#122 Happy New Year's Eve!

To our collectors, galleries, fellow artists, students and friends:

Thank you for following our Newsletter Art Blog . . . 

Because of the world wide web, in the short time we have been online we  have had an incredible response from art lovers around the world.  We have viewers from such diverse places as Russia, Germany, France, Poland, United Kingdom, India, Japan, Mexico, Albania, Turkey, Canada, Pakistan, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Norway, China, Spain, Greece and many more far away locations.  

I invite you to scroll back month by month and revisit our postings.  Please don't hesitate to comment, make suggestions or requests.  We have many things planned for 2012 that we hope are interesting, educational, entertaining and unique.  As before, art will be the focus.

#121 Original Etching Remarque: "Dixie"

Years ago I had a little quarter horse mare named Dixie.  I kept her on my Dad's place when he was ranching in northeastern Oklahoma in the 1960's and 70's and frequently used her as a model.

An etching is a drawing, created by the artist on a copper or zinc plate.  Please refer to the Dec. 26 Blog for more information about the etching process.

Dixie

11 3/4 x 7 3/4

Detail of original etching Dixie
showing etched line work

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Blog, text, photos, drawings, and sculpture . . . © Sandy Scott and Trish

#120 Remarque: "Nipper"

This giraffe like pose is typical of young horses, which eventually grow into their legs.

I have included a detail of the vigorous modeling.  The piece was modeled from life in one sitting and my goal was to retain the spontaneous freshness of the soft clay.

Nipper

19"H 18"W 12"D

Nipper detail

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Blog, text, photos, drawings, and sculpture . . . © Sandy Scott and Trish

120 Nipper

This giraffe like pose is typical of young horses, which eventually grow into their legs.

I have included a detail of the vigorous modeling.  

The pose was modeled from life in one sitting and my my goal 

was to retain the spontaneous freshness of th soft clay.

"Nipper"

19" H 18"W 12"D

4200

#119 Original etching: "Daydreaming"

An etching is a drawing, created by the artist on a copper or zinc plate.  Please refer to the # 118, Dec. 26, 2012.

Daydreaming
5 x 7

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Blog, text, photos, drawings, and sculpture . . . © Sandy Scott and Trish

#118 Original etchings: "Chickadee and Snowbird"

An etching is a time-honored method of making prints from a copper or zinc metal plate.  The plate is first coated with an acid resistant ground made of beeswax and resin, through which the artist draws the design with a sharp tool, exposing the raw metal.

The plate is then placed in nitric acid which eats away the drawing (exposed raw metal) forming recessed lines.  These lines hold the ink and when moist paper is placed on the plate and run through a roller press, the inked design transfers to the paper, making a finished print or etching.  There will be more about the etching process in an upcoming Blog.

Sandy's etchings are printed in a small editions and some are hand-tinted by the artist with transparent watercolor.

Chickadee
4 1/2" X 4 1/2"

Snowbird
4 1/2" x 4 1/2"

Note: The etching link from sandyscott.com is being redesigned and is temporarily offline

Go to the BLOG INDEX on the right for more information.

Blog, text, photos, drawings, and sculpture . . . © Sandy Scott and Trish

#117 Throw on another log: 'tis the season

        

Merry Christmas!

#116 Throw on another log: 'tis the season

        

Hope your Christmas is merry and bright.

#115 Functional Art: "Grizzly Bear Door Knocker"

Traditionally, sculptors have been called upon to create functional art for indoor and outdoor use.

Grizzly Bear Door Knocker
10"H 8" 3"D

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Blog, text, photos, drawings, and sculpture . . . © Sandy Scott and Trish

#114 Functional Art: "Owl Door Knocker"

Functional art is a time-honored theme for sculptors and is a significant part of my portfolio.

Over the years, I have designed many works that can be put to practical use:  Bookends, door knockers, fountains,
wine buckets, sundials and hooks for horse bridles, dog leashes, kitchen pots, fishing creels, heavy hunter's coats, etc.

Collectors enjoy the serviceable function of the art and I love creating the sculpture.

Owl Door Knocker
16"H 8"W 3"D

Note: The etching link from sandyscott.com is being redesigned and is temporarily offline

#113 Functional art: "Mule Deer Buck Door Knocker"

Traditionally, sculptors have been called upon to create functional art for indoor and outdoor use.

Mule Deer Buck Door Knocker
11"H 6"W 4"D

Note: The etching link from sandyscott.com is being redesigned and is temporarily offline

#112 Functional art: "Cocina Queen"

This wall hanging works well in the kitchen for obvious reasons.

Cocina Queen
9"H 9"W 7"D
View 1

Cocina Queen
9"H 9"W 7"D
View 2

 Note: The etching link from sandyscott.com is being redesigned and is temporarily offline

Go to the BLOG INDEX on the right for more information.

Blog, text, photos, drawings, and sculpture . . . © Sandy Scott and Trish

#111 In the studio: Making a mold

Last week Trish completed the new equestrian sculpture mold and took it to the foundry for casting.

