Sculpture
Deliverance
Mixed Media -Cast bronze, steel, stone, resin, & wood putty
photos: Michael Hope & Lorri Ekstrom
"Deliverance" is based on a visit to the Cerebral Palsy Center in Atlanta over 30 years ago. There were 2 children in manual wheel chairs that had gone down an embankment & got stuck in the mud and standing water. The children didn't have the strength to get back up the hill. Out of nowhere, there appeared an African American fellow in his mid 30's. He was in a wheelchair also. He had no legs, but a super developed upper body & arms. He grabbed the rope, looped it around the 2 wheel chairs, tied it around his waist, and pulled the children to safety like a charioteer. It was a very powerful experience & lesson. As I watched, the tears streamed down my face. Here was a cripple, with no legs, in a wheel chair, who was a HERO. And I thought to myself - Allan, What the hell are you doing in your life to help others?
photos: Michael Hope & Lorri Ekstrom
"Deliverance" is based on a visit to the Cerebral Palsy Center in Atlanta over 30 years ago. There were 2 children in manual wheel chairs that had gone down an embankment & got stuck in the mud and standing water. The children didn't have the strength to get back up the hill. Out of nowhere, there appeared an African American fellow in his mid 30's. He was in a wheelchair also. He had no legs, but a super developed upper body & arms. He grabbed the rope, looped it around the 2 wheel chairs, tied it around his waist, and pulled the children to safety like a charioteer. It was a very powerful experience & lesson. As I watched, the tears streamed down my face. Here was a cripple, with no legs, in a wheel chair, who was a HERO. And I thought to myself - Allan, What the hell are you doing in your life to help others?
On the Edge
Mixed Media- Cedar wood & laser cut mirrored stainless steel.
photo: Lorri Ekstrom
This piece is all about balance, implied shapes, & implied motion. Actually, "On the Edge" was rejected in Sculpture Walk in Sioux Falls because the shop owners that were on the board were afraid that it might promote skate boarding in front of their shops. However, the piece was exhibited in my sculpture show in 2012 at the South Dakota Art Museum in Brookings.
photo: Lorri Ekstrom
This piece is all about balance, implied shapes, & implied motion. Actually, "On the Edge" was rejected in Sculpture Walk in Sioux Falls because the shop owners that were on the board were afraid that it might promote skate boarding in front of their shops. However, the piece was exhibited in my sculpture show in 2012 at the South Dakota Art Museum in Brookings.
Struggle with Devil & Angel
Mixed Media - Cast bronze, wood, & laser cut mirrored stainless steel.
photo: Lorri Ekstrom
The "Struggle with Devil & Angel" is an eternal, psychological battle of spiritual forces. Everything is reversed. The central human figure which is perceived as real, is expressed as negative space cut out of a stainless steel background which mirrors ALL viewers. Yet what we perceive as unreal - the spiritual forces of good & evil - are rendered as 3 dimensional form and occupy real space. The intangible is transformed into tangible bronze relief sculptures of devil & angel. I am working with opposites. The devil is male, rough, & gnarly. The angel is feminine, smooth, & soft as silk. Tension is created by placing the devil & angel on the diagonal, pulling in opposite directions.
photo: Lorri Ekstrom
The "Struggle with Devil & Angel" is an eternal, psychological battle of spiritual forces. Everything is reversed. The central human figure which is perceived as real, is expressed as negative space cut out of a stainless steel background which mirrors ALL viewers. Yet what we perceive as unreal - the spiritual forces of good & evil - are rendered as 3 dimensional form and occupy real space. The intangible is transformed into tangible bronze relief sculptures of devil & angel. I am working with opposites. The devil is male, rough, & gnarly. The angel is feminine, smooth, & soft as silk. Tension is created by placing the devil & angel on the diagonal, pulling in opposite directions.
Labor of Love
Cast bronze
photos: Michael Hope & Lorri Ekstrom
"Labor of Love" represents the combined efforts of raising a family. The mother has her hands full nurturing the children. She is literally transformed to an instrument of labor ( wheel barrow). But it is a struggle also for the father as he propels his responsibilities & loved ones along a rocky road. Raising a family is not an easy job. It is hard work, all consuming, & a labor of love.
photos: Michael Hope & Lorri Ekstrom
"Labor of Love" represents the combined efforts of raising a family. The mother has her hands full nurturing the children. She is literally transformed to an instrument of labor ( wheel barrow). But it is a struggle also for the father as he propels his responsibilities & loved ones along a rocky road. Raising a family is not an easy job. It is hard work, all consuming, & a labor of love.
