Pietro Nardini Alpine Climber

Dear Art Lover,

Pietro Nardini, long before I met him

     Last year about this time I met Pietro Nardini on the bus from Pescia to Sorana, Italy.  He is now mid-80s and quite thin.  He is no relation to the Nardini family who owns the last remaining stone quarry in this area called Valleriana, and sadly, Pietro has no family left.  He still chain-smokes with no desire to slow down in that.  We got into a conversation after I called my landlord to confirm that I was on the bus and would arrive to his village in about twenty minutes.  During the call, I handed my phone to Pietro.  It turns out that his house shares a wall with my landlord’s house.  Before we got to Sorana, Pietro asked the bus driver to stop the bus after a bend in the road.  He wanted me to get off!  But all was well.  He had seen my landlord working with a wood pile and did not think that I saw him.

     In late July of this year, I was invited to lunch by a friend and met a family that is new to Sorana, a village in Tuscany.  By chance, they are also neighbors with Pietro.  I do not know if he remembered me or not from the bus, but when he saw me outside, he invited me to come inside his home to see his little private museum. 

     He was a climber of the Alpine mountains!  This entry room to his home, which is upstairs, contains a good collection of minerals and gems, old photos, and mountain climbing and spelunking [caving] gear.  He started out the tour by pointing out an image of him with a cow who has quite the funny expression on her face.  He told me that this was his wife because he was too ugly to have gotten a real woman.

Pietro Nardini on 30 July 2017, in his private museum, Sorana

    Pietro is missing the index finger on his left hand.  I did not ask how.   In one of the photos that I share with you here, he pointed out that he is one of the ones dangling from a wire off the edge of a vertical cliff while the other rescue-workers stood on the flat plane above ready to help. 

One of those two suspended is Pietro.

 

     I hope that you enjoy these images.  I saw Pietro again last week and during Sorana’s annual bean festival [with dinner and dancing in the main square!].  He said that he never eats much and only once per day. It shows.

     I am currently working out details to offer an art workshop, perhaps focusing on anatomy and design since I will have a male model with the class.  This will be in mid-to-late May 2018 and will be near my home in the hills of Tuscany, between Florence and Lucca.  If you are interested and want to send me feedback on what you would like to work on to improve your art or even what you desire to see in Tuscany, please contact me.    

http://BorsheimArts.com/contact.htm

Peace,

Kelly Borsheim, artist

http://BorsheimArts.com

P.S. IF original art, while affordable, is STILL a bit out of your budget, or the piece you adored has sold?  Or do you like arty things in different formats, to surround yourself with art?  Looking for a gift?  See my store online for pillow, phone cases, shower curtains, towels, tote bags, and yes, even prints on metal, wood, canvas, and so much more:

https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/1-kelly-borsheim.html

Happy birthday, Jamshid! 

Pietro shows me some of his favorite old photos of colleagues

A much decorated climber and worker in the Italian Alps

simpatici! 

Direct Carving of Marble Stone

Dear Art Lover,

     Beginnings are often dramatic since change happens quickly and memorably.  Let me share with you today the beginning stone carving stages of the contemporary marble sculpture Back to Back.  A special and limited time offer follows at the end of this blog post.  Please share with friends and fellow art lovers.  

The Creation of the Stone Carving Back to Back Contemporary Art:

    This stone was cut from the marble quarried for the artist's carving of the Gymnast. There was a block cut from above the head of the Gymnast.

     I am a direct carver. That means that I draw directly on the stone and cut what I wish to not have there. The other method is to create a sculpture in some other, more forgiving, material and then "translate it" (copy mathematically) into stone by taking measurements from the original. 

You may see the Gymnast as a work-in-progress (WIP) on the right in the background.

    Is it not easy to fall in love with marble? Even though the two images below were taken during the final sanding and polishing stages, her beauty is quite evident. She looks soft with the right curves in place and the little crystals (seen easier in the image on the right) are such a subtle splendor. 

     The next image showing the lower part of the male torso also gives you an idea of how translucent this Colorado Yule Marble can be when thin enough. I like the contrast that gives me so much change in the light interacting with the stone. The image on the right shows "the wet look." I was having a bit of fun while I was washing off a layer of fine marble dust after sanding, preparing for the next finer level of sandpaper. This sculpture is very touchable, even after the sealer has been added for protection. Enjoy touching and looking! 

