Creative Endeavors Blog by Bridgette Mongeon

Today I had a virtual birthday party for my daughter.

noreply@blogger.com (isculpt) — Mon, 12 May 2008 01:32:00 +0000

Yes indeed. I had a virtual party. You see it is monther's day and my daughter Christina Diliberto's 23rd birthday. Unable to be together, with her in Tulsa and me in Houston I posted a virtual birthday party on her face book. I posted several photographs of her as a baby and commented and tagged them. If your on facebook here is a link. Then I noted that when she was born there was a wonderful big band station here in Houston. I called them and told them that she came in time to make me a mother on mothers day. I asked them to dedicate a song to my new baby. They picked "Aint she sweet" I found this wonderful video of the Big chicken chorus singing the song and posted that on face book as well. I laughed so hard.

LEts see if these links work to show you a few photographs.
Hanging at the pool, or at the beach. Some things never change .

mom and baby

From an early age Christina embraced nakedness and loved the feel of the boys buns. Even those who were too embarrassed to show their face.

You are the cats pajamas! Fierce in your endeavors, taking along a clown or a few laughs.

At this VIRTUAL BIRTHDAY PARTY we had
henna painting
butt sketches.
a margarita machine
petting zoo
serenade by the big chicken chorus
stuffed mushrooms, baked ziti, and salad
then Cirque du Soleil performed! What a great ongoing virtual birthday party! ( PS, pretty easy on the budget as well.)

Proportions and tears

noreply@blogger.com (isculpt) — Thu, 08 May 2008 14:33:00 +0000

The box of persona effects is set out on a black piece of velvet. My chair is pulled up to the table as I ponder the photographs. The chair is my own daughter Fisher Price wooden high chair, something that she used as a child and I continue to use in my studio. It is my gauge for weight gain and width of my own hips. "I wonder what Jenna's high chair was like?" I wonder a lot about Jenna. The moment I sit down at the table and pick up the items, the emotions begin.

I put in the CD sent by Jenna's mom, songs that she played to, and songs that will be played at her service. " An now the time is near...” My Way is playing on the CD and as I look at the pictures of the family their happiness. Then the gateway is open between the connections I have with Jenna's mom and the tears and sadness begin to flow. My heart aches to hold a child I have never known.

I have gone through this process long enough to know this is a very strange occurrence, picking up the feelings of my client that are opened up because of our emotional bonds (see former posts).

It has taken me years to learn how to control the emotions, during the process of sculpting posthumous sculpture, as they feel they are mine, they could quickly overwhelm me. "Not mine." I hear myself whispering deep inside, but just enough.

I feel as if I am testing the waters, allowing myself to touch and be touched, but only enough. Learning to say " not mine" has given me sanity in this process. First I must recognize the feelings as not my own. Some people term this "Psychic empathy". I don't know what to call it, I just know it is there, and I now know how to work through it. I have written a lot about this in the book. I really do need to find a publisher for that book.

29.9 inches long. This is a measurement that has been given to me by Jenna’s mom. How tall is she while she is sitting? I look for pictures of her standing up, or being held standing up and then for her sitting down. My husband, also an artist comes down as I show him my sewing tape with 29.9" marked off. We examine the dress, my brain switches gears and I am in another part, no emotion, just proportion, compare, compare, compare. We have decided 19 inches while seated. With this number the foam armature and structure can be built. I expect to be sculpting Jenna by Monday or Tuesday. The armature will be here and the Richard Hathaway waxes will be at the foundry. I can't wait to play with Jenna.

No interruptions please…

noreply@blogger.com (isculpt) — Tue, 06 May 2008 15:16:00 +0000

While looking through Jenna’s box of personal effects the foster dog ( we foster animals from time to time, Sam short of Samantha is a big black lab puppy). Anyway… Sam came in wanting to smell Jenna’s clothes. I am so enthralled in the box, I hardly notice her at first. Then picking up a small moo can, an item from Jenna’s box, I turn it over and hear the sound of a small cow. Sam cocks her head. If Jenna were here she would be laughing so hard at Sam’s face. Again. I hear myself saying, as Sam turns her head again. We repeat this over and over and I feel I can hear Jenna giggling.

Soon I order Sam out of the studio. The game was fun, but I need to have time alone with these items. I am very possessive and don’t want anyone to touch the items until I have had my time with them, not even a very interested dog nose. I know that sounds strange. I’m not sure why I do this. I remember being short with a fellow student who tried to reach into the box of Dick Hathaway’s personal effects. It is very strange indeed.