The chase
Mixed Media-Cast Bronze and Steel
photos: Michael Hope
"The Chase" is based on an ancient Sanskrit poem from 3000 BC. It represents the revolving door of humanity blindly chasing what it cannot possess or attain. Mankind is chasing the illusion fueled by desire. It is a merry-go-round. "A" chases "B". "B" doesn't know "A" exists & chases after "C". "C" is unaware of the pursuit of "B" and chases after the illusion of "D" - the fantasy of the perfect woman that doesn't exist. It is a degenerative process. The sculpture is like a dog chasing its tail - humorous, and yet pathetic.
photos: Michael Hope
"The Chase" is based on an ancient Sanskrit poem from 3000 BC. It represents the revolving door of humanity blindly chasing what it cannot possess or attain. Mankind is chasing the illusion fueled by desire. It is a merry-go-round. "A" chases "B". "B" doesn't know "A" exists & chases after "C". "C" is unaware of the pursuit of "B" and chases after the illusion of "D" - the fantasy of the perfect woman that doesn't exist. It is a degenerative process. The sculpture is like a dog chasing its tail - humorous, and yet pathetic.
Fossil Crucifixion
Mixed Media - Silicon rubber, paper mache, styrofoam,
& wood. The bark is paper mache & stained with cigarette ashes & black coffee (no paint). 14 ft. tall.
photo: David Nolt
Permanent installation at the First Presbyterian Church, Madison, South Dakota
The photo is very deceiving & is an optical illusion. The relief of Christ is not convex, but concave. So it is not positive, but negative. Rather than recreating the experience of Christ on the cross, I created the "impression" (literally) of Christ on the cross. The cross is a transition or stage in the life cycle of Christ. I see the cross as a historical record or documentation of the experience eventually leading to the Resurrection. I depicted the cross as a fossil of the memory of Christ on the cross, but he is no longer on the cross and is risen. The cross is very much like foot prints on a sandy beach or the cocoon as a transition in the metamorphosis from worm to butterfly. From a distance, Christ looks positive (like the photo), but up close you realize it is a negative relief.
& wood. The bark is paper mache & stained with cigarette ashes & black coffee (no paint). 14 ft. tall.
photo: David Nolt
Permanent installation at the First Presbyterian Church, Madison, South Dakota
The photo is very deceiving & is an optical illusion. The relief of Christ is not convex, but concave. So it is not positive, but negative. Rather than recreating the experience of Christ on the cross, I created the "impression" (literally) of Christ on the cross. The cross is a transition or stage in the life cycle of Christ. I see the cross as a historical record or documentation of the experience eventually leading to the Resurrection. I depicted the cross as a fossil of the memory of Christ on the cross, but he is no longer on the cross and is risen. The cross is very much like foot prints on a sandy beach or the cocoon as a transition in the metamorphosis from worm to butterfly. From a distance, Christ looks positive (like the photo), but up close you realize it is a negative relief.
Fossil Pieta
Mixed Media - Silicon rubber & cast bronze
photo: Michael Hope
The word "pieta" means pity. The madonna is mourning the loss of her son. Mary is rendered in positive relief in bronze, holding her son. Christ is rendered in negative relief in silicon rubber ( a material normally used for the mold in casting). In certain lights, Christ appears to be positive & occupy real space & volume. On the back side, there is paper mache to hold the silicone rubber in place.
photo: Michael Hope
The word "pieta" means pity. The madonna is mourning the loss of her son. Mary is rendered in positive relief in bronze, holding her son. Christ is rendered in negative relief in silicon rubber ( a material normally used for the mold in casting). In certain lights, Christ appears to be positive & occupy real space & volume. On the back side, there is paper mache to hold the silicone rubber in place.
The Way
Laser cut steel with a stone walkway - 13 1/2 ft. tall
photos: Jarris Wentzel & Brett Gustin
Permanent installation at St. Peter Lutheran Church, Orland, South Dakota.
This sculpture is based on Biblical scripture - John 14 (I am the way, the truth, & the life) & Psalm 23 (I am the good shepherd). Christ is holding the lamb affectionately like a madonna & child. As a viewer you can literally walk through the cut out body of Christ. The negative shapes read as positive. I am framing God's beauty. The sculpture is oriented east & west, so you can see the sunrise & sunset through the cutout. Because of the changing seasons, the changing atmospheres, & changing light, the sculpture is always changing. The 3/4 inch steel represents the physical, and the cutouts & air represent the spiritual.
photos: Jarris Wentzel & Brett Gustin
Permanent installation at St. Peter Lutheran Church, Orland, South Dakota.
