Hello and welcome to the second instillation of my newsletter!
As a reminder the newsletters will typically go like this: I will send one out at the end of each season (summer, fall, winter, spring) and share what went on in the previous period. I will remind you where to find my work and let you know what’s for sale.
Here I will share the fruits of my summer labors! This includes making two new sculptures, experimenting with casts and materials, winning an award, and being accepted into an exhibition.
Below is a link to my website where all the images of my work can be found!

New Sculptures

In June 2023 I completed my second year at the Florence Academy of Art. Awaiting my third and final year, I decided to continue pushing my skills by making personal sculptures, outside the academy, over the summer. I rented some space in the studio of Thor Larsen, which is right around the corner from the Medici Chapels where there are 7 Michelangelo sculptures exuding artistic energy. I still wanted to pursue an academic and highly refined style for the first piece I completed during my time in that studio. So, I hired a model, designed an elegant pose, and spent a good portion of this summer sculpting the piece you see below.

Near the end of summer a friend came to Florence to have his portrait sculpted, but I knew we wouldn’t have a lot of time due to his limited schedule. So, instead of a highly refined portrait which takes a lot of time, I tried to make a quick, more expressive portrait of him with what availability we had. This piece is at 3/4 scale and done in 6 sessions, about 18 hours, which is the fastest I’ve made a portrait before! It was a great way to push that side of things and my friend was very happy with the outcome.

Casting and materials

Last Newsletter I gave an overview of the sculpture process and what it takes to bring a sculpture from idea to reality. It’s a long process of designing, armature making, sculpting, mold making, casting, and mounting. This summer I had time to focus on the casting portion of the process with molds I already had. A piece can be cast in a variety of materials, but the most common are bronze, resin, and plaster.
Here, I took my piece Diminish and made casts of it in both plaster and resin, as a way of experimenting with the materials. For the plaster cast I left it as is, in its natural state. Plaster is a beautiful material that light perfectly rolls over. For the resin piece, I applied an oil paint patina (painting it with a thin layer of oil paint in order to achieve a unique finish).

I also experimented with cropping. I made a crop of my life size female torso by casting only the top portion of the piece. The material here is also resin left in its natural off-white color. Then I mounted it on a slick metal base. Here is the finished cast, ready to be displayed!

As a frame of reference, I’ve included an images of the full piece in its clay form. You can see what I cast and what I left out.

Finally, a plaster cast of the portrait Worthy I created over the summer

The Art Renewal Center

The next big piece of news is that I was awarded the Second Place prize in the 23rd annual Art Renewal Center Scholarship Competition! The ARC is an international organization that provides scholarships and awards to those studying realism figurative art, and they also hold art competitions promoting this style of work. I have known about their group for many years and always dreamed of being selected for an award. It’s a great affirmation that I’m on the right track.

See the competition and other winners here! 23rd ARC SCHOLARSHIP

45th Elkhart Juried Regional

Finally, I am honored to share that I was accepted into the 45th Elkhart Juried Regional, a group exhibition through the Midwest Museum of American Art in Elkhart, Indiana. It’s a juried exhibition with selected artists from Indiana and Michigan. The show lasts from October 7 - December 22, so if you are near Elkhart go give it a visit! The piece I had accepted into the show is my portrait titled Child of Doom

Show link: 45th Elkhart Juried Regional

If this work or any other pieces on my website interest you please reach out!
All sculpture is available in bronze, resin, or plaster. The material will effect the price so it’s best to reach out if you want a quote! I will be sure to get you a good deal.

Until next time!