Jenna’s box of personal effects arrived the other day.

noreply@blogger.com (isculpt) — Tue, 06 May 2008 14:58:00 +0000

I could not wait for the time to open it. Open a box, which was packed in tears and memories of a special person who touched so many in her 14 months on earth. It is important that I carve out just the correct time to go through this ritual. I have opened many boxes before, in creating posthumous sculpture. IT is a ceremonial event, which consists of the same things but with drastically different “feelings”. It is the feelings that I am looking for, the feelings attached to each article by the loved one, the feelings of the person that belonged to these items. The feeling and essence of the individual that I will be desperately trying to coax into the clay sculpture.

I unwrapped the dress and stocking that were carefully wrapped in paper and tucked into a plastic bag marked "Jenna's dress" and thought about how unusual it was that my 3D model baby is wearing similar dress. Marveled at how very tiny this dress looks in person, much smaller than in the online photographs that I have seen. “Oh look at these stockings!” I declare. With there little pattern, I could almost see her little chubby legs filling out the tights. “Toes or tights”, I wonder. Tights are easier to sculpt than toes, but those toes…

Then I surprise myself as I perform a ritual that I have done with a piece of clothing from Jenna’s box, a ritual that I have done with each box of each subject that has come before Jenna—Patsy, Lucas, Jeanine and others. I raised her tights to my face and breathed in the smell. “ Is this Jenna, her home smell, or laundry detergent,” I wonder?

a pause of contemplation...

Count Down...

noreply@blogger.com (isculpt) — Tue, 06 May 2008 13:48:00 +0000

To the sculpture of Jenna. I am trying to bring the Jenna Sculpture to Main when I bring the Dick Hathaway sculpture to Vermont. That is at the end of August. The foundry reports I must have Jeanna in mold for the bronze casting by the end of this month- May. It takes a while to go through the bronze process. I have ulterior motives in that I would really like Jenna's mom to have her before Jenna's birthday. That way they can celebrate, maybe have an unveiling at the gravesite.

This sculpture will be done a bit differently using new technology.. stay tuned.

white pressed clothes... I could dance...

noreply@blogger.com (isculpt) — Mon, 05 May 2008 15:45:00 +0000

Often after working on such a large project as the sculpture of Dick Hathaway, and the creating of the mold, the studio is a mess. Prior to that the studio is filled with sculpture, clay stained floors, the way a sculpture studio should be, I suppose.

My attire for the last few weeks has been grubby clothes that get even grubbier with putting the rubber and plaster on the molds.

NOT TODAY! The molds are done, the floor is clean (with a great deal of thanks to my apprentice Russo ). Today I put on pressed clothes. Of course I am working in the office instead of the studio. I am thrilled that the large studio floor is free from obstruction. What does that mean? I CAN DANCE! Literally!
I like to dance for exercise, turn on the tunes and start moving. Sometimes my husband joins me and we will practice our waltz, jitterbug, two step, fox trot or cha cha.

The Jenna sculpture needs to be in clay by next week. A quick turn around, but she is little and will take only a small amount of space. So... I HAVE PRESSED CLOTHES ON! A WHITE SHIRT, AND NOW I CAN DANCE!

New online article-

noreply@blogger.com (isculpt) — Sun, 04 May 2008 17:17:00 +0000

Using the computer and Poser in the Sculpture Studio

A new online article about using the computer program Poser to create presentations and reference for sculpture. The May issue of the online Magazine Best of Artists and Artisans online blog.

Article that I wrote on "Optimizing your Presence on the Interent"

noreply@blogger.com (isculpt) — Fri, 02 May 2008 17:26:00 +0000

Is now available in the new Sculptural Pursuit Magazine Summer 2008 “Optimize Your Presence on the Internet.” Vol.7 No.2 (Summer 2008) 53.

The wining pose and her butterfly!

noreply@blogger.com (isculpt) — Thu, 01 May 2008 14:09:00 +0000

Here is the pose that we decided on for Jenna. Yesterday my husband helped me to create a 3D butterfly for her finger. I'm glad he did as it prompted me to take her hand out a bit further from her face. I'm going to be creating Jenna a bit differently than any other sculpture that I have done before, stay tuned for the details.

Off to the foundry!

noreply@blogger.com (isculpt) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 23:55:00 +0000

The 6 molds went to the foundry today. I always like taking a picture of the inside of the mold of the face. It looks so strange. I still have 3 more to make. Can't wait for this week to be over with.

