Sculptors share knowledge and resources
Our members have become an annual attraction at Art in the Pearl. This year included a few new faces. Demonstrators included Tony Furtado, Russ Ford, Phil Seder, Jerry Woodbury, Dave Cole and organizer Andy Kennedy. Also participating as an exhibitor, Chas Martin.
Thanks to everyone who demonstrated sculpting. I’m certain Art in the Pearl will invite us back next year.
Long time PNWS member Rip Caswell hosted our member meeting at his Firebird Bronze facility. The tour will include:
Firebird Bronze Foundry, a full service foundry that provides a one-stop shop for all of artists’ bronze art needs. Their artists specialize in custom fine art foundry casting and more. Firebird’s artisans are experienced in a wide range of styles. They are artists as well as educators, helping create foundry-friendly works of art. Their goal is to give clients the best value along with the exceptional quality their work deserves.
Rip Caswell is recognized as one of America’s preeminent bronze sculptors. Caswell’s artworks can be found in public spaces and private collections throughout the United States and abroad. Caswell’s ability to capture and convey emotion through his sculpture is as distinguishable as the talent that makes his creations come to life. Many who behold his bronze figures are brought to tears by the range and the impact of sentiment felt. The passion and artistic aptitude that drives Caswell is embodied in every piece he creates. This remarkable quality has earned him a national reputation
Firebird 3D, operated by Chad Caswell, works in partnership with Firebird Bronze Foundry and provides the foundry’s sculpture enlargement and reduction services, as well as digital design work.
Firebird 3D services include:
Indigo Metal Fabrication was established in 2015 in Willy and Amber’s garage in Portland, Oregon. They’ve grown a bit since then but their values remain the same. They care about integrity in design, fabrication, and relationships. Specializing in custom pieces that are durable and inspired, they work with a variety of metals and techniques.
Pacific Northwest Sculptors hosted a virtual for the “Emergence” online sculpture exhibit. View the recorded event. The reception celebrated the first online sculpture exhibit presented by the group. Entrants from 32 states submitted over 500 works.
Author, critic and curator, Richard Speer was the juror for the exhibit. He shared his observations and discussed his selections. The show included 61 pieces.
“River Weaving,” received the Best of Show award, created by John Siblik, Associate Professor of Art at Northern Illinois University. The environmental installation represents years of evolution from concept to realization. The piece includes 103 elements installed in a quarter mile of river.
As Siblik describes his installation, “The river forms the Warp and the Elements placed in the river form the Weft. Each Element is 6 feet by 3 feet by three feet. The elements are made from Willow canes which often grow along rivers, marshes and wetlands. The original design for River Weaving dates to 1986.”
Other award winners include: First place to Stephanie Robison; Second Place to Gard Jones; and Honorable Mentions for Jessica Bodner and Karen Theisen.
Sculptors sharing knowledge and resources
All Attendees must wear a mask per Oregon mandate.
In lieu of August’s 4th Wednesday of the month member meeting, please join us for our first annual member picnic. We will meet at Picnic Shelter #2, at GEORGE ROGERS PARK in Lake Oswego on Saturday August 28th from 5-8PM. Enjoy the offerings of the park and, socialize with fellow members and their guests in a fun casual environment. Social distancing measures will be in place for everyone’s safety.
Our meeting place, Picnic Shelter #2 is located on Furnace St. between the two park entrances, Ladd St. and Green St., between the children’s play ground and the HISTORIC 1866 IRON FURNACE. It is directly across from sculpture #59 Fairy Tree on the GALLERY WITHOUT WALLS tour.
GEORGE ROGERS PARK IN LAKE OSWEGO, 611 S. State St, Lake Oswego, Or. We are meeting at Picnic Shelter #2 located on Furnace St. between the two park entrances, Ladd St. and Green St.
Map of George Rogers Park
All Attendees must wear a mask per Oregon mandate.
• A dish to share, if you don’t have one, come anyway!
• You may bring non-alcohol beverages. Per park rules, the organizers, PNWS, will be providing and serving alcohol beverages such as beer and wine. We will also have non-alcohol beer and flavored sparkling beverages on hand.
• Yard games such as Bocce or Petanque. A permanent ring toss game is available on site.
• Bring a friend! This is a great opportunity to introduce artists and supporters of the arts to our organization. ALL ARE WELCOME!
If you are interested in viewing the outdoor sculptures of Lake Oswego, be sure to check out the informative links below.
