In Loving Memory of Patsy… The Pose

I spoke to Howard, Patsy’s husband, and asked him for as many photographs of Patsy as possible. These photographs are necessary for me to obtain a likeness of Patsy, but more than that, sometimes I think I can “feel” Patsy through these photographs. I have been trying to pay close attention to this study and the sculpting of Patsy. I search for who she is in everything. Howard brought by Patsy’s shoes and dress. This is an incredible thing for me to sculpt from. On my first day in the studio, before beginning to sculpt, I sat alone with Patsy’s dress and shoes, and I thought a lot about her. There are several of the photosraphs that Howard has given to me of Patsy that when I look at them they just really get to me.

If you are a friend or family member of Patsy and can post comments and feelings about Patsy, I would greatly appreciate it. If they are personal, please e-mail them to me at bridgette@creativesculpture.com and put "Patsy comments" in the subject line. All of these comments help me to know Patsy better.

Patsy, my newest project

I am utilizing my studies at Vermont College and incorporating this semester’s work into my newest projects. One of which, is the lifesize bronze sculpture of Patsy. I have decided to take a very close look at how I create posthumous portraiture. People always say that my sculptures are so life-like and have such spirit to them. It is easy to say how I do that with those who I have met and come to know, but in this study I am not only going to document the process of sculpting, but I am also going to take a very intimate look at how I do this sort of thing. How do I capture the sprit of a person I have never met? How do I capture the spirit of the deceased? Why do I love doing posthumous portraits? What are the psychological aspects of this type of work for both my client and myself? As I journal the process, I am intending to make it a book, “In Loving Memory of… Capturing the Spirit of the Deceased, a Sculptor's Journey.”

If you are following the sculpture of Patsy, you will quickly be able to find posts that are about the sculpture. They will start with, “In loving memory of Patsy...”

A Perpetual Learner

As if my life is not full enough, I am also back into school. At my age, who would have thought? It feels strange but very natural, and I would not have been able to do it were it not for the residency program at Vermont College Union Institute. It also feels good to be stimulating my brain. The college utilizes what I am doing in my art as a part of my curriculum. So other than reading and documenting my progress, which I do already, I don’t really have a tremendous amount of work. I don’t necessarily need the degree; I just want to add it to my list of accomplishments. I have; however, entertained the idea of teaching art or writing at a college level, and as one college said, “I can see you are a master artist, but do you have a masters degree?”

I have written two articles about going back to school. The first, “Returning to College” was in the March 2005 issue of the Houston Tribune. And, "Past and Future in the Green Mountain State" was in the May 2005 issue of the Houston Tribune.

Distractions

I have a few projects in the studio; however, I am terribly distracted by the building of a new art studio. After over 16 years of working at 1048 West 25th street, my art studio is being torn down. It is sad to see it go, as it has been a part of my inspiration and artistic growth, as well as containing an incredible amount of memories. I wrote about it in the April issue of the Houston Tribune 2005, "Life is Full of change"

It is; however, time for a change. We have decided to build a new studio, which has all of its own ways of distracting and diverting my attention. We expect to be moved in the first of July.

Welcome to Creative Endeavors

I am thrilled to finally have this blog in place and to have it working on my server. I so enjoyed sharing the creative process of the Newsboy sculpture created for the Texas Press Association and intended for the state capitol in Austin.

I had wanted to have a regular newsletter, and there has been a link for those who want to sign up for it on my web site located at http://www.creativesculpture.com. Or, if you would like, you can come back to this blog regularly. It has; however, been a huge task to keep a journal or newsletter in html and archive it myself. When I was introduced to blogging I was sure this would solve the problem. Thanks for your patience in waiting for this creative endeavor.

Please feel free to comment and add suggestions.
Bridgette