Portrait of a Young Poet

I am thankful for the interesting people I meet as I travel down the road of life.

Someone like you,  Alex Gohde:    poet,  actor, musician,  college student, all-around creator.  I was glad you became my daughter’s friend, so that I could meet you too.

Your poetry inspires me, and takes me by surprise, not unlike the unique face you turn to the world.

What a beautiful facial structure, such gentle green eyes, and every feature so classically spaced!  Thank you Alex, for letting me share your poetry in word and form.  Thanks  Be Giving.

_____________________________

Broken Bottle and Styrofoam Cup

In ruins from our wreckless collision
Listless from crashing into you

But I bet you have a few honeydews
Packed away in your purse
Wish I could be your avocado,
But it seems for fruit I’ve turned the worse

Sour sort of wine
The product of pits and rhines

You’re lips will have no touch to my glass
In fact I’m sure you will never thirst again
And here in this cheap carton, I ferment
No desire have you to break bread or share a drink between
Who we once were, friends.

~Alex Gohde (c. 2009)

Make your Own Candle

It’s easy to make your own candle.  My prototype  is complex but simple forms are usually best  for candles. Hover over each image to see  the steps that I take, or double click on the  image to enlarge:

Air-dried clay can be bought at Walmart or Dick Blick’s

I glued this form Upside down to a board with hot glue, after I straightened the top

Here I used sheet metal and tape to make the Mother Mold. Be creative! Remember, you must be able to open this outer mold after silicone has been poured in.

Slice through silicone with a sharp knife to remove prototype

Some forms require support from the Mother Mold, this one did not. I added fragrance & color from www.justbynature.com.

Candle may be painted using wax paint from www.Uchida.com

To save you a lot of aggravation I have a couple of important tips that I have learned along the way.

1.  You can use a variety of products to cast your mold with.  Smooth On is a great company with helpful videos and numerous products for the job at hand.  Be very aware that the Platinum cure silicons will NOT set up if you use plasticine clay for your prototype so don’t use it.  For small projects, Walmart or Dick Blick’s have good air-dried clays.

2. Silicone sneaks out of any little crevice, so your wooden box mold (or metal as I have used here), MUST be leak proof.  After you have screwed up all the edges, (or taped it as I have done here), use a hot glue gun to  glue the box down around your sculpture, and then run glue up  along all edges to make a tight seal.  Run it around the bottom as well, and have it ready to use should you find it beginning to leak as you are pouring in the silicone.

3.  When you are pouring your candle wax into the prepared mold,  pour about a third at a time, and rotate the mold allowing it to flow into undercuts and eliminate air bubbles.  At tricky  spots that tend to create missed areas, you can rub with a tool of some kind to allow the wax to get into those areas.

Good Luck!  Hope you have as much fun creating candles as I’m having.  The smell of real beeswax is so intoxicating you might just decide to take up beekeeping as I did!

Putting on or Painting on

It’s that time of year where we’re thinking about our Halloween faces once again.  On Facebook I’ve been compeled to paint my face a time or two already.

I have a favorite TV celebrity face, and I realized just the other day I love this face because it is almost perfect as a mask!

I simply can not watch CNN without analyzing the interesting face of Anderson Cooper!  There is something inherently stylized in the nearly rectangular top and sides of his head, enhanced by the crisp cut of his hair.  The perfect triangular jaw  is echoed by the V  and the suggested X of his dress collar.  And I am so intrigued by how the lines of the head continue visually down the front of the suit almost as if they  were drawn in the geometricizing technique of a Manga or  Anime artist.

In fact Mr. Anderson Cooper, you actually remind me of the perfect anime man.    I am certain this entitles you to one Free Portrait Bust! You may redeem  your coupon at  any time.

You, Ms. Steph…

You have a beautiful face Ms. Steph.  I really like that you color your hair a similar color as your eyes!

If I were to create your portrait in clay, I would definitely emphasize your peek-a-boo haircut, and I would work hard with the final finish color to capture the rich tone of that hair and  your striking, almost auburn eyes.  The shape of your lips is a lovely feature that I would play up also.

Personality?  Well yes, a lot of it, thank you very much! Tough girl, brave girl, animal lover, musician, good cook, survivor, smart, capable, energetic, dedicated, spirited, a little bit of trouble, a whole lot of nice.  There would be a wealth of internal information to work with in creating a portrait of you!

It sure is fun to know you, Steph. Thanks for letting me share your face.