This sculpture is based on Biblical scripture - John 14 (I am the way, the truth, & the life) & Psalm 23 (I am the good shepherd). Christ is holding the lamb affectionately like a madonna & child. As a viewer you can literally walk through the cut out body of Christ. The negative shapes read as positive. I am framing God's beauty. The sculpture is oriented east & west, so you can see the sunrise & sunset through the cutout. Because of the changing seasons, the changing atmospheres, & changing light, the sculpture is always changing. The 3/4 inch steel represents the physical, and the cutouts & air represent the spiritual.
Victory Over Death
Laser Cut Steel - 25 1/2 ft. tall
photos: Jarris Wenzel & Lorri Ekstrom
Permanent installation at St. Peter Lutheran Church, Orland, SD, installed with a crane by Amert Construction on July 24, 2008. This is the largest sculpture to date. It is perfectly located right next to the cemetery & is oriented east & west (to catch sunrise & sunset). The source of the sculpture is the scriptures. As the psalmist says "The heavens declare the glory of God". All I am doing is framing God's beauty. The sky is what illuminates & brings the work alive. God is the Creator of pure light. I am drawing with pure light. Steel is the hardest material element & yet it is laser cut by light or the spiritual. The sculpture is designed as a monumental icon to enable the viewer to reflect on the resurrection of Christ. The concept is: breaking the barriers, light over darkness, joy over sorrow, hope over fear, & life over death. The work is a celebration, a triumph, representing the ultimate victory - Christ's victory over death.
photos: Jarris Wenzel & Lorri Ekstrom
Permanent installation at St. Peter Lutheran Church, Orland, SD, installed with a crane by Amert Construction on July 24, 2008. This is the largest sculpture to date. It is perfectly located right next to the cemetery & is oriented east & west (to catch sunrise & sunset). The source of the sculpture is the scriptures. As the psalmist says "The heavens declare the glory of God". All I am doing is framing God's beauty. The sky is what illuminates & brings the work alive. God is the Creator of pure light. I am drawing with pure light. Steel is the hardest material element & yet it is laser cut by light or the spiritual. The sculpture is designed as a monumental icon to enable the viewer to reflect on the resurrection of Christ. The concept is: breaking the barriers, light over darkness, joy over sorrow, hope over fear, & life over death. The work is a celebration, a triumph, representing the ultimate victory - Christ's victory over death.
Allan & Vincent
Painted laser cut aluminum
photo: Lorri Ekstrom
The positive areas (aluminum) are the background,
hat, coat, and shadow areas. The cut out negative areas represent the light. This is based on a photo shot by Michael Hope when Eve & Michael dressed me up as Vincent Van Gogh with his ear bandage in Arles, France. I had been in a gasoline fire that burned me from the neck up. I had skin grafts & had to wear a bandage over my ears similar to the bandage Vincent had. This piece was a study for light & shadow in "Victory Over Death".
photo: Lorri Ekstrom
The positive areas (aluminum) are the background,
hat, coat, and shadow areas. The cut out negative areas represent the light. This is based on a photo shot by Michael Hope when Eve & Michael dressed me up as Vincent Van Gogh with his ear bandage in Arles, France. I had been in a gasoline fire that burned me from the neck up. I had skin grafts & had to wear a bandage over my ears similar to the bandage Vincent had. This piece was a study for light & shadow in "Victory Over Death".
After a Summer Rain
Laser cut aluminum
photo: Allan Fisher
The cut out (negative) areas represent the light. The positive areas (aluminum) are the shadows. I did this as an experiment or test for the light & dark areas in "Victory Over Death".
photo: Allan Fisher
The cut out (negative) areas represent the light. The positive areas (aluminum) are the shadows. I did this as an experiment or test for the light & dark areas in "Victory Over Death".
Blind MAn II / The Chase
Cedar wood - 14 ft tall
photo: Allyson Nagel
Permanent installation for City of Brookings & the Brookings Art Council at Hillcrest Park, Brookings, South Dakota.
Portrait of the artist taken in front of his sculpture in 1992 at the entrance of Hillcrest Park. This is another version of the "chase". It is designed so that you can appreciate the concept of the sculpture without getting out of your car as you drive by on 6th street. As you approach it, you see the image of the men. As you pass it, you see the women. The sculpture does not move, it is the viewer that moves. I used what I learned from designing billboards for Tombras Advertising back in the 1980's in Tennessee.
photo: Allyson Nagel
Permanent installation for City of Brookings & the Brookings Art Council at Hillcrest Park, Brookings, South Dakota.
Portrait of the artist taken in front of his sculpture in 1992 at the entrance of Hillcrest Park. This is another version of the "chase". It is designed so that you can appreciate the concept of the sculpture without getting out of your car as you drive by on 6th street. As you approach it, you see the image of the men. As you pass it, you see the women. The sculpture does not move, it is the viewer that moves. I used what I learned from designing billboards for Tombras Advertising back in the 1980's in Tennessee.
