Classic Sculpture and Painting Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Wagner) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:18:00 +0000

I just read Rick Byerlys article about Art in Public Places posted on Twitter art as business. A well written piece, he mentions that legendary Pittsburgh Jazz musicians should be honored with statues and I couldn't agree more. I've been wanting to honor our jazz history, especially for the Hill District for years now. There are so many that should be honored that I could sculpt for years and love every second of it. Thank you Rick, for mentioning me and my work. I truly appreciate this.
Susan Wagner

Re-dedication of the Blvd of the Allies

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Wagner) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 07:08:00 +0000

Sunday was a historic day for Pittsburgh, PA. We are celebrating our city's 250^th birthday this summer and started off with the re-dedication of the Boulevard of the Allies. I was lucky enough to be part of the event where we honored our veterans and our allies. There were dignitaries representing our allies from France, Russia, China, and so many more countries attending the ceremony, not to mention veterans from WWI. It was impressive.

The subject of soldiers and war is a difficult one and when I was asked to donate a painting to the veterans, I challenged myself to paint something about WWI that would not become a typical war painting? I did struggle with this concept until I remembered how much I loved that Doughboy statue, which stands at the entrance to Lawrenceville where Penn Avenue and Bulter Street split. My family passed by it every Sunday on our trip to Grandma's house on the North Side and I have always loved this statue. I would stare at it as long as it was within viewing range. (Who knew that when I grew up I would become a sculptor?)

I went to the statue and took photos for reference and found I am still in awe of it. Everything about the statue was masterfully done and every angle works.

Still struggling with what exactly to paint I had a conversation with Clark Rogers, the director of the National Flag Foundation. I was going to paint the flag in the background but as we talked about the coming event and how it was planned to release doves at some point I decided to paint doves instead. By coincidence, I has incorporated doves into a sculpture for a competition recently. During the research for that competition I was admiring the way a local painter handled the subject of doves so beautifully.

My final painting is of the Doughboy statue surrounded by doves... a symbol of hope and peace, as relevant now as it was then, maybe even more so.

The painting was well received and will be displayed in the City County Building. Wow, what an honor!

Sunday was an exceptional day for Pittsburgh, we were in our glory and at our finest. It was a wonderful, (though unexpected) day for me personally as well.

Foundry Recommendations?

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Wagner) — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 09:57:00 +0000

I've been searching for new large capacity foundries and wondering if there are any sculptors out there who are able to recommend one. I would like to find one along the East Coast near New York City. Though I am always happy to use the foundry in Cleveland, they don't have the man power or equipment for anything large scale (larger than life size). Let me know of your experiences, good or bad and why.

Internship Opportunity

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Wagner) — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 21:31:00 +0000

Hi Everyone,

I am currently seeking an intern to help me reply to Request for Qualifications for public art works and to apply for grants for projects I would like to see completed.

Qualifications:

Excellent writer

Good with computers – includes creating and editing, cropping photos, and burning CDs

Excellent people skills and a professional attitude

Detail oriented

Trustworthy

Photography skills a plus

Internship Description:

Apply for grants

Responding to RFQs

Submit information to Artist Databases

Finding opportunities to show work

Photographing art work

Web site maintenance – the level of maintenance will depend on you skill level or interest in learning – not required

This is internship is a great opportunity someone interested in a career in arts management or an artist looking to learn from someone more experienced. My studio and office is in my home in the Friendship area of Pittsburgh and you will be required to work there at the beginning of the internship. As the internship continues there will be the opportunity to work some of your hours from home.

I am flexible about the length of the internship and the number of hours you work per week, though I believe I have enough to keep you busy at least 12 hours a week. If you are taking this for a credit at school please let me know what your requirements are for start/end dates and hours per week you need to work.

This is an unpaid internship.

You may view my web site at http://www.classic-sculpture.com for more information about me and the type of work I do. Also, check out the open commissions page to see the work I would like to have completed.

If you are interested in applying for this internship please e-mail a resume, a letter explaining why you are interested in this opportunity (1 page max) and 3 references to susan@classic-sculpture.com.

An Open Letter to Public Art Administrators

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Wagner) — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 19:26:00 +0000

When I first read this Open Letter to Public Art Administrators, which was printed in the Spring 2007 issue of Public Art Review, I knew I wanted to share it with others. The letter is very thorough and explains how the process of commissioning a public work and seeing it through to completion should happen to achieve the best results.

This is a letter every public art administrator and public artist should read, if you fall into one of these categories visit: http://www.classic-sculpture.com/open_letter.htm and let me know what you think!

I Made It! Mine Market

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Wagner) — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 02:34:00 +0000

Valentine's Day is almost here and this year I am participating in the I Made It! Mine Market at the Union Project in Highland Park on February 9th from 12pm-5pm.

There will be about 40 artists and craftsmen. I will be selling my Holiday Hearts and I'm sure there will be many other people selling items that would make great Valentine's Day gifts. So if you have a chance, want to support your local artists and craftsmen, or just need a unique gift, stop by and check it out.

Address of the Union Project:
801 North Negley Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15206

Date: Saturday, February 9th, 2008

Time: 12pm-5pm

Mention that you saw this ad in my blog and get 10% off your purchase at the Union Project.

You can find more information at: http://www.myspace.com/imadeitpgh.

If you can't make it to the Union Project on Sunday and still want to buy a holiday heart for Valentine's Day you can purchase them on Etsy.

Welcome to My New Site

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Wagner) — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 00:06:00 +0000

I've had a web site for about 5 years now, and although I did get a lot of compliments on the design created by Smerb Designs, it was time for an update. Recently my good friend Nicole has taken on that challenge. She took excellent photos, added new sections and made the site much more interactive while preserving everything I liked about the original design. Nicole's sister, Kim, revamped the existing text and wrote content for the new sections. Together they created a totally polished web site for me and I couldn't be more pleased.

I think Kim's greatest addition is an overview of the bronzing process. So often I encounter people who think that bronze is poured over clay or the clay is dipped in bronze. I do understand why there is confusion since the popular practice of bronzing baby shoes is performed by dipping the shoes into the bronze, and for many people this is the only time they were ever exposed to bronzing.

Whether you are looking to have a bronze created in the near future or are simply interested in how sculptures are created, I encourage you to read The Bronzing Process page which takes you through all 20 steps of the lost wax casting method of bronzing.