Pacific Northwest Sculptors

Sculptors share knowledge and resources

Events

President’s Message January 2022

New Year. New Optimism.

After the Great Plague came the Renaissance. Not immediately, of course, but time has compressed considerably since the 14th to 16th centuries. I am an optimist. I am predicting another Renaissance beginning now. I anticipate increased attention and appreciation for the arts and artists fueled by an intense increase in new work produced during the past few years.  

We have endured two years of this pandammit. If you’ve made productive use of your isolation, you probably have created a lot of new work. Or perhaps your work has taken a new turn. The final chapter of the pandemic isn’t over yet, but it’s time we start emerging and sharing the fruits of our labors.

With the overhaul of our website at the end of 2020, we included a new Directory for members to display their works, add links to videos and to their own websites. To date, only about half of our active members have taken advantage of this opportunity. This is a great venue to display your work, engage a broader audience, drive traffic to your own website, market your classes, and sell your work.

View tutorials for editing your pages.  

If you would like to share news of your work, upcoming shows, thoughts on techniques or reviews of work you’ve seen, you’ll also find instructions at the above link . We would all enjoy hearing from you.

Board Changes

This year we said farewell to several Board Members. Dave Frei, Chayo Wilson and Rocky Jaeger have shifted their focus to changing conditions in their own lives. We appreciate their contributions and will miss their positive energy.

Turnover is nothing new for our Board. It happens every year, which is why it’s so important that we have new people, new perspectives and fresh energy ready to step up. I am very happy to list the following members as candidates for our Board: Scott Price, Alisa Looney and Jonas Hartley. In addition, Bill Leigh has committed to another term. Election of these new Board members will be held at our Annual Meeting on January 26. Our By-laws require a minimum of 8 Board members. With this election, we will maintain 10, which has been our average for the past several years.  

We have a great Board. Our meetings are organized, efficient and productive. All members are welcome.  If you would like to attend to see how we function or are interested in learning about the Board job description, contact me.

Annual Meeting

Our Annual Meeting will be held virtually again this year. Please plan to attend Wednesday, January 26 at 7pm via Zoom. Agenda items include election of our Board members, a few minor changes to our By-Laws, reports on our activities of the past year and an update on our improved financial condition. Open conversation will follow the business items. One discussion topic will be another collaborative show similar to our “Unmatched Pairs” show in 2019. It’s another opportunity to stay connected and creative.

We need a quorum to make our election official. I would like to see 100% participation. It’s also an opportunity to meet and learn about our new members, and updates from existing members.

IF YOU CANNOT ATTEND THE ANNUAL MEETING

You may vote online if you cannot attend the Annual Meeting. It will only take in 1-2 minutes. VOTE HERE

Upcoming Events           

Check the Calendar on our website for info on upcoming meetings. We are actively scheduling for April and beyond. If interested in hosting a virtual or live meeting or other event, contact our new Meeting Coordinator, Bob Deasy.

Firebird Bronze Tour

October Member Meeting

Long time PNWS member Rip Caswell hosted our member meeting at his Firebird Bronze facility. The tour will include:

  • Firebird Bronze Foundry
  • Firebird 3D
  • Indio Metal Fabrication

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:

  • ·Scanning of 3D forms
  • High-end 3D printing
  • CNC armature milling scaled to monument sizes
  • Traditional sculpting services

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.

President’s Message: New Show Opportunities for PNWS Members

We have several excellent show opportunities taking shape: Newport Visual Arts Center, Oregon Society of artists, and Columbia Center for the Arts in Hood River.

In September 2017, we mounted a juried exhibit at the Newport Visual Arts Center. It was an impressive collection of work by our members. We have been invited to produce another show at this excellent facility next year. Oregon Society of Artists has also expressed interest in a sculpture show. This will be our first show collaboration with them. It’s another excellent opportunity to share work and attract new members. Finally, we have initiated discussion with Columbia Center for the Arts in Hood River for a show.

We need your support as these opportunities take shape. Shows, especially the out of town exhibits, require a number of volunteers. We have done this before. We have documented the necessary tasks. We have over a dozen volunteers interested in organizing shows. What we need: Three teams, one for each show; One leader for each team; One Show Coordinator to oversee dates, documentation and details. The team concept will distribute the time commitment fairly. The rewards outweigh the responsibilities.

2019 ISC - PNWS -4
Pacific Northwest Sculptors and Northwest Stone Sculptors Association show in 2019 at ArtReach Gallery included 40 sculptures.

We all benefit from these events. In the past, volunteers who helped create, transport and set up shows have enjoyed participation, camaraderie and connections made through their efforts. We need your commitment asap so we can move plans forward for next year. Contact Chas Martin to help us return to high profile public exhibits.

Virtual Reception for “Emergence” Exhibit

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.

View Reception Video
View Exhibit
Best of Show: John Siblik – River Weaving,

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.

PICNIC IN THE PARK

Sculpture organization open to all interested in sculpture

Sculptors sharing knowledge and resources

MEET-UP • CONNECT • ENJOY

George Rogers Park in Lake Oswego

on Saturday August 28th from 5-8PM

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.

Picnic Shelter #2

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

LOCATION

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

TIME: 5-8PM

WHAT TO BRING

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!

RELEVANT LINKS

If you are interested in viewing the outdoor sculptures of Lake Oswego, be sure to check out the informative links below.

Fairy Tree, by John Uppinghouse, sculpture across from picnic shelter #2

Thinking about taking to the trail?

Water activities including kayak, canoe, and SUP offered at the park!

RSVP not necessary, yet appreciated. If you find yourself free up til the last minute, please come!

eXtended Reality

Possibilities and trends of 3D visualization for Sculpture

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

Russell Ford

May 2021 Monthly Meeting

Member Profile

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:

  • 2015 Art educators exhibition Maryhill Museum, Washington
  • 2015 Washington State Secondary level art educator of year
  • 2016 Washington State art educator of the year

Since retiring he has been busy:

  • 2016- Aurora Gallery Vancouver, WA.
  • 2017 Artist-in-residence, WayiWayi Studios, Livingstone, Zambia.
  • 2017 – 2021
    • Clark County Open Studios
    • The Cave gallery
    • Vancouver Public Library
    • Oregon Society of Artists