Great Escape II
Mixed Media - Laser cut aluminum, steel, & cedar wood. 10 ft tall
photo:
This photo was taken down by the Holiday Inn on 8th Street in Sioux Falls for Sculpture Walk 2005. I see walls as barriers. Male & female are united as one couple, holding hands as they break through the wall. The negative space is strong enough to go through the positive (aluminum).
photo:
This photo was taken down by the Holiday Inn on 8th Street in Sioux Falls for Sculpture Walk 2005. I see walls as barriers. Male & female are united as one couple, holding hands as they break through the wall. The negative space is strong enough to go through the positive (aluminum).
The Great Escape
Painted wood
photo:
This piece consists of 2600 hand made wood bricks nailed, screwed, & glued together. "The Great Escape" is about the invincibility of youth, & the triumph of the human spirit over man made barriers. I am sculpting the human force going through the wall. With youth anything is possible. This is my first piece to get exhibited in a major museum - Exhibition 280, in the Huntington Museum of Art in Huntington, West Virginia in 1990.
photo:
This piece consists of 2600 hand made wood bricks nailed, screwed, & glued together. "The Great Escape" is about the invincibility of youth, & the triumph of the human spirit over man made barriers. I am sculpting the human force going through the wall. With youth anything is possible. This is my first piece to get exhibited in a major museum - Exhibition 280, in the Huntington Museum of Art in Huntington, West Virginia in 1990.
Brick Victory
Mixed Media - Painted styrofoam & wood putty ( for the mortar). 8 ft tall x 16 ft long
photo:
I see walls as barriers. This piece is about transformation from negative to positive. It moves from right to left. The image of a cut out runner on the right is like a cocoon which morphs to an angel like a butterfly on the left as she attains freedom & liberation. "Brick Victory" was first shown in 1989 at a graduate show at Radford Museum of Fine Art at Radford University, Radford, Virginia.
photo:
I see walls as barriers. This piece is about transformation from negative to positive. It moves from right to left. The image of a cut out runner on the right is like a cocoon which morphs to an angel like a butterfly on the left as she attains freedom & liberation. "Brick Victory" was first shown in 1989 at a graduate show at Radford Museum of Fine Art at Radford University, Radford, Virginia.
Polish Nike
Mixed Media - Painted styrofoam & wood putty. 12 ft tall
photo: Allan Fisher
This piece was done for the International Sculpture Symposium in Poland the summer of 1991. It is part of their permanent collection in Poland. It was done with 1/2 inch sheets of stryrofoam that had to be glued, with Polish glue, which dried very slowly before it could be carved. The work was done in two weeks. The source of this sculpture was the Greek, Hellenistic sculpture "Nike of Samothrace".
photo: Allan Fisher
This piece was done for the International Sculpture Symposium in Poland the summer of 1991. It is part of their permanent collection in Poland. It was done with 1/2 inch sheets of stryrofoam that had to be glued, with Polish glue, which dried very slowly before it could be carved. The work was done in two weeks. The source of this sculpture was the Greek, Hellenistic sculpture "Nike of Samothrace".
The Corner or Fear of the Corner
Mixed Media - Burlap, wood, rope, wire, paper, fabric, insulation, & plastic. 8 ft tall.
photo: Allan Fisher
The same materials are used in the figure and the wall. If the walls are barriers, the corner is a trap. There is an imaginary, unseen force that is forcing the figure into the corner and into a "fight or flight" situation. We are not sure whether the figure will retreat back into the wall or strike out from a coiled position. The figure has been dehumanized, and reduced to the instincts of an animal and raw emotion like a cornered rat or a snake getting ready to strike. The figure is also neither male or female. This feeling of intensity & urgency could be caused by a bad relationship or an unbearable job, etc. "The Corner" was built in Bristol, Tennessee.
photo: Allan Fisher
The same materials are used in the figure and the wall. If the walls are barriers, the corner is a trap. There is an imaginary, unseen force that is forcing the figure into the corner and into a "fight or flight" situation. We are not sure whether the figure will retreat back into the wall or strike out from a coiled position. The figure has been dehumanized, and reduced to the instincts of an animal and raw emotion like a cornered rat or a snake getting ready to strike. The figure is also neither male or female. This feeling of intensity & urgency could be caused by a bad relationship or an unbearable job, etc. "The Corner" was built in Bristol, Tennessee.
