Pacific Northwest Sculptors

Sculptors share knowledge and resources

Carole Murphy

Art Play Day at Murphy Sculpture Studio

I’ve wanted to do this since Carole first asked me to announce it. I finally made the third iteration and was not disappointed. What a hoot. Here’s the idea. On certain Wednesdays, (to be announced to members) Carole Murphy opens her sculpture studio and her immense collection of oddities for members to use as they see fit.

Now I just stuffed my collection of “I may want to make something out of this someday” items in a 10’ x 20’ storage unit. Compared to Carole’s collection that is puny and I am filled with shame. That is to say, there is a rich collection of materials and media available at Carole’s sculpture studio. There is a wall of chisels, beaver chunks, shiny doodads, and feathery bits from some creature that died in the sea. There is fodder here, workbenches, and tools. If like me you toil in a studio alone, with little heat, and poor light, rats nibbling at your heals, a visit here would be a welcome relief.

Art Play Day at Murphy Sculpture Studio - small sculpture - Jan 2020
Art Play Day at Murphy Sculpture Studio - wood pieces - Jan 2020

Sculpture Studio or Candy Land…

Right off I found most of some wooden puppet thing that had suffered decapitation. Carole offered the head of the temple lion dog which I obtained by means of a cement saw. I spent the session carving down the neck so it would fit in the body of the puppet thing. I was successful in this. Not only that but it no longer looks like a lion dog but more like a pig and I’m not done yet. I don’t know where this is going. I don’t know what’s in that chunk of head cement. All I know is that I hope it’s worthy.

Art Play Day at Murphy Sculpture Studio - George Heath - Jan 2020

Joe Cartino appeared. Being a sculptor of put-together bits I am not surprised that he would be drawn to such a place. Here he examines some artifact to determine if it could be art or he should put it down quickly, back away, and go wash his hands.

Art Play Day at Murphy Sculpture Studio - Joe Cartino - Jan 2020

What are these? you may ask. These are the things that beavers chuck out of trees. The inedible bits they spit out as they take down your price Japanese maple. Wouldn’t it be fun to make a beaver out of those?

Here’s a box of letter stamps. Old school letter stamps. It goes on and on. Shiny and matt, plastic, metal, wood and shell, antique and newish. It is a thing of mine. If I miss my hoard I can go here and feel at home. Watch for announcements. This is a fun thing and a chance to collaborate or just show what you’ve made to another sculptor who will understand and not think you are weird because of it. Then again…

Here are some of the thousands of things available:

Art Play Day at Murphy Sculpture Studio - letters - Jan 2020
Art Play Day at Murphy Sculpture Studio - metal pieces - Jan 2020

To learn more about Pacific Northwest Sculptors events, contact us today!

Portland’s top art event – Art in the Pearl 2018

Carole Murphy

The Art in the Pearl was a success for the 15th (I think) year of demonstrating artists from the Pacific Northwest Sculptors! This year Dave Gonzales, Maureena Ross, Chas Martin, Olinka Broadfoot and myself, showed some of the possibilities our art. The reception from viewers was warm and inspiring. It is always wonderful to hear what people see and feel about your art. There are so many different ways to see each sculpture and people freely talk about what you do there and of course they quite often share what many of them are up to in their artistic lives. As usual, many folks were interested in joining us, we’ll see how many actually come to meetings or become members. It is good to get the information out about us either way. Our participation there is an excellent way to support the art community, wake up people to some of the art in the area and to let people know about who we are and what we do both individually and as a group. So many visitors were really excited about the meetings that we have monthly in each other’s studios, so who knows who will show up at this next meeting.

Pacific Northwest Sculptors member Carole Murphy at Art in the Pearl 2018
Carole Murphy at Art in the Pearl 2018
Pacific Northwest Sculptors member Dave Gonzo at Art in the Pearl 2018
Dave Gonzo at Art in the Pearl 2018
Pacific Northwest Sculptors member Chas Martin at Art in the Pearl 2018
Chas Martin at Art in the Pearl 2018.

To learn more about Pacific Northwest Sculptors events, contact us today!