The coats of rubber mold material show that the obvious big shapes dominate; details have been modeled as gradual transitions and do not leap out at the viewer.

Note: The etching link from sandyscott.com is being redesigned and is temporarily offline

Go to the BLOG INDEX on the right for more information.

Blog, text, photos, drawings, and sculpture . . . © Sandy Scott and Trish

#110 In the studio: Drawing con't . . .

Drawing forces careful observation causing the artist to understand and know the creature.

Shown below is a recent oil painting . . .  I approached it as a drawing using brush and pigment.

Original oil painting by Sandy Scott
5 x 7

Note: The etching link from sandyscott.com is being redesigned and is temporarily offline

Go to the BLOG INDEX on the right for more information.

Blog, text, photos, drawings, and sculpture . . . © Sandy Scott and Trish

#109 In the studio: Drawing con't . . .

A sculptor knows that drawing strengthens observation skills. 

Understanding the subject enables the artist to see, draw and model the animal.

Learning to draw is really a matter of 

learning to see - to see correctly - and

that means a good deal more than merely 

looking with the eyes.

                                  - Kimon Nicolaides

Dominick
8 3/4 x 7
Original etching by Sandy Scott 

Note: The etching link from sandyscott.com is being redesigned and is temporarily offline

Go to the BLOG INDEX on the right for more information.

Blog, text, photos, drawings, and sculpture . . . © Sandy Scott and Trish

#108 In the studio: Drawing con't . . .

Simple shapes are the foundation of drawing and to draw accurately we must use all these shapes - circles, squares, triangles, rectangles, ovals, etc. - in correct relation to each other.


The handling of clay and other sculptural material can be taught and learned.  Sculpture involves the consideration of three dimensions - width, height and depth.  If you can see your subject, you can draw it and therefore express it in clay.

Cochin China
17"H 14"W 9"D

Note: The etching link from sandyscott.com is being redesigned and is temporarily offline

Go to the BLOG INDEX on the right for more information.

Blog, text, photos, drawings, and sculpture . . . © Sandy Scott and Trish

#107 In the studio: Drawing con't . . .

Drawing is a skill that can be taught and learned, and like any skill, it takes practice.

How does one learn to draw?  The answer is irritatingly simple: You must learn to see your subject.  If you can see your subject, you can draw it and therefore express it by painting it or modeling it in clay.

Note: The etching link from sandyscott.com is being redesigned and is temporarily offline

Go to the BLOG INDEX on the right for more information.

Blog, text, photos, drawings, and sculpture . . . © Sandy Scott and Trish

#106 Throw on Another Log: Drawing

Drawing is essential to creating art.  It should be approached as a way of learning.

Unfortunately, most students, whether through their own fault or the fault of their instructors, seem to be dreadfully afraid of making technical mistakes.  You should understand that these mistakes are unavoidable.  The sooner you make your first 5000 mistakes, the sooner you will be able to correct them.

- Kimon Nicolaides

Eager
Original etching by Sandy Scott
6 3/4 x 7

An etching is a drawing, created by the artist on a copper or zinc plate.

Note: The etching link from sandyscott.com is being redesigned and is temporarily offline

Go to the BLOG INDEX on the right for more information.

Blog, text, photos, drawings, and sculpture . . . © Sandy Scott and Trish

#105 Remarque: "Equus Found Fragment III"

The original clay model that was the matrix of Equus Found III depicted a charger with a Greek-style roached mane.  
The sculpture was never molded and cast but fresh discoveries were made when I edited to a partial figure. 
Awareness of past tradition and removing part of the logic create a more daring visual experience.

A woman, a mountain or a horse are formed according to the same principle.

                                                                                                 - Auguste Rodin

Equus Found Fragment III

22"H 22"W 6"D

Note: The etching link from sandyscott.com is being redesigned and is temporarily offline

Go to the BLOG INDEX on the right for more information.

Blog, text, photos, drawings, and sculpture . . . © Sandy Scott and Trish

#104 Remarque: Spa Series - "Torso I"

Belvedere Torso

Fragmented sculpture was intolerable to the ancient Greek notion of  beauty.  Later excavations and discoveries,  such as the Belvedere Torso, changed the perception and strongly influenced late Renaissance and Baroque artists.


Like the horse, modeling the human figure is a challenge . . . 
the delicate planes are almost imperceptible.  While creating the partial figure, Torso I, my goal was to indicate and suggest the original gesture.

Spa Series - Torso I

24"H 10"W 8"D

Note: The etching link from sandyscott.com is being redesigned and is temporarily offline

Go to the BLOG INDEX on the right for more information.

Blog, text, photos, drawings, and sculpture . . . © Sandy Scott and Trish

#103 In the Studio: New equestrian sculpture in progress . . .con't

Full moon last night:  

December moon is called 

the Cold Moon  

and there was a total eclipse 

early this morning.

The new equestrian sculpture mold must be started today

 and in the foundry next week or it will not be cast in time

 for the Autry Masters Show in February.  

If I did not have deadlines, 

I'm confident that the modeling and "tweaking" would never end.  

