2011 Artist Blog - Entry #15

The Return of Joy, Clay Original, Earthenware|Glaze|Oil paint, 20" X 14" X 12"

Luisa's Smile, Glaze|China & Oil Paint|Gold, 17" X 8" X 8"

Tamara Bonet is a contemporary, self-taught American figurative sculptress who heavily focuses on portraiture. Bonet's figurative works are made with clay but she also casts a lot of them in bronze as well as paints them which introduces that much more uniqueness as well as defines her own style of making sculptures. She implements wax, earthenware, oil painting and other materials. Her characters are one of a kind - filled with deep emotion, elegance, and grace which, undoubtedly, was the initial goal from the start. Bonet's works are easy to remember and difficult to forget. Drapery and clothing enforce the unique style of her almost alive characters - characters that have a story to tell, perhaps a reflection of the sculptor within her own works! The thought process put into each sculpture is distinctive in its own right. Each work is also carefully rendered with a great pose and a strong yet gentle gesture that define the composition. The addition of accessories aka environmental elements such as furniture and personal adornments add a very nice touch as well as more life than there already is. Bonet's characters are not "exposed" like in some works of figurative sculptors (nude and alone, as if not belonging) - they have a world of their own and they are a part of it. I would certainly say they look comfortable in the setting they are in and confident in the action they're taking or are about to taking. A deep understanding of anatomy is very visible in Bonet's works. Her figures have a great sense of weight, gravity, expression, and mood. Such skills are crucial in evoking believability of figures and capturing the moment. Tamara is one fine artist, a rarity these days - definitely a great example to follow and get inspired by! (word count - 300)

Blessings Bloom, Clay Original, Earthenware|Glaze|Oil Paint, 22" X 9" X 12"

Wealth, Clay Original, Earthenware|Glaze|Oil paint, 17" X 9" X 11"

2011 Artist Blog - Entry #14

Precious, Bronze, 21" high, life-size 3 year-old (by Marianne)

Tuscan Beauty, Bronze, 26" Tall

Marianne and Scy Caroselli (daughter) are contemporary American sculptors residing in Denver, Colorado. Both are passionate about figurative art but also possess a love for animals and landscape elements. Marianne has been a sculptor and a painter for over 30 years, while her daughter, Scy, has been doing fine art for about 12 years and sculpting for 4. Their work in bronze is both gorgeous and adorable due to the subject matter being portrayed - mostly children, animals, and elegant female figures. The style is American which in its own right also gives a great sense of warmth and everlasting peace. I really had a hard time picking what works to display in this post! Because I'm in love with them all. In the pictures I did post, you can clearly see all the care and heart poured into these works. Although slightly stylized, there is a great deal of naturalism involved. Especially the figurative works of children and a woman that look very believable. Their expressions and gestures are what really makes the figures come to life. Their decision to render the stills with paint is extraordinary as it gives that much more character to the sculpts. Honestly, now that I've seen these painted, they would most likely look dull if coated in bronze all throughout. Much of the character and believability would've been lost. All in all, these sculptors have done a magical job of combining realism with fable-like feel to it! (word count - 244)

Curious Cubs, Bronze, 12" High - 17" Wide (Collaborative Mother/Daughter Effort)

Bunny & Clyde, Bronze, 11" x 17" (Scy's first bronze sculpture)

A Letter From Grandma, Bronze, 43" High

2011 Artist Blog - Entry #13

Mother and Child, 1989, Bronze, 7'

Psyche and Cupid, 1984, Bronze, 22" and 71"

Prodigal Son, 1986, Bronze, Life-size

Barry Woods Johnston is a contemporary figurative sculptor currently based in Baltimore, Maryland. His works are one of a kind, really. Since his style is expressionistic, his sculptures are full of life and energy, and stand out like no other. Expression, gesture, and pose are what makes them so unique. Their majestic designs are filled with motion and energy and play a huge role in representing an essence of true human beauty within. All of his works are casted in bronze with the exception of five sculptures. A lot of Johnston's sculptures are in various museums throughout the world (ex. Vatican) and the work posted here shows us clearly why they chose his style. The style is also unique because his extraordinary figurative work evokes life at its highest point. Most of his sculptures are either in action or are ready to be. Dancing pose helps to bring out that powerful emotion of freedom and beauty as well as a need for adventure, in my opinion. It is a little hard to explain plus the fact that every individual will view it in their own particular way. Due to the amount of gesture and lightness, Johnston's style reminds me of Hellenistic/Early Imperial period when it was all about emotion. The rendering of the figures is simply marvelous, the effect must be heightened when viewed in person. Souls of these sculptures seem to almost break out of the bronze and go about their business. A really striking effect that not many sculptors achieve due to the difference in styles. (word count - 257)

Dance of Life, 1998, Bronze, 19"x 7"x7"