“The Statues”

The Statues by William Butler Yeats

Pythagoras planned it. Why did the people stare?
His numbers, though they moved or seemed to move
In marble or in bronze, lacked character.
But boys and girls, pale from the imagined love
Of solitary beds, knew what they were,
That passion could bring character enough,
And pressed at midnight in some public place
Live lips upon a plummet-measured face. ~

The statue at left is a lovely lady that I have sculpted, soon to be cast as a candle. What fun to have a nude candle!

I am currently preparing the piece to be molded. CHECK BACK SOON for the finished product.

Fragile Flossie

I live near a beautiful cemetery that is edged on three sides by untamed woods.  I decided since it was so lovely this afternoon I would take a walk and search the edges for wild berries.  Along the way I found this striking portrait of Flossie on an oval,  gravestone cameo. 

Dear Flossie, her delicate face, made all the more touching by the damage to her porcelain cameo.  What lovely memorials are these gravestone images.

Though Flossie has been buried now for almost 100 years, there is something about her spirit that continues to shine in this portrait.

As far back as 100 B.C. the Roman Egyptian culture at Fayum was painting grave portraits of distinctive individual persons.  These are not just generic faces, but  portraits  like Flossie’s,  which give us a glimpse into the life of one man, one woman, one child. 

In this portrait of a young woman we see unique characterisitcs: the rather large ears, and  a love for jewelry displayed.  We can imagine that in death she has been painted wearing her very favorite earrings.

A portrait bust without a  spark of life is not complete.  This spark is the very essence of what I seek to find, to create,  as a portrait sculptor  working with  their clay material. I will be happy to work with you to create a very special and spirited custom bust.

Portrait statue of Robert Wadlow

I visited Alton Illinois yesterday, just down the road from me, to photograph the Robert Wadlow statue.

Perhaps you have heard of this man who is on record as being the tallest man that ever lived.  Weighing in at 490 pounds, and at 8′11″ tall it is a wonder to stand next to him! Below is a picture of Robert with his father.

Aesthetically speaking,  I would like to have seen the statue’s head & neck  sculpted a little broader and the glasses included.  (Please see comments about the glasses below.)  I enjoyed  how the artist has captured the ackward stance of such a large figure.

Next to the Wadlow statue is a bronze replica of an extra large chair made especially for him. It was 95 degrees out so I sat in this chair for only a couple of seconds!

The Foliated Cross

BFC13

A long time personal favorite symbol, the Foliated Cross is very ancient.  Sometimes called a “floriated cross” this crucifix form, with arms ending in leaves or encircled with living vines is a natural expression of the unstoppable force of life.

Cultures as far cast as the Mesoamerican Mayans in 690 A.D., and the Medieval carvers and manuscript artists of the Early Middle Ages (1,000 A.D.) incorporated this symbol into their art forms.

Similarily, even the ancient Greeks as early as the 6th century  B.C. breathed Life into inanimate stone, by adding budding volutes to the ends of their Ionic Columns.

The unique Foliated Cross Candle pictured at top, is cast in a mixture of beeswax and soy,  and is available immediately for purchase  by clicking HERE.

You can order a custom-made candle in any form that YOU can imagine by contacting me at:  Lydia@SculptedPortrait.com, or by calling me at:  (618) 664-0068.

“The Portrait” by Stanley Kunitz

A difficult but touching portrait of familial tragedy in a poem by American poet lauriet, Stanley Kunitz:

THE PORTRAIT

My mother never forgave my father
for killing himself,
especially at such an awkward time
and in a public park,
that spring
when I was waiting to be born.
She locked his name
in her deepest cabinet
and would not let him out,
though I could hear him thumping.
When I came down from the attic
with the pastel portrait in my hand
of a long-lipped stranger
with a brave moustache
and deep brown level eyes,
she ripped it into shreds
without a single word
and slapped me hard.
In my sixty-fourth year
I can feel my cheek
still burning.

http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2006/05/15/obituaries/16kunitz_ready.html

Commission A Candle

At Sculpted Portrait we are offering a UNIQUE & REASONABLE  service!

Does your church make use of the beautiful light of many candles?  Have you considered honoring the life of your parish saint by giving them form as one of these flickering candles?   We could design this for you, and cast them in pure botanical waxes.  What a special & unique gift these hand made candles would make!

Does your school have a special theme, event  or mascot that could be promoted in a smashing! new way  through custom designed candles?

Could your wedding be made even more memorable with personal candles designed just by you?

IF YOU CAN IMAGINE IT………I CAN CREATE IT!