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| Rocket's Merry Jet, being packed for her trip to the AAEA exhibit |
From Boise to North Salt Lake, UT, to Independence, KY, over to Lexington, KY and finally up to the Scott County Arts and Cultural Center in Georgetown, KY -- Rocket's Merry Jet made it precisely on time for her debut in a juried show, the American Academy of Equine Art's 2011 Fall Open Juried Exhibition. Thank you Fed Ex.
Whew, made it. The instructions for shipping had a very small window of time to receive deliveries for the show and I was a bit nervous about that.
She's gotten out and about a bit already this year, #1/7 debuted at Boise Art Museum in April in the More than a Pretty Face exhibit.
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| Rocket's Merry Jet at Boise Art Museum, April, 2011 |
Then my copy, AP/7, was at Art Source gallery as part of the Boise Open Studios preview show in early July. That's the nice thing about bronze, it's sturdy enough to put out for public display and not worry that it will get knocked over and broken. Kids stroke her nose, touch her feet to feel the horse shoes and I don't worry.
Commissioned by a local art patron to commemorate her first horse, a beloved black Tennessee Walking Horse mare, this sculpture started out in April of 2010 as a wire skeleton.
I had three black and white show photos of "Rocket's Merry Jet" from the early 1970s to work with. To augment the references I hoped to track down some photos of close relatives; I was very happy when Lesli Kathman was able to find this mare's pedigree in the TWHBEA database. That allowed me to successfully search for photos of the mare's sire, "Sun's Rocket Go Boy", several siblings and cousins.
Even more fine tuning of the pose was required.
Pouring molten bronze into a mold is always a spectacular affair!
And it's very exciting to see the bright shiny bronze version!
The final bit of magic though comes with the application of the patina chemicals, what an art form!
This is the final sculpture that went to the client, a portrait of her first horse, the black TWH mare, known affectionately as "Rocket". A regal mare, I'm told, who gave her owner many years of pleasure both in the show ring and out on the trails of southwestern Idaho.
For my copy of the sculpture, an artist's proof, we experimented with a lighter, more bay-ish color patina. This is the piece that is now in Kentucky for the AAEA exhibit.
Oh my, what a journey "Rocket" has launched me on too!
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Commissioned by a local art patron to commemorate her first horse, a beloved black Tennessee Walking Horse mare, this sculpture started out in April of 2010 as a wire skeleton.
I had three black and white show photos of "Rocket's Merry Jet" from the early 1970s to work with. To augment the references I hoped to track down some photos of close relatives; I was very happy when Lesli Kathman was able to find this mare's pedigree in the TWHBEA database. That allowed me to successfully search for photos of the mare's sire, "Sun's Rocket Go Boy", several siblings and cousins.
The sculptures always look a bit odd in the early stages as the form is built up with wax and clay. The wax gives strength to key underlying structures, which was especially important in this larger piece. The final sculpture is 13.5 inches high and 21 inches long.
I generally prefer to wait until I have roughed in the torso before I start moving the legs into place. There's a better sense of what the final proportions will be and that makes a huge difference in the way I perceive how the legs and the body relate to each other.
We went though a racking phase. The client gently straightened me out on that, plus a trip down to the Utah State Fair last September to watch Tennessee Walkers in action and a visit with a Boise area owner was most helpful.
Even more fine tuning of the pose was required.
The final clay sculpture as it looked before delivery to the foundry in January of 2010.
Pouring molten bronze into a mold is always a spectacular affair!
And it's very exciting to see the bright shiny bronze version!
The final bit of magic though comes with the application of the patina chemicals, what an art form!
This is the final sculpture that went to the client, a portrait of her first horse, the black TWH mare, known affectionately as "Rocket". A regal mare, I'm told, who gave her owner many years of pleasure both in the show ring and out on the trails of southwestern Idaho.
Oh my, what a journey "Rocket" has launched me on too!
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