Forced Relationship
Mixed Media - Sticks & stones, & wire
photo:
This is my first piece utilizing found natural materials. It all started when I found a bird's nest & examined how well it was made. The bird was pretty smart. I also found that if I got up early in the Spring, I could find some pretty flexible branches that I could bend & twist into different shapes. I let the materials dictate the concept. Remember the nursery rhyme (sticks & stones)? So I decided to do two figures(male & female) playing a childhood game of wheel barrow, but the game turned into a power trip of domination, and perhaps exploitation. The woman is used as an instrument of labor. She is pregnant & inside her stomach is the found bird's nest with several stones. The woman is light, woven like a basket, and is struggling to keep her balance. The man is full of stones and is very powerful like a football player coming off the line.
photo:
This is my first piece utilizing found natural materials. It all started when I found a bird's nest & examined how well it was made. The bird was pretty smart. I also found that if I got up early in the Spring, I could find some pretty flexible branches that I could bend & twist into different shapes. I let the materials dictate the concept. Remember the nursery rhyme (sticks & stones)? So I decided to do two figures(male & female) playing a childhood game of wheel barrow, but the game turned into a power trip of domination, and perhaps exploitation. The woman is used as an instrument of labor. She is pregnant & inside her stomach is the found bird's nest with several stones. The woman is light, woven like a basket, and is struggling to keep her balance. The man is full of stones and is very powerful like a football player coming off the line.
Fatal Attraction
Woven Copper Wire - without any internal support
photo: Allan Fisher
I wanted to see if I could create a life - size torso in wire that would stand alone without an internal armature. I wanted to be able to see through the torso without any distractions. I started at the bottom & worked my way up, but each step had to be balanced or the piece would fall over. The concept was attraction/ repulsion. I wanted to create a sensual figure that you wanted to touch. At first, I wanted to do the figure in barbed wire. The only problem was exhibiting the final piece. If I used barbed wire, & it rusted, when somebody touched it they could get hurt & possibly die. If I put the sculpture in a glass or plexiglass case then it defeated the idea of trying to touch it. So I decided to make barbs out of copper wire which does not rust & is safe. On the base (which is not pictured), the words "WHY DIE" and "AIDS" appeared. The piece is a warning about the spread of Aids.
photo: Allan Fisher
I wanted to see if I could create a life - size torso in wire that would stand alone without an internal armature. I wanted to be able to see through the torso without any distractions. I started at the bottom & worked my way up, but each step had to be balanced or the piece would fall over. The concept was attraction/ repulsion. I wanted to create a sensual figure that you wanted to touch. At first, I wanted to do the figure in barbed wire. The only problem was exhibiting the final piece. If I used barbed wire, & it rusted, when somebody touched it they could get hurt & possibly die. If I put the sculpture in a glass or plexiglass case then it defeated the idea of trying to touch it. So I decided to make barbs out of copper wire which does not rust & is safe. On the base (which is not pictured), the words "WHY DIE" and "AIDS" appeared. The piece is a warning about the spread of Aids.
Tightrope
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Mixed Media: Jute rope with found base
photos: Lorri Ekstrom & Bob Albers I have never seen a figure made out of rope construction. I wanted to see if it could be done. I was influenced by the cast rope figures by Magdalena Abackanowicz. The rope in "Tightrope" is held together with Elmer's glue. I found the wood & steel block & tackle base in a junk store at Lake Preston. |
Tumbling
Mixed Media - Copper wire & wood base
photo: Brett Gustin
The subject here is implied circular, forward movement from left to right. Male & female are united as one. There is also an interesting use of light & shadow and a sense of playfulness. The base was made by Dallas Loudenburg.
photo: Brett Gustin
The subject here is implied circular, forward movement from left to right. Male & female are united as one. There is also an interesting use of light & shadow and a sense of playfulness. The base was made by Dallas Loudenburg.
Stray Dog
Woven copper wire
photo: Brett Gustin
This piece is essentially a 3 dimensional gesture drawing in copper wire. I was influenced by Alberto Giacometti. I just love his cast bronze "stray dog" ( a starving dog of the streets). This photo really captures the feeling of my sculpture.
photo: Brett Gustin
This piece is essentially a 3 dimensional gesture drawing in copper wire. I was influenced by Alberto Giacometti. I just love his cast bronze "stray dog" ( a starving dog of the streets). This photo really captures the feeling of my sculpture.
Graceful
Mixed Media - copper & steel wire with stone base from the Black Hills
photo: Brett Gustin
"Graceful" is also a 3 dimensional gesture drawing in woven wire. I tried to capture the essence of the graceful movement of this horse. This was done without a model. The sculpture also captures the "life movement" - a nice "s" curve from above. The photo looks almost like a pen & ink line drawing.
photo: Brett Gustin
"Graceful" is also a 3 dimensional gesture drawing in woven wire. I tried to capture the essence of the graceful movement of this horse. This was done without a model. The sculpture also captures the "life movement" - a nice "s" curve from above. The photo looks almost like a pen & ink line drawing.
