SCULPTURE/PAINTING
Sculpture and painting are my two favorite forms of artistic expression. Even though I prefer human and animal forms of both mediums, I am not exclusionary to other subjects. And of course, ocean scenes, animals, and anything related to water evokes my greatest adoration. I am just amazed at the work that some people produce. Take Auguste Rodin. His representations of the human form were stunning. In fact, it has been said that he purposefully made the hands and feet of his sculptures out of proportion to the rest of the body just to disprove his detractors' comments that he had used plaster molds. My favorite Rodin is the unfinished works "The Gates of Hell." I have spent hours examining it and ruminating its signifigance. And I guess that's why i like it so much, for that is the greatest purpose of art: to cause people to pause, reflect, and emote. Other works that I truly enjoy of Rodin's include Cathedral, The Kiss, The Embrace, and the Burghers of Calais.
Another great sculptor is Randy Pucket. My dad and I first noticed his works in the mid-80's in Carmel, CA. His representations of whales and dolphins are beautiful. His use of petina is superb. Unfortunately, he has gone on to great acclaim and even was commissioned to create a major work that sits outside of the Stephen Birch Aquarium in La Jolla right down the hill from UCSD. The reason that it is unfortunate is that I cannot afford any of his works now, but I guess that is great for him and he deserves it.
A recent scuptor that has caught my eye recently is Jeff Tritel from Grass Valley, CA. He and his wife are frequent exhibitors of arts and craft fairs around the Bay Area. Jeff is masterful at his ability to create works that operate at many different levels. My favorit piece of his called ____ and can be positioned in any of three different poses. He and his wife are extremely kind and friendly. While I don't have the resources at the moment to purchase any of his works, they gracious enough to indulge me by taking the time to show and explain their pieces to me. But, the good news is that his pieces are extremely reasonable in term of pricing--especially taking into consideration their beauty.
When it comes to painting, I prefer nature scenes. My favorite painter is Robert Lyn Nelson. He blows Wyland away and is way less commercial. RLN's "Cherish Our Land and Sea" works are proof to not only his amazing artistic abilities, but to his concern for the beauty that he captures so well.
