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World leaders already know this but it might surprise you.
A few days ago, an article from The Associated Press reported that leaders of a very bad organization ordered their followers to mint new coins that depict their group ruling the world. This is not a new tactic. Sculpted images on coins first appeared just before 400 BC in Asia Minor. The use of coin portraits spread to ancient Iran in the 2nd century BC, and the Romans mastered the sculpted coin communication channel during the Renaissance.
Above is a coin sculpted by Brad Oldham in celebration of The Birth of a City sculpture wall installed at Encore Park in Dallas, Texas. As we are ever-mindful of the power of sculpted artwork, we hope to spread beauty and gratitude through artwork such as our coin shown this post. Push past the mushy sentiment of this intention. Coins are not just functional pieces of metal with words and numbers. The bad guys know about how currency is more than money and you should too. Sculptured imagery on coins is very impactful yet often overlooked. Take a moment today to look at the coins you carry and consider what messages are displayed on them.
In the coin above, Brad features a hard-working man who helped to rebuild Dallas after the Trinity River flood of 1908. We are thankful for this unnamed man and thousands of others like him who kept Dallas growing in the early 20th century.
If you'd like to know more about The Birth of a City, please click here.
Statue or Sculpture, Which Came First?
Three-dimensional artworks are often referred to as a statue or sculpture. These terms are frequently used interchangeably, or to the exclusion of one over the other. They are funny words to say – stach-oo and skuhlp-cher. But which word came first?
According to The Oxford English Dictionary, the term 'statue' was first used in 995 in the biblical story in which Lot’s wife was turned into a statue of salt. The use of the term dropped off for a period of time. Lee Anne Detzel, manager of the Humanities Division of the Dallas Public Library, speculated that perhaps the Dark Ages sidelined a lot of fancy language like 'statue.' The next recorded use of 'statue' was by Geoffrey Chaucer in 1386. Not long after, the first use of 'sculpture' was noted in 1390 by English poet John Gower (a friend of Chaucer) in the sentence, “Zenzis fond ferst the pourtreture, and Promotheus the Sculpture.”
'Statue' was used hundreds of years earlier than the word 'sculpture.' These two words will continue to be explored in this blog.
NOTE: The bronze sculpture shown in this post is the Imperfect Princess by Brad Oldham.
October in Downtown Dallas
On the evening of October 9th, Brad Oldham International hosted the Stewpot Alliance in its new location in downtown Dallas at 1200 Ross Avenue. Nearly 75 people enjoyed learning about the next Soups!On event in January, and guest got a pre-opening, sneak peek into Brad Oldham's new facility.
Sculpture Has Its Limits
Here's to stating the obvious - a bronze sculpture is heavy and it is not so portable. Slide The Elephant shown above weighs nearly 8 pounds, which is approximately the weight of a gallon of water. When you buy this sculpture, let us ship it to you. Travel with sculpture is tiring and cumbersome. Slide The Elephant is a homebody that wants to dazzle your guests from his home base. Trust us, shipping directly to your home is the way to go!
Click here to see more about Slide The Elephant by Brad Oldham.
What You Don't See
What you don't see when you look at Brad Oldham's sculpture is all the behind-the-scenes work that goes into each piece. After a piece of artwork is conceptualized and sculpted in clay, there is a list of craftsman-style steps that follow. Various molds are made on the clay sculpture for different uses in production. Wax is poured into molds, followed by work by hand to ensure each figure is perfect. The goal is that what is made in wax is exactly what is realized in bronze. From wax to rough bronze sculpture, there are 15 steps in between. Each rough bronze sculpture is then cleaned, polished, given a patina, and sealed before it is ready to sell.
This is a snapshot of Brad Oldham's workbench.
The Eye Wants What The Eye Wants
There is a space in your home that only a sculpture can fill. Intuitively, you know that a shape, color or pop of humor would be nice, but you cannot find the words to communicate that need. Flipping through magazines and searching through Pinterest are good places to start to define your "eye" for decor. Taking the time to experiment and edit your choices gives your home a unique look. Wall space can go fast. Consider where sculpture can embody your taste.
The 6-inch-tall sculpture of The Traveling Man shown here can find many places in your home to make you smile. Can you resist? If not, click here.
