#680 Sculpture News: Retrospective

Below is a link to a Facebook post from Center for the Arts Bonita Springs.

913250242090608

Go to the BLOG INDEX and Reference Page for more information.  

See post #616

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

#619 In the studio . . . horse anatomy and bony landmarks

Please start this series of posts about horse anatomy with blog #616.

The artist must understand the location of bony landmarks when drawing, painting, and sculpting a figure such as the horse.   A painter creates the illusion of form by showing shadow, middle-tone, and highlights while the sculptor models a form in space that creates its own.  It may sound simplistic, but when asked what my main concern is in sculpture . . .
my reply is to make sure all of the shadows fall in the right place!


But how does a sculptor make sure all of the shadows fall in the right place?
The answer:  Bony landmarks.

The best way to analyze bony landmarks involve the following considerations:

1.  How does the skeleton influence the surface appearance?

2.  The artist must understand the animal's skeleton and the location of bony landmarks in the figure.

3.  Where does the skeletal structure rise to the surface?    

4.  Bony landmarks are typically hard edges while muscle structure is not.  Their relationship to each   

     other, where muscles attach to the main bones, must be understood.

5.  Observe the horse:  Where there are dips, curves, bumps, and knobs, projection and indentations -
     there is an anatomical explanation that the sculptor must understand.

6.  A bony landmark is a "waypoint" for the sculptor and is any identifiable point on the figure that     

     can be referred to such as where the femur joins the pelvis, where the humerus joins the scapula,
     or the tibia joins the metatarsus [cannonbone], etc.

                 Shown below is a clay model of a horse with body landmarks identified with dots.

7.  Bony landmarks occur at places where different parts of a form meet or come together.  This is  
     also called  "points of articulation".
8.  Understanding anatomy takes the mystery out of drawing, painting, and sculpting.   Start with the
      largest bones and compare them with your own.  All mammals have the same basic design.
9.  Bony landmarks can assist the artist in establishing proportion and a point of reference which is      
     discussed and illustrated in the next blog post.
10. Beyond bony landmarks and waypoints, the sculptor must keep the large masses simple. clarified,          
      and unified . . . more is said with large shapes, planes, and masses.
11. Indicate the simple, underlying masses of the skeletal system:  Skull, rib cage, pelvis, lumbar,
      abdomen, neck, shoulder, upper and lower leg, etc.
12. Bony landmarks are generally the joining of limbs and the points of articulation . . . be aware of

      your own body and movement when modeling the horse.   See drawing below.

13. Don't give premature attention to detail . . . there will typically be problems with proportion.

14. It's really true:  Sculptors sculpt what they know and painters paint what they see.

Three-dimintional form creates shadows . . .  when the sculptor understands anatomy,  

the shadows fall in the right place.

Eclipse
26"H 25"W 9"D

                 

Go to the BLOG INDEX and Reference Page for more information.  See posts #616 and 655

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

     

#152 Remarque: "Eclipse"

Total eclipse of the moon Dec. 2011

Among all living thoroughbreds, over 95% can trace their direct bloodline back to the stallion, Eclipse.  The story of the horse is fascinating:  In 1730 the Bey of Tunis gave Louis XV eight Arabian stallions.  The French king didn't realize the significance of the magnificent animals and sold them for next to nothing.  An Englishman did; saw one of the horses pulling a water cart, bought it for next to nothing, and bred it to Spanish stock.  Thirty-five years later - on the day of a total eclipse of the sun - the famous colt, Eclipse was born and the rest is history.   

I have always been intrigued by the story of Eclipse and an idealized sculpture 

of the horse has been an ongoing project in my studio for years.  Ironically, 

I completed the clay model on the night of a total eclipse of the moon. 

See earlier Blogs #101, 102, 103 and 111 posted in Dec. 2011 for more information about the sculpture, Eclipse.

Eclipse
26"H 28"W 9"D
9000

This work is one of five new sculptures being introduced at the 

Autry Museum's Masters of the American West Show and Sale. 

#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

#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