#703 "Tethered Nanny"

"Tethered Nanny"

17"H 20"W 12"D

Edition 25

7,800

          I use domestic animals and pets as live models.  Although we also have wild animals 

such as deer, pheasants, ducks, fox and more on the property, they cannot be called 

upon to pose.  However, domestic animals can substitute for wild animals and give

 the artist needed information by using comparative anatomy. 

Comparative anatomy is a logical understanding of an animal’s waypoints, 

bony landmarks, and points of articulation.  The artists must understand the

 peculiarities and proportions of a specific species – whether wild or domestic 

and understand skeletal structure that is similar and inherent to all vertebrates.  

Understanding comparative anatomy will revolutionize the artists 

approach to animal sculpture.

Currently in residence at the Lander studio headquarters are horses, dogs, cats,

 chickens, domestic geese, and goats.  Goats are excellent models, easy keepers, 

eat weeds, and horses like them as companions.

Tethered Nanny was modeled from life.


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

#539 In the museums: Prix de West weekend, con't . . .

The Prix de West weekend is over . . . my work was well received and sales were brisk.   It's a great feeling for an artist to see names pulled out of the box and sales posted!  Below, are images of three of the four works I exhibited.
"Requiem for the Fallen" can be seen on the previous post . . .  # 538.

 Falcon Flight

20"H 19"W 8"D

King of the Coop  

18"H 18"W 7"D

Ed. 65

Retail 4,200

 King of the Coop

18"H 18"W 7"D

Tethered and Tangled

7"H 10"W 7"D

This was my 26th year participating in the prestigious invitational at the National Cowboy Museum and Western Heritage Center in Oklahoma City.  Museum shows such as the Prix de West and the winter invitational - the Autry in Los Angeles - continue to play a major role in the resurgent interest and excellence in figurative and representational art.

Below, are images and memories of the 2014 Prix de West.

King of the Coop  

18"H 18"W 7"D

Ed. 65

Retail 4,200

Below, the light was beautiful on James Earle Fraser's "End of the Trail" at the museum.

Below, I'm with Greg Simon, chairman of the Prix de West Art Committee.

Below, the new incoming President of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum: Dr. Steven Karr.

Below, the sculpture, "Pigmalion" sold in the fun-filled Saturday night gala, sale, and auction.   The annual auction carries the festiveness of Prix de West into the Awards Banquet and provides important fundraising support for the museum.  

Pigmalion
18"H 18"W 11"D

To learn more about the subjects in this blog go to the links below.  

For a complete list of the blog index go to the Index Page and 

type the subject in the Search This Blog link on the right.

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

#534 In the field: Brookgreen Gardens, con't . . . peacocks and goats

Start this series with  #522,  April 16, 2014.  http://www.brookgreen.org/

http://www.brookgreenworkshops.com

Peacocks and goats seem like an odd combination unless one visits Murrell's Inlet on the South Carolina coast.
Located only two miles from Brookgreen Gardens, it's where I enjoy great seafood and outstanding bird watching, sketching, and photographing while teaching my yearly bird sculpture workshop and attending board meetings.

Across from a favorite Murrell's Inlet eatery is Goat Island.  Goats and peafowl have lived on the tiny 20,000 square foot island in harmony for many years and share their domaine with herons, egrets, pelicans, and ducks.
During hurricane evacuation, the goats and peafowl are taken off the island to safe ground.

Below, are photos of Goat Island residents taken from the deck while enjoying lunch last month in Murrell's Inlet.

Below, are sketches of a peacock that resides on Goat Island . . . the female of the species is called a peahen.

Peacocks and goats are among my favorite subjects.  Below is a recent sculpture entitled,
Shade of Paradise.  The sculpture was juried into the 2012 Birds in Art.

 Shade of Paradise
13"H 23"W 11"D

Below, is a recent sculpture entitled,  Tethered Goats.  The sculpture was recently
purchased by the Briscoe Museum in San Antonio and is in their permanent collection.

Tethered Goats
8"H 14"W 9"D

To learn more about the subjects in this blog go to the links below.

For a complete list of  the blog subjects go to the Index Page and

type the subject in the Search This Blog link on right.

#516 Briscoe Museum: Night of the Artists

The Briscoe Museum is presenting the 13th annual Night of the Artists Art Sale and Exhibitions.
It will be presented in the beautiful Jack Guenther Pavilion at the Briscoe Western Art Museum
and will showcase over 60 of the country's top Western and Wildlife Artists!
The Art Sale will be on Saturday, March 28, 2014.
The sale will be followed by a month-long exhibition from March 30 to April 27.  

The Briscoe Western Art Museum, named in honor of the late Texas Governor,  Dolph Briscoe, Jr. and his wife, Janey, preserves and interprets the art, and culture of the American West through engaging exhibition, educational programs, and public events reflective of the region's rich traditions and shared heritage.