Frogwood Collaborations: Sculptors share techniques and perspectives

6 days and 6 nights filled with making art with 38 other artists… what could be better? We usually were at work by 7:30 am and continued sometimes to 11:30 and later. It was amazing to see people simply drop their egos within a couple of days and simply play with one another, creating art. There were no rules such as- how much was to be made, how to make it, how to connect with others, how many to work on a piece, how to warm up or any other rules that you could think up. We were simply there with tools and art supplies that we brought and a ton of tools and art supplies that were already there. Some had been there before, some had not, most were accomplished artists in their fields and all were ready to play. The word that comes to mind first in trying to describe it to people is – profound. It made me call to a deeper part of me and simply create more freely.

Included in the array of makers were wood turners, welders, a blacksmith, coppersmiths, jewelers, sculptors, weavers and even a couple of people that made instruments. This next year the plan is to invite even more folks. A few people traveled home each night but most stayed in tents and cabins around a place called Camp Colton in Colton, Oregon, about an hour SE of Portland. The affair is catered with amazing food and I bunked with the most wonderful people. You’d think that 3 women in a tiny cabin room would be a problem, especially with the bathroom outside in another part of the building. Nope, it was really enjoyable talking excitedly about our day when we did bump into each other there. 

Below is one of the pieces that I collaborated on – I made the stand and the boat and all of the pieces including the sail are made by 9 other artists. 

Carole Murphy Frogwood Collaboration Boat

Frogwood

Rick Gregg Steel Sculpture Turns Up At Portland Estate Auction

A Portland woman attending an estate auction came home with much more than she bargained for recently when she bought a small and very distinctive steel sculpture. 

Past PNWS President Carole Murphy was contacted by the woman who purchased a 12-inch steel sculpture that turned out to be the work of the late PNWS member and board member Rick Gregg. 

The piece, called “Bringer,” depicts a horse and rider. Executed in steel and concrete, it is instantly recognizable as Gregg’s work. 

The woman who purchased it didn’t know what she was buying nor, apparently, did the auctioneer, but she found Gregg’s name on the bottom of the piece. 

She looked him up online where she also found Murphy’s contact information and got in touch. 

Murphy said the woman was “absolutely thrilled” to learn of the work’s provenance and that she loved the piece and would not dream of selling it. 

Murphy said the woman got more than just a bargain, more like a windfall. Her winning bid was a mere $35. Murphy said a piece such as “Bringer,” part of a series of related works, normally commands upwards of $2,400 or $2,500. 

Gregg, who passed away in 2016, was widely revered as a sculptor and leader in the local community of sculptors. His colleagues greatly admired his skill and welding techniques, which he gladly shared with others.

To learn more about Pacific Northwest Sculptors events, contact us today!

Effective Publicity For Sculpture Classes

Paul Haist

The Clackamas Review newspaper published an article in January about PNWS past president Carole Murphy. It was a very favorable article that focused primarily on Murphy’s then-upcoming sculpture classes. It included an attractive photo of the artist, her work, and some of her raw material. After spelling out the details of her class, the reporter, Ellen Spitaleri, went on to fill in some details of Murphy’s background. 

It was a well-crafted article designed (and placed) to get people’s attention. Murphy said it led to people getting in touch with her about joining her sculpture class. 

Differentiating Ad Space vs. Featured Story Articles

That kind of publicity—publicity that generates the desired result—usually does not come cheap. However, as a rule, one does not pay for editorial placement in a newspaper. So, how did Murphy do that and how can you do it too? To begin, it was not entirely free. Murphy previously placed an ad for her sculpture classes in the Review. It cost about what one would expect for a small display ad in a small-town—but also importantly suburban—newspaper. The ad yielded no results. When the newspaper contacted Murphy later to ask if she wanted to renew the ad, she remarked that it had not motivated any response. The newspaper’s response? “Do you think a story about your class would help?” Well, perhaps not exactly those words, but words to that effect, according to Murphy. They offered her editorial space and a reporter with a camera. Editorial space—more than ad space—implies credibility.

One likely gets a lot more mileage from even a small story than a big ad. Also, small-town papers often operate with something like a sense of family. They often want to help. Main Street goes in both directions in most small towns. Murphy did not elaborate, but she said that she previously had a similar experience. Artists take note.

To learn more about Pacific Northwest Sculptors events, contact us today!