     Typically, the Colorado Yule Marble will have either gold or a silver/grey veining. This stone has a thicker and harder grey material the quarrymen call "churt." While some people may prefer a solid white stone, I do not. I like knowing that the original art is a real rock with its own personality. I include here some of my favorite detail shots. They show the uniqueness of this marble, as well as the sensuality and softness of one form melding and changing into another. This next image looks like a meteor shower zipping through bodies of snow -- gorgeous! Enjoy!

Back to Back

Colorado Yule Marble
one of a kind
14" h x 9.5" x 9.5"
© Kelly Borsheim

Ships from Austin, Texas USA

$4600, but if you make at least a down payment before 30 September,  I will also add a 12-inch tall female bronze figure Ten, or the bronze male figure Valentine mounted on stone.  Feel free to share this blog post offer with anyone you think might be interested in it. Thank you!

http://www.borsheimarts.com/sculpture/2002/ten.htm

http://www.borsheimarts.com/sculpture/2002/valentine.htm

 Ten - Left

 Valentine - right

Both bronze wall-hanging sculptures with stone base

For more views of the marble sculpture “Back to Back,” please click here: 

http://www.borsheimarts.com/sculpture/2011/Back2BackMarbleCarving.htm

Tanti auguri di buon compleanno, Nori! 

Peace,

~ Kelly Borsheim, sculptor

http://BorsheimArts.com

Male Model Bronze Warrior

Dear Art Lover,

David Sackmary with me Nov 2011, Quattro Gallery

     Art models are often people who really appreciate the arts.  Their job is not easy, in part because the human body is not designed to remain still.  I have worked with so many wonderful and interesting art models and feel grateful for their services and participation as inspiration for the art that my colleagues and I make.

     Today, I show you a bronze sculpture inspired by a request for a company that found the annual board of directors’ gifts for Southwest Airlines many years ago.  I was asked to come up with a sculpture based on the idea of the slogan for this airline, Warrior Spirit.  I was surprised to receive this opportunity since I assumed they wanted something to do with American Indians, a subject that not only do I know very little about, but that there are plenty of sculptors who DO excel in this genre.

   

     While researching the concept of "Warrior Spirit" I found references to Chinese martial arts, American Indian philosophies, and even yoga practices. While the term 'warrior' seems to conjure up images relating to aggression, this is not what I found in most of my research. Instead, I read phrases such as "moving through fear," "embracing limitations," living a "joyful, courageous life," "disciplines the mind, body, and spirit," and "leads to compassion."

 

     A warrior develops spiritual, martial, and ethical skills. He works to obtain an impeccable character in order to serve his community and expand his consciousness. He changes his perceptions about confrontation and creates his own destiny. His strength and compassion make others feel at ease with him, which reduces conflict. In effect, the ideal goal is that he becomes one with the world around him.

     I have always had an interest in birds, flight, and bonding with nature. I also loved watching the falconers with raptors at the Renaissance fairs. Their connection always struck me as romantic and absolutely beautiful.

     And so, the idea emerged.  I did not win the bid for Southwest Airlines, but I still liked my idea enough to move beyond my rough maquette I had put together.  With the help of the Austin Visual Arts Association [Austin, Texas], I ran an Open Studio session for sculptors.  This meant that artists wanting to paint and draw were welcome to join the group if they did not have a problem with sculptors moving our stands and art around the room as we needed to change our view, and that the model would be in the center of the room, allowing 3-d artists to have access to all views.

     The male model, David, was a real sport because I asked him to slip his arms into some straps that I suspended from the ceiling of the studio.  You might imagine how difficult it would be to hold your arms out extended for approximately 20 minutes.  How much more difficult to take a short break and resume this position you see in my sculpture “Warrior Spirit” for THREE HOURS!  And he did this a total of FOUR times in four weeks!  TWELVE HOURS of posing this way… what an athlete! 

     [On a side note:  When I work with models for sculpture, we set up the pose and I usually try to explain what I am shooting for, emotion wise, from the pose.  Then I tell the models to take breaks whenever they need to because I tend to work during the entire three hours.  I trust the models to not take too many breaks, but also to know their bodies’ needs better than I ever could.  And, if I know that I want to focus on one part of the anatomy, I will tell the model to “rest your arms and now we will work on the lower part of the body.”]

     Today is the birthday of David Sackmary, the model for “Warrior Spirit.”

Happy birthday, David!  You did some brilliant work!  Thank you!