Chieftain's Pride
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Cast Bronze - coffee table size
photo: Tom Kommes I tried to capture the power & grace of the horse. The model was done in oil clay. I did use a model for this work for the the anatomy. A rubber mold was made so I could make an edition of 10 casts in bronze. |
Rapture
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Mixed Media - recycled yard clippings & copper wire - 10 ft figure, no model
photo: Lorri Extrom It all started when my wife, Eve, asked me to cut the lilac trees in the back- yard. I cut the branches, peeled the leaves off, & soaked them in both bath tubs for several days. Then I started twisting, weaving, & tying them together on the ground by the garage. The word "rapture" means the state of being carried out of oneself; spiritual or emotional ecstasy. I have always been fascinated with the cliff divers in Mexico. Perhaps, this work is a spiritual self portrait. |
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Transformation of Energy
Mixed Media -Laser cut mirrored stainless steel & painted laser cut aluminum
photo: Lorri Ekstrom
This piece was commissioned by East River Electric in Madison, South Dakota & hangs in their new office. It represents the harnessing of electricity from the river in the upper left, to the conversion in the turbines in the center, to the distribution in the lower right.
photo: Lorri Ekstrom
This piece was commissioned by East River Electric in Madison, South Dakota & hangs in their new office. It represents the harnessing of electricity from the river in the upper left, to the conversion in the turbines in the center, to the distribution in the lower right.
Self Portrait
Terracotta with iron oxide glaze - life size
photo: Mike Black
I did this hollow piece in one evening at Dakota State University without the use of photo or a mirror. It was what I thought I looked like. I did it as an exercise & demonstration for my Ceramic & Sculpture classes. I had a professor in graduate school (Paul Fretts) that said, "Allan is not Allan without his hat" (or Irish cap).
photo: Mike Black
I did this hollow piece in one evening at Dakota State University without the use of photo or a mirror. It was what I thought I looked like. I did it as an exercise & demonstration for my Ceramic & Sculpture classes. I had a professor in graduate school (Paul Fretts) that said, "Allan is not Allan without his hat" (or Irish cap).
The Opening
Mixed Media - Cast bronze, stone, & wood.
Life size
photo:
This self portrait was not done in clay, but jeweler's wax. It was meant to be a prophetic piece of what I would look like in 20 or 30 years with no hair & wrinkles. Inside in the back of the head is an impressionistic couple embraced that are melting. So you can tell what is on the old boy's mind. The body of the large figure is like a landscape. The rocks are like mountains or cliffs with water (four levels of wood) flowing through the opening. Ru Nui Wang, a Chinese friend of mine, said after the fact, that in traditional Chinese art rocks symbolize the male, and water symbolizes the female.
Life size
photo:
This self portrait was not done in clay, but jeweler's wax. It was meant to be a prophetic piece of what I would look like in 20 or 30 years with no hair & wrinkles. Inside in the back of the head is an impressionistic couple embraced that are melting. So you can tell what is on the old boy's mind. The body of the large figure is like a landscape. The rocks are like mountains or cliffs with water (four levels of wood) flowing through the opening. Ru Nui Wang, a Chinese friend of mine, said after the fact, that in traditional Chinese art rocks symbolize the male, and water symbolizes the female.
Sunbather Alone
Bronze
photos: Brett Gustin & Cathy Cruise. The photo on the left is the clay model taken by the photography instructor at Virginia Intermont College in Bristol, Virginia.
I started this sculpture in 1985 or 86 in Bristol, Tennessee using a French Canadian model. I carried this oil clay model in a plexiglass aquarium across the country in my un - air conditioned car in 1990 and it melted. I was heart broken, I had to do the sculpture all over. I wanted to create a sculpture that portrayed a sun bather alone, that was totally unaware of the viewer and was just into the sensual experience of the sun, sand, and water.
photos: Brett Gustin & Cathy Cruise. The photo on the left is the clay model taken by the photography instructor at Virginia Intermont College in Bristol, Virginia.
I started this sculpture in 1985 or 86 in Bristol, Tennessee using a French Canadian model. I carried this oil clay model in a plexiglass aquarium across the country in my un - air conditioned car in 1990 and it melted. I was heart broken, I had to do the sculpture all over. I wanted to create a sculpture that portrayed a sun bather alone, that was totally unaware of the viewer and was just into the sensual experience of the sun, sand, and water.
