‘To Love and to Cherish’
As much as I love bringing someone else’s vision into bronze reality and exceeding their expectations, whenever I’m doing commissions, I’m always thinking, “If I had my own way, what would I sculpt?”
I love to sculpt people, and my favourite people to sculpt are the elderly, with their character and wisdom. I rarely get the opportunity to sculpt more than one figure, but I am always on the lookout for it because it’s a lot of fun for me to plan how they will interact subtly with each other while also looking available to interact with passers-by.
A sculpture on a bench cannot turn you away; it extends an invitation to all who walk by to stop, take a load off, and enjoy a few moments with them. I have received many notes from people telling me of how they have visited one of my publicly commissioned bench sculptures, viewing them as a friend during a hard time. Some place fresh flowers in a sculpture’s hands every day. They have met them as if meeting a friend and poured out their hearts to someone who would never say the wrong thing, betray, or grow weary of listening; my bench sculptures have been a safe confidant to many!
With this elderly couple, I wanted to capture a ‘snap photo’ of a couple in their golden years who have spent long years together loving and cherishing and doing life together. They know each other so well that they engage with each other without having to be looking at each other. I wanted anyone to be able to adopt this couple as their grandparents and be brought into their warmth.
I picture this faithful couple being photographed with those newly in love, dreaming of the comfort and stability of growing old together. I see them sitting in as grandparents for a younger generation. This couple causes me to stop and remember my elderly mentors whether blood relatives, or older people who took the time to listen and encourage me. I contemplate how I can be that to the new generation as I grow older.
A private or public bronze commission is quite expensive, not only because the bronze itself is superior and comes with a 10,000 year warranty, but because it’s a lengthy process to create and because if it’s a one-of, all of the expenses need to be absorbed within that one piece. With this sculpture, I’m going to produce a limited edition of 10. A good part of the process, the sculpting and mold-making, only need to be done once and will be used for all of the pieces. This allows me to spread my sculpting and mold making costs over the full commission of 10.
Communities and municipalities can’t always afford the cost of a one-of commission. They also may not want to single out a particular person to honour while leaving others, who may be equally deserving, hurt. I see this couple as an excellent addition to any park or town. They will set the tone as a warm and welcoming place; a place of community.
I have other ideas that I’d like to add to my collection of limited edition ‘bench people,’ but this is my first and I’m very happy with how they turned out!
Please contact me for a quote for this piece. It does come on the bench. I work with a company close to me that produces some very beautiful benches and municipal furniture that ships internationally.
I love to sculpt people, and my favourite people to sculpt are the elderly, with their character and wisdom. I rarely get the opportunity to sculpt more than one figure, but I am always on the lookout for it because it’s a lot of fun for me to plan how they will interact subtly with each other while also looking available to interact with passers-by.
A sculpture on a bench cannot turn you away; it extends an invitation to all who walk by to stop, take a load off, and enjoy a few moments with them. I have received many notes from people telling me of how they have visited one of my publicly commissioned bench sculptures, viewing them as a friend during a hard time. Some place fresh flowers in a sculpture’s hands every day. They have met them as if meeting a friend and poured out their hearts to someone who would never say the wrong thing, betray, or grow weary of listening; my bench sculptures have been a safe confidant to many!
With this elderly couple, I wanted to capture a ‘snap photo’ of a couple in their golden years who have spent long years together loving and cherishing and doing life together. They know each other so well that they engage with each other without having to be looking at each other. I wanted anyone to be able to adopt this couple as their grandparents and be brought into their warmth.
I picture this faithful couple being photographed with those newly in love, dreaming of the comfort and stability of growing old together. I see them sitting in as grandparents for a younger generation. This couple causes me to stop and remember my elderly mentors whether blood relatives, or older people who took the time to listen and encourage me. I contemplate how I can be that to the new generation as I grow older.
A private or public bronze commission is quite expensive, not only because the bronze itself is superior and comes with a 10,000 year warranty, but because it’s a lengthy process to create and because if it’s a one-of, all of the expenses need to be absorbed within that one piece. With this sculpture, I’m going to produce a limited edition of 10. A good part of the process, the sculpting and mold-making, only need to be done once and will be used for all of the pieces. This allows me to spread my sculpting and mold making costs over the full commission of 10.
Communities and municipalities can’t always afford the cost of a one-of commission. They also may not want to single out a particular person to honour while leaving others, who may be equally deserving, hurt. I see this couple as an excellent addition to any park or town. They will set the tone as a warm and welcoming place; a place of community.
I have other ideas that I’d like to add to my collection of limited edition ‘bench people,’ but this is my first and I’m very happy with how they turned out!
Please contact me for a quote for this piece. It does come on the bench. I work with a company close to me that produces some very beautiful benches and municipal furniture that ships internationally.