The museum is located on San Antonio's famed River Walk, the institution is housed in San Antonio's first Public Library and newly constructed pavilion.  The Briscoe Campus consists of the historic Museum building, the Jack Guenther Pavilion, and the adjacent McNutt Courtyard & Sculpture Garden.

The Briscoe Western Art Museum preserves and interprets the art, history,and culture of the American West through engaging exhibitions, educational programs, and public events reflective of the region's rich traditions and shared heritage.

Below, are images of my work that will be in the show.

Briscoe Bison Maquette

26"H 37"W 9"D

 Tethered Goats

8"H 26"L 9"D

King of the Coop  

18"H 18"W 7"D

Ed. 65

Retail 4,200

Year of the Horse

16"H 10"W 4"D

Briscoe Briscoe

26"H 19"W 9"D

To learn more about the subjects in this blog go to the links below.  
For a complete list of the blog index go to the Index Page and 
type the subject in the Search This Blog link on the right.

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

#501 Museum Shows: The Autry, con't . . .

The Autry weekend is over and below are

 images and memories of one of the most important
exhibitions of representational art in the country:
The Autry Masters.  
I enjoyed good sales, met lots of collectors and saw many old friends.






The exhibition is open Sat. Feb 1, through Sun, Mar 16, 2014

 more information start with post #498, Jan. 22 and go to

theautry.org/masters

Below, the high-relief sculpture, Hawkeye, is mounted for a wall hanging.

Below, Great Horned Owl, 5 x 7 oil on panel.

Below, are images of the new works that were introduced at the

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

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

#498 Museum Shows: Autry Masters of Western Art, "Tethered Goats"

The invitational and juried museum shows such as the Autry Museum's Masters of the American West have played an important role in the resurgent interest in representational art.  Quality, originality and healthy competition among the artists has been the result and astute collectors and museums recognize it.

Theautry.org

The prestigious show is a coveted invitation and I always introduce new work at the gala event.  

The Masters of Western Art Show and Sale opens Feb. 1, 2014.

Shown below, is one f the new works I will introduce . . . Tethered Goats.

For more information about the creation of this sculpture, go to Posts #451 and 452, Aug.11 and 14, 2013.

Tethered Goats 

 Tethered and Tangled

Tethered Goat

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

#452 Sculpture en plein air . . . the live model

Sculpting from a live model, outdoors and en plein air,  can be a rewarding experience.   

However, the situation for the sculptor is quite different from traditional studio work.   

Please refer to the last post, dated Aug.11, 2013, for an introduction to this post. 

The initial challenge is direct sunlight which makes oil-based 

plastilene clay difficult to work with unless the air temperature is cold.

The live model serves only as a point of reference and it's best to 

predetermine the pose with a sketchbook as illustrated below.

Once the pose and proportion is determined, the sculptor must build an armature.  

An armature is an internal frame designed to support the clay and the work in process.   

Armatures for figurative sculpture are generally made of plumber's pipe and wire as shown below.  

By keeping the armature simple and flexible, the artist can make design changes as needed. 

Below, is the little goat study, from life, at completion of a one-sitting, plein air session.

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

#451 Sculpture en plein air . . . "Loose"

Quick clay sketches from life, executed in a "loose" manner in one sitting, can have honesty and vitality.

However, spontaneity is not possible without planning and the armature is an obvious part of planning.  

Having a good plan and design will enable the sculptor to execute in an intuitive and spontaneous manner.

"Loose", as a technique, is often a misunderstood and abused term.  

"Loose" is the ability to give an accurate impression in clay without precise modeling.  

While the surface treatment is important, random shapes, marks, and lines, 

that are added to give a "loose" impression, can be meaningless.  

There is nothing random in nature . . . everything is structured.   

Furthermore, what the sculptor may perceive as being "loose", 

may actually be sloppy modeling and the anatomy and structure 

not understood by the artist or the viewer!

Below, is a little study of one of my goats created in one sitting.

  The sculptor must organize the sculpture by understanding the location of the important bony landmarks.

Proportion must be established and the sculptor must understand how the joints articulate.

Knowing the subject's anatomy, having a good plan, and creating strong, meaningful, and understood  forms, 

enables the artist to edit and simplify.  The more that is known, the more that can be eliminated.  

Below, is my portable outdoor sculpture stand.  Notice, there is no direct sun on the clay . . . 

clay can liquify in direct sun or become so soft and sticky that it's impossible model.  

I have set up my work on an overcast day on the back deck of the design studio which is covered by a roof.

Below, "loose" is how it looks . . . not how it's done.

Below, the active surface treatment gives the sculpture a spontaneous and impressionistic "feel".  

I will live with it before casting.  The most difficult aspect of one-sitting sculpture is 

leaving it alone after returning to the studio . . . unless, of course, a glaring error is detected.

Not all one-sitting works created en pleine air are worthy of being cast in bronze . . . 

most are simply clay sketches and studies. 

Below, is a bronze casting of a sculpture created several years ago entitled Bill.

A sculptor sculpts what they know while a painter paints what they see.

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