The process, not the end work, is the most important thing for the artist.

         - Georgia O'Keeffe

Note: The etching link from sandyscott.com is being redesigned and is temporarily offline

Go to the BLOG INDEX on the right for more information.

Blog, text, photos, drawings, and sculpture . . . © Sandy Scott and Trish

#102 In the Studio: New equestrian sculpture in progress . . .con't

My personal ideal of equine aesthetic perfection is an ongoing pursuit in my portfolio and at any given time I have several equestrian sculptures in progress in the studio.


There are powerful forms in the body of a horse and too much detail can detract from their simple conformation.  Line and edges define contour and form which are the essential elements of design.


Little else is needed than the relationship of the main masses and planes.  My goal is to present balance, simplicity and create a subliminal message of movement.

The different clay color in the two pictures is caused by lighting:  

The top picture is natural north light, the warm gray in the bottom picture is artificial incandescent light.

More about lighting in a later Blog.

Note: The etching link from sandyscott.com is being redesigned and is temporarily offline

Go to the BLOG INDEX on the right for more information.

Blog, text, photos, drawings, and sculpture . . . © Sandy Scott and Trish

#101 In the Studio: New equestrian sculpture in progress (untitled). . .

The horse has long been an inspiration for artists.  It is a perfect Romantic subject in its beauty and its ability to provoke emotional responses.

In progress in the studio is a new sculpture of the horse that represents not only my love of the animal but the perpetual challenge of modeling them.  My personal ideal of equine aesthetic perfection is an ongoing aggravation.

I own horses and use them as models.  Shown is Trish with our Morgan gelding, Hawk.

Go to the BLOG INDEX on the right for more information.

Blog, text, photos, drawings, and sculpture . . . © Sandy Scott and Trish

#100 Remarque: "Westwind"

Westwind is the head study for a new sculpture which
will be introduced at the Masters of the American West 
show at the Autry Museum in Feb.  2012.


The new work revisits the pose I used on an earlier piece entitled Charger and for now remains untitled.


Note the two different types of clay being used during modeling: I blocked the piece in with the yellow clay and changed to a softer clay for the finish work.  The two different clays impart different surface textures.

Westwind
11"H 11"W 6"D

Westwind
11"H 11"W 6"D

Go to the BLOG INDEX on the right for more information.

Blog, text, photos, drawings, and sculpture . . . © Sandy Scott and Trish

#99 Remarque: "Charger"

  Ten years ago our Morgan gelding was used as the model
  for Charger.  My goal was to idealize the animal and create
  a powerful image.

  I am preoccupied with modeling horses and consciously stylize
  my designs.  My obsession with modeling horses continues to       lay a thorough foundation for my art, just as playing scales
  does for a musician.

  In my opinion, horses and the human figure are the most
  difficult creatures to transform into a visual expression -
  perhaps it's because they are both so beautiful.

Charger

26"H 25"W 9"D

Go to the BLOG INDEX on the right for more information.

Blog, text, photos, drawings, and sculpture . . . © Sandy Scott and Trish

#98 Remarque: "Sky Passage"

I am influenced and fascinated by archaic equestrian Greek Sculpture and by formal composition.

Pegasus is a traditional and time-honored motif has been used by many sculptors and dates back to
the Greeks and Romans and succeeding periods including the Renaissance and the grand age of the
Beaux-Arts style of the late 1800s.

Sky Passage

16"H 16"W 14"D

Modeling wings on a horse is more fun than a sculptor should have.

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Blog, text, photos, drawings, and sculpture . . . © Sandy Scott and Trish

#97 In the studio: Wildlife reference con't . . .

During the rut, or mating season, the big bucks move into our herd.  The rut is over in our area but now and then a big buck will make an appearance.

Less than a mile up the river there is a herd of whitetail.  The whitetail and mule deer's range overlap on the eastern slope of the Rockies but they do not interbreed.

The whitetail deer's antlers branch from a single main beam while the muley's antlers fork as they grow.   Each spring, after mating season, a buck's antlers start to regrow almost immediately after the old antlers are shed. Shedding typically takes place in mid February, with variations occurring by locale.

Ten-point Whitetail buck

Ten-point Mule Deer

Mule deer buck by our frozen pond

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Blog, text, photos, drawings, and sculpture . . . © Sandy Scott and Trish

#96 In the studio: Wildlife reference . . .

We have a herd of mule deer on our property who bed down year round in the high grass between the pond and river.  I can be in the field while in the studio; look out the window, keep tabs on their activities and use them as models.

I have several sculptures of mule deer in progress in the studio: one of a running buck and another design depicts a small grouping of does.

Indigenous to the west, the mule deer gets its name from their large mule-like ears.  I photographed this doe and yearling yesterday.  Later in the day we had eleven does, young bucks, yearlings and fawns outside the studio.

Mule deer doe and yearling outside design studio

Feel So Good  (Mule deer buck)

7 3/4 x 11 3/4

Original etching by SandyScott

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Blog, text, photos, drawings, and sculpture . . . © Sandy Scott and Trish