Just Part of the Furniture
Cast bronze
photo: Brett Gustin
This humorous piece was done without a model. But it was done by memory of my father. He was the ultimate couch potato. It was like he was married to his chair. He sat so long in the chair, he was upholstered in it. I didn't want to do a figure sitting on a chair, but a figure sitting in a chair. He and the chair had become one. This is the first sculpture I did in Madison, South Dakota after I was hired as an art professor at Dakota State University in 1990.
photo: Brett Gustin
This humorous piece was done without a model. But it was done by memory of my father. He was the ultimate couch potato. It was like he was married to his chair. He sat so long in the chair, he was upholstered in it. I didn't want to do a figure sitting on a chair, but a figure sitting in a chair. He and the chair had become one. This is the first sculpture I did in Madison, South Dakota after I was hired as an art professor at Dakota State University in 1990.
Close Knit Family
Cast Bronze
photo: Allyson Nagel
"Close Knit Family" is perhaps a fantasy. The mother, father, and grown son are embraced and interwoven together as a single unit. This piece also melted from the morning light from a 6 ft sky light in my studio in downtown Madison in October, 1998. I came into my studio. It had melted from the sun and fallen off the sculpture stand, and was laying on the floor smashed. I also had to reconstruct this piece.
photo: Allyson Nagel
"Close Knit Family" is perhaps a fantasy. The mother, father, and grown son are embraced and interwoven together as a single unit. This piece also melted from the morning light from a 6 ft sky light in my studio in downtown Madison in October, 1998. I came into my studio. It had melted from the sun and fallen off the sculpture stand, and was laying on the floor smashed. I also had to reconstruct this piece.
Chase I
Cast bronze
photo:
This was my first attempt at the "Chase". I made the model in wax. I poured the melted wax in an old cookie pan that Eve gave me about 1/4 inch thick. Then I cut out the figures with an exacto knife and used the excess wax in small pieces to build the positive figures going through the cut outs in the wall.
I believe, I made the ceramic shell mold with Marvin Tadlock's help at Virginia Intermont College. I think Marvin & I poured this piece at night in the snow. It was an awesome experience.
The photo on the left shows the male running blindly chasing after the woman. The photo on the right shows the woman running after another man. The chase is eternal.
photo:
This was my first attempt at the "Chase". I made the model in wax. I poured the melted wax in an old cookie pan that Eve gave me about 1/4 inch thick. Then I cut out the figures with an exacto knife and used the excess wax in small pieces to build the positive figures going through the cut outs in the wall.
I believe, I made the ceramic shell mold with Marvin Tadlock's help at Virginia Intermont College. I think Marvin & I poured this piece at night in the snow. It was an awesome experience.
The photo on the left shows the male running blindly chasing after the woman. The photo on the right shows the woman running after another man. The chase is eternal.
Open Relationship
Mixed Media - Cast bronze & painted wood base
photo: Allan Fisher
I made this model with wax. This photo is of the side view of the sculpture. The front view is of a clueless male (positive) with his arm around his lady (negative image of a woman). So this view is from the male's point of view. The male is delusional. She is not there. All that is there is a shell of her. That is what he has his arm around. In the side view we see that she has slipped out the back door of the relationship. On the back side, we see the woman who is freaked out & all that is left of the male is a fossil of where he used to be. This is the relationship from the woman's point of view. As we go around the other side, we notice that the club we thought he was holding in his hand is the emerging figure of another female figure. This is the cause of this disaster & broken relationship. The painted wooden base is in the form of a figure eight ( the symbol of infinity) that has been broken by this open relationship. The wax model was built in Bristol, Tennessee and cast in Johnson City.
photo: Allan Fisher
I made this model with wax. This photo is of the side view of the sculpture. The front view is of a clueless male (positive) with his arm around his lady (negative image of a woman). So this view is from the male's point of view. The male is delusional. She is not there. All that is there is a shell of her. That is what he has his arm around. In the side view we see that she has slipped out the back door of the relationship. On the back side, we see the woman who is freaked out & all that is left of the male is a fossil of where he used to be. This is the relationship from the woman's point of view. As we go around the other side, we notice that the club we thought he was holding in his hand is the emerging figure of another female figure. This is the cause of this disaster & broken relationship. The painted wooden base is in the form of a figure eight ( the symbol of infinity) that has been broken by this open relationship. The wax model was built in Bristol, Tennessee and cast in Johnson City.