2011 Artist Blog - Entry #12

Bust of Aristotle, Bronze, 25", 1992

Bust of Michelangelo, Bronze, 22.5", 1994

Sandra J. Shaw is a contemporary American sculptor who has been doing figurative art for about 30 years now. Although her main focus is devoted to sculpting in clay and then casting in bronze, she doesn't restrain herself to just one medium and explores things such as landscape color studies and does life drawings as well as studies of master works to develop her understanding of the subject. It is Shaw's belief that by knowing how to visualize subject on paper, artist's knowledge of sculpting also increases (which I also find to be true). Her sculpted works include life-size human figures and portraiture as well as animal art which I find to be pretty uncommon in sculpture these days. Although, animal art does seem to be absent even dating back to the Renaissance and Greco-Roman art except for equestrian statues in which horses were a major part of a sculpture. Since each and every sculptor develops his/her own style, I can only guess at what Shaw's main source of inspiration is. Her works, due to them being cast in bronze most of the time, make me think of Late Antiquity and Baroque (ex. Rodin). It is not necessarily realistic/naturalistic but more of an expressionistic style of sculptural art (expressionistic doesn't mean a lack of understanding of human anatomy, Shaw's deep knowledge of anatomy is apparent). Her two busts of Aristotle and Michelangelo definitely scream baroque to me. Shaw's carefully rendered bronze statues and busts are very appealing to look at. This sculptor's mastery is a great source of inspiration for new generation of sculptors to come, including myself. (word count - 268)

Don Quixote, Bronze, 16", 1988

My Kitten, Bronze, 6", 1987

Possession, Bronze, 15", 1999

2011 Artist Blog - Entry #11

Margaret Thatcher (Lifesize)

Bruce Wolfe is a contemporary figurative sculptor who's been sculpting for about 40 years. His major theme focuses on busts and figurative portraits of many well-known individuals. Wolfe's main medium includes clay and bronze, but he also paints in oil. His figurative work, most of which are public monuments, are either over lifesize or lifesize in scale. The style of his works shifts between Naturalistic and 21st Century American. Although his busts are quite impressive in capturing likeness of an individual (a skill which takes years of practice), what amazes me the most are his lifesize, full-fledged figures. I believe they really capture the essence of a human being portrayed. Wolfe has an unprecedented knowledge of clothing and how folds work on them. In my opinion, small things like treatment of garments and personal adornments (rings, eyeglasses, books) can really capture the character of a person. He seemed to have also mastered glance, gesture, and expression for most believability. A skill amateur sculptors tend to lack thus creating uncomfortable feel of stiffness aka robotic, lifeless look. In his figurative works, what really stands out to me, is the energy, emotion, grace and weight, carefully captured and established. Works that evoke emotion are very memorable and I can easily say that I am inspired by what Wolfe has accomplished throughout his art career. (word count - 222)

Eutupe, Bronze, 7' 4" high

Tirza, Bronze, 35" x 10" x 11"

Lamar Hunt, Bronze, 9' 8" tall

John Hannah, Bronze, 7' tall

2011 Artist Blog - Entry #10

Dark Knight`s revenge, March 2005

The Hunter, March 2007

 

Alessandro Baldasseroni is an Italian digital 3D artist specialized in... well, everything! He is a true "monster" in a very positive way because he has contributed his talent and craftsmanship to a ton of video games' cinematics that millions of people throughout the world love and admire. In the world of 3D art, Baldasseroni is considered as one of the Great Masters of CG artistry due to him creating marvelous 3D art pieces over a decade ago before it finally went viral. As years went by, he grew and improved tremendously as an artist and to this day Alessandro makes breathtaking, mind-blowing characters, robots, fantasy creatures, and vehicles. A very hard act to follow, his profound knowledge of character creation is truly unparallel to his design and execution skills. From naturalistic to stylized pieces, each work that he creates has a purpose and a grand idea behind it. There is absolutely nothing out of place or out of balance, everything fits together perfectly to create the final piece and flaws of art creation are non-existent in the works of Baldasseroni. He has all the necessary skills listed in all of the previous entries and probably much more that I don't have a single idea of.  It is quite hard to describe his masterpieces so I would prefer you just look at them instead. (word count - 223)

All work shown here belongs to its original owner and creator Fabio Pacheco Paiva. No copyright infringement intended.

Little soldier, January 2011

Ettore Fieramosca, June 2011

Galactus, February 2007

Gun (game Artworks), December 2005

2011 Artist Blog - Entry #9

Old man posing, March 2011

Unbound, September 2010

Fabio Pacheco Paiva a visual effects artist living in Sao Paulo, Brazil, who specializes in high-quality 3D modeling, character design, digital sculpting, texturing and assets for feature film, games and other projects. I have selected this artist mainly because he has mastered human anatomy and knows how to present a body in a sensual manner. He understands its beauty and that unquestionably shows up in his works. His profound knowledge of portraiture and figurative art is something I am striving for to achieve myself. Based on the pieces I've posted here, Paiva has an outstanding comprehension of effects of aging, planes, realistic folds on clothing, weight, bodies in motion, balance as well as essential skills needed to make such spectacular presentations - lighting, color theory, shadowing, and composition. His works are simple yet accomplished with a lot of care and a great amount of detail such as wrinkles, pores, and realistic hair for much believability. With this being said, the amount of detailing is not overwhelming to look at - but just the right amount needed to achieve realism. Nothing distracts from the main piece and idea the artist is trying to convey to a viewer. The elegant poses and soft forms of the two female characters really strike the audience by giving them a sense of emotion and beauty of the female figure as well as telling a story about the characters. Paiva knows exactly what the viewer strives to see and he does an outstanding job at doing just that - presenting his characters with emotions and a central idea. (word count - 261)

Aayla Comiquette, February 2010

Gollum Sculpture, April 2010

Aboriginal, date created unknown

All work shown here belongs to its original owner and creator Fabio Pacheco Paiva. No copyright infringement intended.