

Visit the warehouse location which houses the largest collection of Zimbabwean stone sculpture in North America. (1052 N. Boise Ave., Unit B, Loveland, CO.)
They are open 9-1pm M-Friday or by special appointment times, call 970-461-8020 to make appointments.

If you don't live in the Loveland area, they will send you images of these one of a kind sculptures to assist in your purchase.
For additional shopping, visit their online Gallery at www.chapungusculpturepark.com

Photo courtesy of Chapungu Warehouse Gallery


Saturday, December 13, 2008

Gorgeous Sunrise

This morning's sunrise was so gorgeous...rose clad clouds raced against a turquoise sky, past the fingers of evergreens and reflected in the icy ponds below.

Made me consider taking up painting!

Even then I don't know that it could be captured. Captured. That sounds like caging a wild thing...

A skilled painter perhaps could reflect the essence and bring the awe...For me, better to soak it all in and appreciate the beauty of it.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Hope for Change

Do You Maquette?

As a sculptor, do you make a maquette before moving to your final piece?

I know many sculptors who do...and just as many who do not.

For art lovers who may not know what I'm talking about, a maquette is a miniature version of what the piece will ultimately turn out to be. This miniature gives the artist an opportunity to work out in 3 dimensions poses, the flow of the piece...basically the composition of the work. Maquettes are frequently made from clay, even if the final piece is to be carved from stone.

Some sculptors will even have a maquette bronzed...to be clear, a maquette is not the same as having a small sculpture that the artist then chooses to enlarge.

Some sculptors make their maquette in full detail. Others make only a rough model, enough to give them the composition details.

Personally, when carving stone I rarely create a maquette. I was taught a drawing method...I will actually draw on paper and directly on the stone. For me this allow a more direct relationship with the stone and the flexibility to work with the stone as it is rather than forcing my maquette vision upon it.

That being said, there are times when I grab some clay in order to work out a particular flow or shape...but my maquettes are not things of beauty! They are more like gesture drawings...just enough for me to get the feel of where I want to go with a piece.

I'd love to hear from other sculptors if they do or do not create maquettes, why, and to what level of finish do they take their maquettes!

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Stone Sculptor Ellen Woodbury

I met Ellen Woodbury almost 3 years ago at a workshop taught by Collen Nyanhongo, a master stone sculptor from Zimbabwe. It was fun to get to know her and to see her work on her first stone.

Ellen is a fascinating, energetic, expressive person and her work reflects that. It also reveals her background as an animator for Disney, a position she held for 20 years! Ellen started her sculpting while still employed as an animator...like many sculptors she worked in clay.

So, while Jan. 2006 may have seen Ellen's first stone sculpture, she was no "newbie" in the art world. And it shows!

Ellen's work is simple and complex at the same time. Her pieces tell stories and engage the viewer.

We are fortunate to have Ellen call Loveland, Colorado home...come see her at the Sculpture in the Park show. She has exhibited there for the last two years--showing her stones--quite an accomplishment for a new medium!

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Connecting with Other Sculptors

Sculpting, for me at least, is a rather solitary experience. I typically am in my small studio by myself--me and a lot of rocks, that is!

So it was with great pleasure that I got a phone call inviting me to attend a meeting of a group of stone sculptors from our region.

It was a social event, and I got the opportunity to meet new people and catch up with friends I rarely see. We talked about lots of things--stones, tools, tips, studios, and even some topics not sculptural at all!

Check out your area to see if you have a group that you can meet with from time to time. It may be a group that is very specialized, like this one, or it may be broader to include all sculptors, or it may be a group for artists of all media. Any of these types of groups can be helpful for idea exchange, inspiration, tips and pointers, and friendship!