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Thank
you for visiting !
Please
allow me to give you a tour of my studio and tell you about my
work. Art and animals have
been
a part of my life since I was a child. Although I graduated as
an Art Major in Depth from
Winona
University ( Minnesota ), I think I learned the most about art
from my Mother.
She
had a paint brush in my hand while I was still in the high chair
! My art career began as
a
painter of portraits, landscapes, and, of course, animals. In my
youth, I was consumed with
a
passion for horses. I rode them, I trained them, and I painted
them. A changing lifestyle meant
downsizing
the obsession. Papillon dogs worked well in this category. I
have bred show Papillons
for
more years than I care to remember. My husband, Dave, copes
relatively well with the constant
pitter-patter
through the house.
Studio
L'image began in 1985 as a partnership between myself and
Susan Cassem.
We
sold a few of my original stoneware dog sculptures at a show,
reinvested in some molds,
and
a business was whelped ! Sue critiqued as I sculpted to complete
most of the breeds you
will
see in this site. Sue has since retired from the business and I
continue the work.
The
first step in producing a figurine is to complete the
original. This is done in polymer clay.
After
the original is completed, a mold is made by painting on
silicone rubber in layers over the
original.
When that is dry, a plaster "mother mold" is formed
around the silicone. This is then
opened
and the original removed. Casting material is poured into the
mold and allowed to harden.
The
casting is then carefully removed from the mold and hand cleaned
and detailed. After drying
for
a week, the casting is painted using several types of paint in a
two day process. A final sealer
is
sprayed on and the bottom finished with pads. Because each piece
requires considerable hand
work,
no two are exactly alike. |