Messy, Messy, Messy!

noreply@blogger.com (isculpt) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 23:48:00 +0000

Once shims are put into the sculpture to create a parting line the rubber is painted on. Then each side receives the mother mold made of plaster. My hands go through a dry week as I mix each batch of plaster with my hands. When it kicks and begins to cure it does so very quickly. The means haste in putting on the coat of plaster. This is why my studio is an absolute disaster right now. Plaster is everywhere, including spots on the cabinets, the phone, the tv remote and all over me. Just a few more days of this mess. That is not a birds nest on professor Hathaway's rubber face, it is hemp that is added to the plaster to make it strong.

Professor Hathaway has gone to pieces! This is not for the weak of heart.

noreply@blogger.com (isculpt) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 23:39:00 +0000

It is all part of the process. Not for the weak of heart. We have spent many months perfecting the sculpture only to cut it to pieces in the end. Each of these pieces will have rubber painted on top of them. Then a mother mold is added on top. They call it a mother mold because it holds the rubber in place. This process is grueling work. It will probably take me an entire week of long hours to complete all of the molds. The sculpture is cut up into 9 pieces.

Off with his head, his arms and...

noreply@blogger.com (isculpt) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 23:29:00 +0000

My apprentice, Russo, and I began the mold making process of the Dick Hathaway sculpture which consists of cutting him up into smaller sections. This freaked Russo out, especially when we cut off the head of the sculpture. My favorite tool in this process is my reciprocating saw. I love this tool, it also comes in handy when trying to divide plants in the garden! I laughed so hard at the expression on Russo's face as we cut off the body parts and she handed them to me.

The completed sculpture before the mold making

noreply@blogger.com (isculpt) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 23:27:00 +0000

Here is a photograph of the Dick Hathaway sculpture just before he went into mold.

My apprentice is an exchange student

noreply@blogger.com (isculpt) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 23:25:00 +0000

I have not posted anything about Russo yet. She is an exchange student that has been helping me in the studio. Here is a picture of her working on Professor Hathaway. Russo is from Georgia.

It pays to pay someone who knows what they are doing

noreply@blogger.com (isculpt) — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 22:02:00 +0000

I am excited because I have hired a professional to help with some areas of my website that I just could not figure out, and they did it! There is a bit more they will do and you will soon see this blog with a header and the colors of my http://www.creativesculpture.com website!

For those of you interested in what this absolutely cleaver person did...

My gift collectibles site, God's Word Collectibles, is a merchants site, which basically means it is a shopping cart. They do not provide a blog, and I was told I could not put a blog on the site because it would compromise security. I needed a blog because I will soon be putting up a podcast and I wanted a blog to go along with the podcast. ( the podcast is sponsored by the God's Word Collectible site. Here is the cool thing- we made a blogger blog look like my merchants site. If you want to see this fancy trick just go to http://www.godsword.net and then click on the link that says blog and podcast. They look alike. I'm thrilled.

Can't wait to see this blog change its appearance! This is magic!

It is all in the details.

noreply@blogger.com (isculpt) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 22:48:00 +0000

Just finishing up the details on this sculpture. You can read more about the entire project at http://www.dickhathaway.blogspot.com

This life size sculpture has been in my studio for almost 2 years. usually these life size pieces take anywhere from 6 months to a year. Professor Hathaway was a project where I donated over $16,000 to the project and the people of Montpelier who knew and loved Professor Hathaway donated the rest. It took them some time to get the money raised and sent.

I hold off on creating all of the fine detail until just before it goes to the foundry, otherwise the detail might be ruined as it is touched, or accidentally bumped. This is the sculpture that is also featured in my videos. Soon he will be home in Montpelier Vermont.

A new sculpture and a worthy cause

noreply@blogger.com (isculpt) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 22:18:00 +0000

I mentioned that I was creating a sculpture of a woman and child on a rock for a special music presentation by the Houston Choral society. Here is a phtogoraph of the completed sculpture and information about the event.
http://www.houstonchoral.org/season
May 2, 2008

Concert at 7:30 p.m.
Our special 20th Anniversary event to be held in the Cullen Theater at the Wortham Center. We will present a commissioned work by Adolphus Hailstork. This concert is a fund-raising event for Neighborhood Centers Inc., a private, nonprofit agency that provides social services to hundreds of thousands of Houston’s low-income children, families and senior citizens.