Thinking about taking to the trail?
Water activities including kayak, canoe, and SUP offered at the park!
Presenter: Miguel Arias, Founder and CEO of Prefixa,
Miguel Arias is an innovator in photorealistic, augmented reality, and virtual reality imaging. Prefixa has operations in Silicon Valley, Mexico, and France.
XR (eXtended Reality) encompasses all the 3D visualization technologies like Augmented Reality, Mixed Reality, Virtual Reality, and other 3D techniques that can display artworks, products and objects inside immersive 3D environments.
This presentation gives an overview of the existing technologies and how art pieces, specially Sculptures, can be scanned and integrated into interactive 3D showrooms, virtual reality exhibits, or augmented reality visualizations. The first step is to convert the art piece into a 3D representation, either with 3D scanning, photogrammetry techniques, or 3D modeling. Once the artwork is converted into 3D, it opens the opportunity to exhibit, experience, and share it with the world in a variety of virtual ways. Artists can host exhibits in 3D worldwide, museums can document and create 3D catalogs of their collections and new digital tools and workflows help to showcase and sell art online. Some trends will be discussed, from Augmented Reality, VR-eCommerce, and 3D NFTs.
Finally, some alternatives to 3D scanning were introduced, including Prefixa’s photogrammetry from video conversion, the XR-ROOM platform to host 3D exhibits for artists and custom apps for AR, digital catalogs or VR exhibits. The presentation shows web 3D interactive and virtual reality examples created by xr-room.com
Devin (a PNWS founding member) opened up his studio for our first in-person meeting in over a year.
Devin Laurence Field is unique among contemporary large-scale metal sculptors because of the level of articulation he achieves in directly fabricated steel. Not sculpted in clay then cast in metal, or hammered in thin sheet onto a sculpted pattern, his work is cut, forged, pressed, welded, ground and polished using thick plate steels.
Predominantly commissioned for public sites, these sculptures are complex yet graceful representations of ideas and concepts developed around a particular place, event or setting. Each sculpture is unique, usually site specific and always poignant in its message. The art of Devin Laurence Field brings together universal
and archetypal symbolism, the history of a given site or culture, and natural forms to communicate ideas about the evolution of the complex relationship between people, the built environment and the natural world. While growing up in New Zealand, Devin traveled throughout the South Pacific, Australasia, Europe and the Americas. A fifth generation artist, Devin studied art in New Zealand, England, France, Japan and the United States, earning three degrees in the Arts including a Master of Fine Art in Sculpture.
Russell was smitten by sculpting in high school and returned to the classroom as a career art educator. Now retired after 25 years as a classroom teacher of art at both middle and high school levels, Russell is exploring, with passion, the medium he shared with his students.
While teaching:
Since retiring he has been busy:
Oregon Society of Artists, Pacific Northwest Sculptors and Helensview School celebrate International Sculpture Day through a collaborative sculpture project.
“Unrecognized” is the theme of this unique sculpture project. The live and virtual event honors artists whose contributions or participation has been excluded, ignored or never acknowledged. The theme was inspired by a recent installation in Mt. Tabor Park, a bust of York, a member of the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery. York was a slave.
Though he was a full participant in the expedition, he received no credit and remained a slave long after his contribution ended. A monumental sculpture titled “York” was installed by an anonymous artist to honor the contribution of York instead of himself.
The collaborative event will include students from Helensview School as they create elements for a “stacked sculpture.” Each student will create one layer of the stack in clay. Once glazed and fired, layers will be stacked to create a tower. The finished sculpture will be displayed in the garden adjacent the entry at OSA.
The live stream Zoom event will include observations by leadership from Helensview School, OSA and interviews with members of Pacific Northwest Sculptors. Viewing via Zoom opens the door to observe, listen and even create an element of your own.
Pacific Northwest Sculptors is an educational nonprofit of contemporary sculptors serving the public through sculpture education programs and sculpture exhibitions. It is a dynamic, inclusive community of working artists who inspire and support each other’s growth with ideas, skills, and knowledge.
OSA promotes the visual arts in the diverse communities of the region, with educational and exhibition opportunities for artists at all levels of accomplishment.
International Sculpture Day is organized by the International Sculpture Center, its affiliates and chapters worldwide. Pacific Northwest Sculptors participates in this event each year featuring demonstrations, talks and interactive activities.