Revolving Relationship
Cast bronze
photos: Allan Fisher
This sculpture changes as you move around the piece. The photo on the left is the front side of the finished bronze piece. In it, we see the negative image of a woman. It is a cocoon of where she used to be. We see positive & negative dancing. The photo on the right is a photo of the backside of the wax model. In it, we see the transformation of negative to positive - two positive images of women dancing together. The original title of "Revolving relationship" was "Dance with the Tranquil Void". The original drawing for the sculpture was done on Argonne avenue, in Mid Town, Atlanta, Georgia. The original model was done life size on the beach with sand at Saint Simon's Island, Georgia as a relief sculpture very similar to the photo on the left. I started digging out the negative shape of a woman (hole in the sand), and with the excess sand that I dug out of the hole, I constructed a positive relief of another woman. This sand model or beach sculpture was done on our honeymoon (March, 1979)
photos: Allan Fisher
This sculpture changes as you move around the piece. The photo on the left is the front side of the finished bronze piece. In it, we see the negative image of a woman. It is a cocoon of where she used to be. We see positive & negative dancing. The photo on the right is a photo of the backside of the wax model. In it, we see the transformation of negative to positive - two positive images of women dancing together. The original title of "Revolving relationship" was "Dance with the Tranquil Void". The original drawing for the sculpture was done on Argonne avenue, in Mid Town, Atlanta, Georgia. The original model was done life size on the beach with sand at Saint Simon's Island, Georgia as a relief sculpture very similar to the photo on the left. I started digging out the negative shape of a woman (hole in the sand), and with the excess sand that I dug out of the hole, I constructed a positive relief of another woman. This sand model or beach sculpture was done on our honeymoon (March, 1979)
Blind Man
Cast bronze
photo: Allan Fisher
This impressionistic piece is very small. I made the model with tiny pieces of wax very roughly & quickly. I think it was cast at the Radford University foundry in 1988. The model was made at Marlbrook Drive, Atlanta, Georgia in 1980. "Blind Man" was purchased by a French professor at my Graduate show at Radford University. I have always loved Breugal's painting "The blind leading the blind". In my "Blind Man", one hand is protecting the face and the other is out stretched, groping in the dark, trying to find the correct path.
photo: Allan Fisher
This impressionistic piece is very small. I made the model with tiny pieces of wax very roughly & quickly. I think it was cast at the Radford University foundry in 1988. The model was made at Marlbrook Drive, Atlanta, Georgia in 1980. "Blind Man" was purchased by a French professor at my Graduate show at Radford University. I have always loved Breugal's painting "The blind leading the blind". In my "Blind Man", one hand is protecting the face and the other is out stretched, groping in the dark, trying to find the correct path.
Nuclear Man
Cast aluminum - life size figure
photos: Paul Johnson
"Nuclear Man is a very powerful image done in a cubist style. This is the first major piece of sculpture that I have ever done. I started it in 1971 and completed it in 1973 in Atlanta, Georgia. It was the largest piece of sculpture ever cast at the foundry at Georgia State University. The sand cast mold was 1700 lbs. "Nuclear Man" was done as a warning. It had the same feeling as some of the figures that were covered with lava in Pompeii, Italy. It was like a figure that was knocked down & was trying to get back up. The sculpture was hollow & weighed about 130 lbs. I chose to do it in aluminum because bronze was too expensive & too heavy. It originally was designed to stand in a corner, but I liked it with no arm & leg reclining. The holes in the figure were also mistakes in the casting which I enhanced in the finishing. Eve, by accident, knocked off a few fingers while mowing the grass. But, as the sculptor, David Smith, said, "If you want to know when the sculpture is finished, roll it down the hill, and whatever falls off was unnecessary." So "Nuclear Man" is completed. This sculpture has been all over the country, but now is in the private collection of Paul Johnson, Madison, South Dakota.
photos: Paul Johnson
"Nuclear Man is a very powerful image done in a cubist style. This is the first major piece of sculpture that I have ever done. I started it in 1971 and completed it in 1973 in Atlanta, Georgia. It was the largest piece of sculpture ever cast at the foundry at Georgia State University. The sand cast mold was 1700 lbs. "Nuclear Man" was done as a warning. It had the same feeling as some of the figures that were covered with lava in Pompeii, Italy. It was like a figure that was knocked down & was trying to get back up. The sculpture was hollow & weighed about 130 lbs. I chose to do it in aluminum because bronze was too expensive & too heavy. It originally was designed to stand in a corner, but I liked it with no arm & leg reclining. The holes in the figure were also mistakes in the casting which I enhanced in the finishing. Eve, by accident, knocked off a few fingers while mowing the grass. But, as the sculptor, David Smith, said, "If you want to know when the sculpture is finished, roll it down the hill, and whatever falls off was unnecessary." So "Nuclear Man" is completed. This sculpture has been all over the country, but now is in the private collection of Paul Johnson, Madison, South Dakota.