Is it paranormal or....

noreply@blogger.com (isculpt) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 13:06:00 +0000

imagination? I asked this question in the book that I wrote on sculpting the deceased ( still looking for a publisher) I have had a difficult time with the terms paranormal or psychic, so calling it my imagination appears to be safer.

If you ask some of the parents of my subjects if there is a connection between myself and the deceased they would most likely say yes. One mother said she was almost jelouse. Though most don't realize that my connection, if there is one is through their love and the bonds that they share.

This morning in the space between awake and asleep I was holding a baby. She slept so soundly and the feeling, as it is when you are holding a sleeping baby, was amazing. I kissed her forehead, and breathed in that baby smell. In my joy of that moment I asked, "who do you belong to?" I know of no babies in my awakening state. No sooner had I said it that the thought came into my mind. This is Jenna! Because I was in that in between state the thought of holding Jenna woke me up. Quickly I closed my eyes and tried to lull myself back to sleep to study her. Look at her features and I always want to look at the hands. I only returned momentarily.

Picking a pose for a sculpture to represent a life lived.

noreply@blogger.com (isculpt) — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 21:15:00 +0000

It can’t be easy trying to pick a pose of your child that you want to represent an entire life, the emotion between two individuals or this special persons interaction with the entire world. I think for the most part both Jenna’s mom and I depend on intuition, or maybe even a little guidance from Jenna. Taking some suggestions from Jenna’s mom on a possible revision of poses I raised the head, but intuitively the hand needed to be raised. The pose is the same otherwise.

How about taking out the lower part of the headstone? It changes the feel of the sculpture entirely. Something we may or may not want to consider. When I first saw pictures of Jenna I thought, “she will be in ballet or perhaps Cirque du Soleil" She just seemed to have an intuition about her own body and expressed all emotion through it.

Looking over the few photographs that I have on my computer she is constantly raising one leg. I am really not sure how she did this without losing her balance. I guess I call it a body squeal. Her body cannot contain the joy. I gave her this same enthusiasm in the one-seated post but took out the idea of her sock and replaced it with a butterfly (represented in the poser figure as a ball). I pulled her headstone behind her a bit so as to balance her in her squeal.

Jenna’s mom often referred to the finger plays that they used to do together. I know very little about them but if I close my eyes I can picture Jenna’s enthusiasm, her verbal and body squeals. I pushed the creativity a bit further and decided to shape Jenna’s left hand in a different pose. Instead of an open hand or a pointing finger that might appear in this pose, I shaped her left hand into the sign language shape for “I love you”. As a hidden message to her family and a representation of this very precious game between mom and child.

It was down to the two poses, crawling over the headstone, and taking off the sock. Now I put more things in the mix. I don’t know if this will confuse Jenna’s parents or help them solidify the process. From past experiences of creating posthumous sculpture it usually just all works itself out.

Don’t you just love this Poser program! Making changes and seeing it from all directions is so wonderful.
If you want to see any of the photographs larger, just click on the image.

Memorial pose number 3

noreply@blogger.com (isculpt) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 23:45:00 +0000

I worked on one last pose for Jenna. This one shows a 3Dimage of her trying to crawl up on a headstone and touch a butterfly (indicated as a ball on the headstone). Now it will be up to Jenna's mom to decide on a pose. Modifications will be made as we work through the process. I have at times had epiphanies while sculpting. Changed a pose entirely even after the client and I decided on one. That happened with Patsy. Even though the client was at the photo sitting for the pose, I called them later and said, “I don’t think Patsy would sit this way.” As it turns out they felt the same thing but knew I was so far along on the sculpture they did not know if they could change it. They were relieved that I was intuitive enough to pick up on it, and glad for the change of the pose.

Last night I watched a segment on the public television station about children and cancer. I believe it was called a Lion in the House . It was difficult to watch and made you ever so grateful for your own health and the health of your children. I watched it for Jenna’s mom, for Ellie's Mom and a recent contact of a 17 year old that died of Leukemia. These are such brave souls to have gone through such a fight. I am very honored to memorialize these individuals, to learn about their life and capture their spirit for everyone to see, to give parents “continuing bonds” through posthumous sculpture. I love my job!

