"The Unwritten Future"
- 19" h x 7" w x 6" d
- bronze, limited edition of 99
- © 2011 Kelly Borsheim
- $1500, shipping included [ships from central Florida]
"The Unwritten Future" Contemporary Bronze Male Figurative Sculpture:
I have been talking with a few friends recently about the topic of courage. People often tell me that I am so brave to do … fill in any activity you like. For example, many times they will say that I was brave to just pick up and go to Italy. My friends have had similar experiences.
But is it brave to do something that you feel needs to be done, especially when you recognize that what you are currently doing is not working? I had stopped growing. I went to Italy to become a better artist. It took me longer to get there than I had hoped, but somehow I knew it was necessary to be surrounded by the art there and to see for myself how it was possible to live with many different forms of art everywhere. [It is amazing, by the way!]
This new bronze is titled “The Unwritten Future” and is a play on my bronze “Cattails and Frog Legs.” Instead of the original amphibians, one man hangs by one hand from the end of the cattail, while another man sits on the lily pad below, watching in anticipation. Sure life can throw in her little surprises, but in essence, we all have an “unwritten” future until we have made a choice and taken the corresponding action.
I like the particular view of the bronze that I have chosen to share with you (top of page). The shadow cast by the sun implies that the hanging man will not drop, but will choose to grab hold. It is optimism in a precarious situation.
Bronze Casting Male Figurative Sculpture "The Unwritten Future"
When I received an opportunity to cast bronze in Austin, Texas, at the Atelier 3-d with artist and teacher Steve Dubov, I signed right up. Always interested in process, Steve uses a different kind of investment mold and alters his technique for the lost wax bronze casting method that I had learned years before at the Elisabet Ney Sculpture Conservatory where I taught anatomy.
So, I created a couple of new sculptures in wax. In my art post on April 15, I shared something of my creating the sprue, the wax sculpture connected to a wax funnel that will all ultimately become bronze.
The original sculptures of the two male figures were created directly in wax, using primarily dental type of tools and occasionally heat. Temperature is everything; even a degree makes a difference. Working with wax the way in which I do generally allows me to create a more textured piece of art. It is interesting to work with something so dark. It helps me to see the overall shape as an abstraction.
The image above shows me working the wax sculpture on/creating the sprue. Below, I am holding my sprue to keep it from floating, pour funnel at the top opening with the sculptures deeper, parallel to the side walls. Steve is pouring a mixture of plaster, playground sand, and water into the mother mold. Once this mold has set, holes will be lightly punched into just the metal tubing to release steam later during the pouring of the molten bronze.
Sculptor / Painter Kelly Borsheim's Blog: Lost Wax Bronze Casting (artbyborsheim.blogspot.com)
This tabletop bronze sculpture "The Unwritten Future" is about courage and risk-taking. Have you heard people say, "You are so brave to do _____ (fill in any activity you like)."
Is it brave to do something that you feel needs to be done, especially when you recognize that what you are currently doing is not working? Kelly, the artist, felt that she had stopped growing after her divorce. This artwork was an expression of the uncertainties she felt, as well as having the courage to totally change her life and try a new adventure.
This figure bronze sculpture is titled “The Unwritten Future” and is a play on the bronze “Cattails and Frog Legs.” Instead of the original amphibians, one man hangs by one hand from the end of the cattail, while another man sits on the lily pad below, watching and wondering. Conversation starter for your coffee or entryway table.
Ships from central Florida.