Design by Amber Babcock at WhiskerWorks.com

Here is what one appreciator wrote after I shared the work in my art newsletter:

http://www.borsheimarts.com/newsletter.htm

Hi, my dear Kelly. Ohhhh, you have REALLY done it this time. I think "Warrior Spirit" is the most beautiful sculpture in the world. Your pic in clay with the green leaves as a background was also the perfect setting to bring the young warrior to life. His gracefulness really wowed me . . . I am amazed you could capture and express this pose so perfectly . . . And the portrayal of the delicate balance absolutely put goose pimples all over me . . . That man has an appreciation and a curiosity towards wildlife is evident by the expression on the warrior's face. What a fabulous accent this would make in state parks, bird sanctuaries, etc.! A view of the warrior and his hawk certainly create a proper atmosphere.

After I had read your newsletter and studied the pictures, I called to Bob to come and see the pictures of your latest. He, too, was ever so impressed with the beauty. We then went to Winter Haven with Gene and Louise Sauls for fun and early dinner. As soon as we got home, I started calling to Bob and Gene to come quick . . . We had a large but young hawk flying around our pool, trying to find his way out. Neither of the men struck a pose even close to the young warrior's! The enclosed area of the pool made the bird seem even larger and his rapid flying made everyone quickly duck. They were successful in herding the bird to freedom and tomorrow I must drag in the hose and do some cleaning! My story isn't nearly as pretty as your sculpture!
Much love
Connie

(9 September 2006; Connie Talbott, Avon Park, Florida, USA, printed with permission)

For more images of "Warrior Spirit," please visit:  http://www.borsheimarts.com/sculpture/2006/warriorspirit.htm

Peace,

Kelly Borsheim, artist

http://BorsheimArts.com

detail shown in clay before casting into bronze

Sculpting Wind

Dear Art Lover,

Kitchen as Art Studio

     The last time I showed you a progress image on my new bas-relief sculpture project, “Wind and Wisteria,” was in my post on 18 June, when I was still in a cast for a broken right wrist.  I started the piece with my left hand.  The cast was removed on 30 June, and I have done a bit of work since then. 

http://artbyborsheim.blogspot.it/2017/06/progress-on-sculpture-and-la-pausa.html

     I asked my landlord and my neighbor to lift the big board into my kitchen just before we got a few days of decent [certainly better than nothing!] showers.  This is how far I had gotten with my non-dominant hand.  I wanted the piece more vertical so that I could start developing it.

     Bas-relief is not “puffy painting” as I once thought before meeting Eugene Daub and Vasily Fedorouk.  It is compressed form.  That is a HUGE difference.  What I mean by “puffy painting” is possibly similar to quilt making…where one defines the boundary of a shape and then puts stuffing inside of it.  It is a look, but it is not bas-relief sculpture.

Side lighting from kitchen door

Harsh top lighting, but you see the difference from above?

 

     So, I prefer to create a bas-relief sculpture with an overhead light that helps me to see where the material is in relation to other parts.  However, this green plastilina [an oil-based clay] does not seem to have enough oil in it to stick well to the wood board, and I woke one morning to see that the boy’s face and broken away from the composition and slid down.  Luckily it was not damaged much.  I have since developed the form more anyway.  [You may see in the close-up shape here that I still have work to do.  For example, the lips have to be refined.  There is too much harsh light outlining the lips.  I need to fill-in some placed with clay, soften shapes, and think of the form of the mouth barrel.  I hope to make the mouth more kind and youthful.]

     Clay absorbs much more light than metal does.  If something looks contrasty in the clay, it will be so much worse in reflective metal!

     Lately, I have been creating the individual petals of the wisteria.  It is past time for the real blooms on my gate, although I have a few random flowers that are confused by the watering and drought.  Trying to understand them as models, but I am also using images as references.  Mamma mia, what a lot of work!  I find myself intimidated wondering if I can create the airiness of wind blowing in dangling petals in a thin sculpture.  When I feel this way, I often force myself to work and accept that it will go slowly as I figure out how to do what I think I want.  And another part of the day, I start a new project, because starting is always fun, as one sees change and development move along quickly.  I have learned that this is the only way I can get through the hump of the tough times.

      For the head of the wind, I am also struggling.  I am not sure that I am capturing the idea that she is blowing, ie that SHE is creating the wind, or she is the wind personified.  And I chose to make a composition that will be empty inside the shape, allowing the wall to show through once hung.  This means that I have fewer things around her to show the effects of wind.  Maybe not the smartest idea, compositionally speaking?  Piano, piano as they say too often in Italy, “slowly, slowly.”

Peace,

Kelly Borsheim, artist

http://BorsheimArts.com

P.S. Look at my cool phone case that I ordered for myself as a gift for moving into the modern age of smart phones.  You may find your own desired cover design, or other products here:

https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/1-kelly-borsheim.html

Il Dono - Borsheim Art on iPhone 5c case -choose yours