More ideas in memory of Jenna

noreply@blogger.com (isculpt) — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 01:43:00 +0000

Notice how each sculpture has a different feel to it? the one with her sitting on the stone alone is a startling feeling. I decided to shorten the stone to see how that would change the feel of the sculpture. I worked on the last one, with the sock, after visiting a headstone store. Believe it or not there is one right next to the Mexican restaurant that we frequent. That is when I noticed the base of some of these stones. It is unusual to have the headstone off center and I pictured her kind of leaning against the stone, the stone should also be rounded on the top. But I can't do that in this program and would work on that in the sketch. I pictured her getting ready to have fun, to experience the tactical sensation of the grass in her toes, her toes being able to wiggle. One sock off and the other literally being pulled from her foot she is distracted by something else.... The angels! I still don't think at this point she knows she has wings. I decided to shorten the stone, by the way I learned they need to be about 6' thick. This give an entirely different feel to the piece. I think I like it better. It focuses on her. It also reminds me of the small grave that I visited on a photo shoot in the cemetery. There is something to be said about the littleness of the stone.

New commission and new technology in the studio

noreply@blogger.com (isculpt) — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 18:16:00 +0000

I can't say that this technology is new, as it has been around a while. It has taken me some time to get my own hands on it and get it in my office. Usually I am sitting next to my husband prompting him, " move this here, move that there." It is stiffling for someone who works with movement to try and direct soemone else. I am thrilled finally have this in my own office. TECHNOLOGY yeah!!!

I am speaking of Poser. Poser is a program that allows you to bring a subject into a virtual reality and pose it. I took the opportunity of having this new project of 14 month old Jenna and she and I have been playing in Poser. Of course poser didn't come with wings or a cherub or a baby. I bought these 3D models, along with several poses from Daz. The total cost was about 55.00 for those extras but was worth it as it save a bunch of time in posing. As soon as I get a chance I'll try to put together a video on how this is done.

The wonderful part about using poser is that I can pose this beautiful model, and then take the camera and view it from all sides, just as if I was walking around the sculpture. It is a great tool. As you can see I am working with several different ideas, each seems to work into another. The one where she is sitting next to the tall memorial I had envisioned her pulling a sock off of her right foot, the other sock will already be off. perhaps in her lap or at her side. We had toyed with the idea of putting a butterfly in the piece. That would work best in the tall sculpture of her standing/climbing. Perhaps a butterfly is on the far side of the memorial headstone.

many of the details like, socks or a butterfly are to time consuming for me to put into these 3D models. But these models are great for me to be able to use in creating sketches for the client. TO SEE THE 3D MODEL LARGER, CLICK ON THE PHOTOGRAPHS

Artists taking action- Please support this.

noreply@blogger.com (isculpt) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 00:32:00 +0000

I wrote an online article about the urgency in supporting the artist deduction bill. Please pass this link on to as many artists as you know asking them to take action. http://www.bestofartists.com/sculpture-blog/

Thanks,
Bridgette

DID SHE KNOW SHE HAD WINGS?

noreply@blogger.com (isculpt) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 23:26:00 +0000

DID SHE KNOW SHE HAD WINGS?
“I don’t think she knew she had wings.” Was a comment I made to Jenna’s mom. That comment keeps feeding me creatively. Together we all play, shoes no shoes, what does she wear, how is she sitting? Images float through my mind of someone I have never known. She appears to have soaked up everything. If she were sitting at the gravesite she would be elated over the soft grass, and the texture of the stone, fascinated and smiling about the wings. Fascinated by the world around her and emitting joy like on of those lights you see in the night sky and can’t help but be drawn to it and wonder, “what is so special that warrants such brightness?” Back and forth in in-mails Jenna’s mom and I go until the formulation of Jenna’s sculpture is just the way it was supposed to be. I’ll know it, because it will feel like it has been that way forever, it is just our journey to discover it. I know that sounds strange but it is what the process is all about.

DO THEY PLAY?
I think about all of the children that I have sculpted. I wonder if somehow they know each other on the other side, Did Casey and Lucas meet Ellie. Are Ellie and Lucas greeting Jenna and showing her around, are the older children, kipper and Jeanine watching on and smiling?

THE BOX
This week I pray as the box of items that will be utilized to create this sculpture are gathered together by Jenna’s mom. It is a sacred ritual and a very intimate time between Jenna and her mother a part of their intimacy that I will soon feel. Emotion is packed with each item as pieces are carefully chosen. Clothes, photographs, video, shoes, special items that will be not just reference but the seeds of emotions that birth this work of art.

JENNA’S MOM
I know you have a name and I never noticed it before, but I prefer to just call you Jenna’s mom. I do hope that is all right. Perhaps it is because I’m trying to find my connection to Jenna, and that is through you. Jenna’s mom is an incredibly honoring title.