Frederick Hart - A Statue In Time
September 4, 2008
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This month I was in St.Augustine, Florida on a small hiatus from the daily grind; enjoying what the east coast of Florida has to offer. Intrigued with their appreciation of preserving the past, the city takes me back into a victorian period of time that I just adore. I love St. Augustine because of the nostagla it provides to this modern dweller, but I also love it because its a gathering place for some great art and artist from around the country and native Floridians.
Walking down St. George Street, I dead ended into a center of town filled with churches, monuments and art galleries! It was there I patrionized the Brilliance In Color Art Gallery. The gallery was full of amazing artists, most of them prefered the oil medium, but there was one man’s work that stuck out and caught my eye like seeing a diamond in the rough, that man was Frederick Hart.
His work stands out because he doesn’t just sculpt, he carves a story, and what he does he does to perfection. When you see his work, the detail and realism are so intense that it not only captures your eye, but your soul. When it captures your soul, you know the piece is done right. Frederick Hart sculpts in all sculpting materials, like bronze and marble, but it’s his acrylic that takes my breath away. Don’t get me wrong each piece of his is spectacular, but I’m in love with his acrylics.
Most of his acrylic work features women, free flowing and full of life with no restrictions. He captures the beauty and essence of a woman that anyone, man or woman, can relate to. Each piece has its own individuality, and tells its own story. Hart’s acrylics tend to favor a matte and glossy finish to each piece giving it a feel you can’t get with other sculpting materials. Sometimes the pieces are a solid block of acrylic with the woman chizled out of an end like a ship mast, and sometimes he amazes me by having the 3D woman encased with glossy acrylic. I don’t know how he does it, but I know I could look at and admire his work for hours. I swear you will see something new each time you look at the piece that you’ve seen over and over, rediscovering his brillance.
In addition to Hart’s Acrylic Collection, he also has a Bronze Sculputre and Marble Structure collection, as well as the Washington National Cathedral Collection that contain a figure Ex Nihilo, which is portrayed as both man and woman; as well as Adam a strong virial man.
Hart’s love for art shows not only in his work, but in his words. I got this paragraph directly from his biography, and to me it sums up the artist in so many ways, I quote “I believe that art has a moral responsibility, that it must pursue something higher than itself. Art must be a part of life. It must exist in the domain of the common man. It must be an enriching, ennobling and vital partner in the public pursuit of civilization. it should be a majestic presence in everyday life just as it was in the past.” - Frederick Hart
I would love to have an interview with Frederick, but unfortunately he passed away from this life in 1999. His memory will live on within his work and his story will never be censored as long as his pieces survive.
You can see Hart’s collection in person at the following locations:
Brilliance In Color, Fine Art Gallery
25 King Street
St. Augustine, FL 32084
(904) 810-0460
http://www.lovesemporium.com/catalog.php?cid=50
www.frederickhart.com
Lynn McCray - Molding The Future
July 7, 2008
When someone mentions pottery, I think of Lynn McCray. Lynn, the owner of Clay By McCray is a very unique artist with an optimistic outlook on life and a strong passion for her work and family. She knows that with those two elements in her life, she will be a success, fueled by God.
Once you see her work you will understand exactly why we use the term “master potter”. You will never regret contacting her, and you will forever treasure her talent that will sit proudly in your home or office. She has worked for many celebrities, and far more have seen her work and commented on it. Among the elite list is Angela Basset, Ronnie Lippett, Queen Latifa. Dawn Lewis, Romel Foster. Phyllis Yevone Stinkney and Jo Marie Paton just to name a few, but the list goes on and on!
Lynn is a mother to three young boys whom she absolutely adores. An unfortunate slip of fate turned her world upside down and Lynn temporarily lost the strength to pursue her talent. She told me that through prayer, the will of her soul, and her need to support her children, she managed to regain her strength and rekindled the passion to take on the art world again.
Clay By McCray has been in business for many years. She is a potter by trade, and her specialty is something I have yet to encounter another artist doing. She takes clay impressions of you or your loved ones face, infuses them onto a pot, and adds color and decorative touches. What emerges is a flawless, one-of-a-kind masterpiece that forever immortalizes them. Lynn also makes pregnancy molds, custom vases, plate ware, and decorative pottery. She will make them custom to your specifications or you can purchase some of her own unique ideas.
In February of 2008 she launched her website ClaybyMcCray.com. Through this portal, she hopes to gain new business opportunities and friends. Each one of her customers is treated like family and will get her undivided attention. ClaybyMcCray.com has examples of her work, her biography, and a contact page so that you can e-mail or call her to get your custom artwork started.
To contact or learn more about Lynn McCray, visit her web site at ClaybyMcCray.com.
Art in Strange Places
June 25, 2008
What is art? I can sum it up in one word, creation. Creation is vision turned reality, so with that in mind, everything you see and touch would be art whether it’s man-made or natural, art surrounds us. Sometimes we forget that art is everywhere, and fail to stop and see the beauty this world has to offer. Once in a while, someone comes along and harmonizes man-made art and natural art into one.
That was the case with Gutzon Borglum. You may not know his name but you should because he created something with nature that has amazed the American people, and the world for that fact since the early 1920s. His work has been on a US postage stamp, postcards, and is part of a National Park. His vision, his creativity, and the risk he took to create his art are second to none. Can you guess what he created yet? Gutzon Borglum created Mount Rushmore, near Keystone, South Dakota.
For his art, he chose four Presidents who had a right to be up on that mountain. Gorglum chose George Washington, our first President; Abraham Lincoln, the man that ended slavery and fought to keep our nation together through the Civil War; Thomas Jefferson, the creator of the Declaration of Independence and the man that bought most of the current land of the United States; and Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt, a man so strong that helped defeat the Mexican army and protect our Lone Star State. Teddy also created the Rough Riders a ruthless band of lawmen. These Presidents shaped America and also shaped the vision Gorglum had for his masterpiece.
To create something like this is short of a miracle. He dangled off a cliff day in and day out, facing all the elements yet still carving a massive bust of these Presidents on a breathtaking canvas that had already existed for millenia. The carving started in 1927 and continued until 1941. There were a few injuries along the path and no deaths, though an injury to an artist is suffering for their cause, so an injury to those men was honorable.
Unfortunately, Gorglum would never see his masterpiece finished. He died before it was completed but his crew continued and finished the job making Gorglum’s art and vision a reality. Today we can all sit and admire this breathtaking work of art, next to the natural perfection of the Keystone National Park.
To find out more about Mt. Rushmore, check out:
