May 2023 Featured Artist
The Intricacies of Sculpture in Motion
An Interview with
Elaine Franz Witten
Elaine Works on her Piece "Royal Flush" (Pheasant)
Photo Courtesy: Elaine Witten |
Elaine Franz Witten is a multi-award-winning, classically trained sculptor. Hallmarks of her bronzes are beautiful form, illusion of movement, creative use of negative space, and use of indigenous stone bases. They are cast using the ancient lost-wax method.
Elaine majored in art at Connecticut College in New London, Connecticut, and studied sculpture at Columbia University, New York City. She later studied with Jane Armstrong, Fellow NSS. Her work is inspired by living close to nature in Vermont. With a registered nurse background, her anatomical knowledge informs her figurative work. Elaine’s art has been exhibited in over 150 national and international exhibitions as well as museums and reginal solo shows. Her bronzes are in public and private collections in the United States, Canada, and in the private collection of the former King of Saudi Arabia. Elaine created an outdoor lion head fountain for the Village of Old Bennington, Vermont, as well as a dove fountain for St. Mary Medical Foundation, Langhorn, Pennsylvania. Several of her sculptures are in the permanent collection of Dorset Public Library, Dorset, Vermont, and also in corporate collections in Vermont and Alaska. In 2013, she became a purveyor of sculpture to the U.S. State Department for use as Presidential gifts by President Obama. |
In New York City, her sculptures have been exhibited at Park Avenue Gallery as part of several National Sculpture Society exhibitions, the National Arts Club, Salmagundi Art Club, and Sylvia and Po Kim Gallery. Elaine is a signature member of the National Association of Women Artists (NAWA).
Elaine has taught sculpture for twenty years at Southern Vermont Arts Center, Manchester, Vermont. She is a past Trustee of Vermont College of Fine Arts, Montpelier, Vermont. She is represented by galleries in Vermont, New York, Florida and Maine.
Elaine has taught sculpture for twenty years at Southern Vermont Arts Center, Manchester, Vermont. She is a past Trustee of Vermont College of Fine Arts, Montpelier, Vermont. She is represented by galleries in Vermont, New York, Florida and Maine.
Myrna Beth Haskell, executive editor, asked Elaine about her process through which she has created sculptures that capture the intricacies of movement in both humans and wildlife.
Does the tactile nature of creating sculpture draw you to this medium?
I have always been a hands-on woman in mothering, nursing, gardening, cooking, as well as creating art. I find the process of molding oil-based clay around an aluminum armature (that I have also created by hand) a rewarding tactile experience.
You went to school for art but also worked as a registered nurse for years. Did your work as a nurse help you understand muscle and skeletal structures? I ask because you have a keen eye for how a speed skater uses his limbs to lean into a race or how the muscles of a horse are strained during a gallop, which adds to the sense of movement in your work.
My background as a registered nurse is most helpful to me in creating figurative sculpture. Knowing anatomy and how muscle groups interact during any given action is important to showing movement. Inclusion of appropriate movement is of great importance to me and is one of the hallmarks of my work. To further enhance my knowledge, I utilized live models for my speed skater, cross-country skier, as well as for my 'Centered Women' series of yoga, t'ai chi, and dancer.
Does the tactile nature of creating sculpture draw you to this medium?
I have always been a hands-on woman in mothering, nursing, gardening, cooking, as well as creating art. I find the process of molding oil-based clay around an aluminum armature (that I have also created by hand) a rewarding tactile experience.
You went to school for art but also worked as a registered nurse for years. Did your work as a nurse help you understand muscle and skeletal structures? I ask because you have a keen eye for how a speed skater uses his limbs to lean into a race or how the muscles of a horse are strained during a gallop, which adds to the sense of movement in your work.
My background as a registered nurse is most helpful to me in creating figurative sculpture. Knowing anatomy and how muscle groups interact during any given action is important to showing movement. Inclusion of appropriate movement is of great importance to me and is one of the hallmarks of my work. To further enhance my knowledge, I utilized live models for my speed skater, cross-country skier, as well as for my 'Centered Women' series of yoga, t'ai chi, and dancer.
Personal Best (Speed Skater)
Bronze on Greek Marble Base ~ 24 x 20.5 x 15.5 inches © Elaine Franz Witten |
Extended Bow (Yoga Pose)
Bronze on Vermont Granite Base ~ 20 x 13 x 6 inches © Elaine Franz Witten |
You are also an accomplished painter. Do you make a sketch before you begin a sculpture?
That is an interesting question and one I am frequently asked by my students and others. Mostly, I do not sketch with pencil and paper. I build my own armatures from common plumbing parts and aluminum wire attached to a board. Before adding any oil-based clay, I bend the wires into an approximation of the movement I wish to express. This is my road map, my sketch in wire. As I’m adding clay early in the process, I may change the movement slightly, a detour, but basically my first adjustment of the wires represents the action. For some hand-size sculptures – those without armature – I may do a pencil sketch to establish a pleasing form.
That is an interesting question and one I am frequently asked by my students and others. Mostly, I do not sketch with pencil and paper. I build my own armatures from common plumbing parts and aluminum wire attached to a board. Before adding any oil-based clay, I bend the wires into an approximation of the movement I wish to express. This is my road map, my sketch in wire. As I’m adding clay early in the process, I may change the movement slightly, a detour, but basically my first adjustment of the wires represents the action. For some hand-size sculptures – those without armature – I may do a pencil sketch to establish a pleasing form.
How important is the armature before you’ve added the clay? Do you prefer to create an armature as opposed to sculpting without one?
An armature is not only my road map, but also key for the support of a work. There are many advantages to creating my own armatures out of plumbing parts and wire. Once you know this system, it’s possible to create armatures for anything, including birds and abstract sculptures of their design or figures and animals of any size or in any position. Small sculptures can be modeled without armature.
An armature is not only my road map, but also key for the support of a work. There are many advantages to creating my own armatures out of plumbing parts and wire. Once you know this system, it’s possible to create armatures for anything, including birds and abstract sculptures of their design or figures and animals of any size or in any position. Small sculptures can be modeled without armature.
Form and Spirit (T'ai Chi)
Bronze on Vermont Granite Base ~ 24 x 24 x 7 inches © Elaine Franz Witten |
Maestro
Bronze ~ 14 x 8.5 x 8 inches © Elaine Franz Witten |
The celebration of wildlife is a theme throughout your work. Has wildlife always been an inspiration?
Yes. Living close to nature in Vermont for most of my life, I am a keen observer of the beauty of wildlife, and it offers much inspiration. When I’m sculpting animals and birds, I also seek live models.
Herons come to my pond outside my studio window, and I have visited farms to study goats, llamas and horses. I also frequented a falconry to hold an actual falcon and to study the falconer’s glove for replication. I mounted my falcon on top of a glove as they perch during hunting. At a goat farm, I observed a characteristic cock of one goat’s head that I incorporated into my bronze rendition. Sometimes, it is a simple gesture that makes a poetic difference. The beauty and strength of horses has always fascinated me, and I study their various gaits carefully.
Yes. Living close to nature in Vermont for most of my life, I am a keen observer of the beauty of wildlife, and it offers much inspiration. When I’m sculpting animals and birds, I also seek live models.
Herons come to my pond outside my studio window, and I have visited farms to study goats, llamas and horses. I also frequented a falconry to hold an actual falcon and to study the falconer’s glove for replication. I mounted my falcon on top of a glove as they perch during hunting. At a goat farm, I observed a characteristic cock of one goat’s head that I incorporated into my bronze rendition. Sometimes, it is a simple gesture that makes a poetic difference. The beauty and strength of horses has always fascinated me, and I study their various gaits carefully.
The Hunters (Harris Hawk)
Bronze on Vermont Granite Base ~ 25 x 40 x 18 inches © Elaine Franz Witten |
Cavalla Volante (Flying Mare)
Bronze on Vermont Granite Base ~ 10.5 x 18 x 5.25 inches © Elaine Franz Witten |
The Wild Run (Salmon)
Bronze on Vermont Marble Base ~ 24 x 21 x 12 inches © Elaine Franz Witten |
Would you like to comment on the lost-wax method as part of your process and why you appreciate it? The lost-wax method of producing bronzes dates back hundreds of years. My original clay changes from clay to wax to bronze with a mold made between each stage. The first mold around my clay is a plaster mold with latex interior, called the 'mother mold' because it can be used again to pour waxes for a limited edition of future castings. Wax is poured into this mold. This mold opens, and I correct the wax to smooth seams and correct any imperfections. Then a second mold is made around the wax with vents and an opening into which hot molten bronze is poured. When this mold is removed, the bronze is chased and a patina applied, creating a limited number of colors varied by types of chemicals and the amount of heat I choose to use. What do you love about bronze casting, and how does this type of casting enhance your work? I love being a part of this ancient practice and working with my nearby foundry owner, Glenn Campbell, a talented Rhode Island School of Design graduate, with a foundry in Rutland, Vermont. I love having my hand in the transformation of my work in clay to wax correction and, finally, to a finished bronze with unique patina. When the bronze is completed, I enjoy selecting indigenous stone bases for mounting my work. They are an important part of my presentation and another hallmark of my work. |
I am particularly drawn to “Royal Flush" (Pheasant). The amount of detail (including the holes in the numerous feathers) and texture draws the viewer in. And the different perspectives as one walks around the piece are quite diverse.
Sometimes additional armature support is necessary, and I use wire mesh over wire for bird wings. For ‘Royal Flush,’ I cut holes in the mesh to create open spaces and to ‘let the light through’ as well as to evoke the pattern of the bird’s wings. Use of interesting negative space is another hallmark of my work. Negative space can be ‘open space’ within a sculpture, as in this piece, but it also takes into consideration the silhouette, the open spaces surrounding a sculpture’s exterior.
Sometimes additional armature support is necessary, and I use wire mesh over wire for bird wings. For ‘Royal Flush,’ I cut holes in the mesh to create open spaces and to ‘let the light through’ as well as to evoke the pattern of the bird’s wings. Use of interesting negative space is another hallmark of my work. Negative space can be ‘open space’ within a sculpture, as in this piece, but it also takes into consideration the silhouette, the open spaces surrounding a sculpture’s exterior.
Royal Flush (Pheasant)
Bronze on Vermont Granite Base ~ 15.75 x 23 x 12 inches
© Elaine Franz Witten
Bronze on Vermont Granite Base ~ 15.75 x 23 x 12 inches
© Elaine Franz Witten
“Fishing on Equinox Pond" (Blue Heron) seems to be an exercise in weight and balance – its delicate legs vs. heavy wingspan, plus the positioning of its bill as it dives for dinner. Was this one difficult to create, particularly in the casting process?
Fishing on Equinox Pond (Blue Heron)
Bronze on Vermont Marble Base ~ 14 x 28 x 24 inches © Elaine Franz Witten |
There was no particular problem casting ‘Fishing on Equinox Pond.’ In creating the clay, external supports were necessary as props to carry the weight of the armature and clay while working and during transport to the foundry. I used wood blocks under each wing. I also needed to be aware of balance, and I accomplished this through careful positioning of the two legs and the bird’s beak just touching the base.
One of our themes this month is “women helping women.” Are there any women in your life you’d like to give a shout-out to? When I returned to sculpture in my 50s, after raising a family and a career in nursing, I found a special mentor, Jane Armstrong, a Fellow at the National Sculpture Society. She was a gifted stone carver. I created some alabaster sculptures under her guidance, as well as some small clay pieces without armature. Because she was a stone sculptor, I had to learn armature building on my own, through trial and error; but she was supportive of my efforts and encouraged me to continue in my chosen direction to create work in bronze. |
Where do you find sanctuary?
I find sanctuary in many places and with people. I take daily walks on rural roads and enjoy the changing beauty of nature year-round. I also find sanctuary the moment I step into my light-filled studio, which is a converted screened-in porch with glass windows on three sides overlooking a pond and large meadow with mountains in the far distance. I find sanctuary and gratitude, that at age 86, I can still be doing one of the things I love – creating art. Best of all I am doing this with the love and support of a dear husband and family.
I find sanctuary in many places and with people. I take daily walks on rural roads and enjoy the changing beauty of nature year-round. I also find sanctuary the moment I step into my light-filled studio, which is a converted screened-in porch with glass windows on three sides overlooking a pond and large meadow with mountains in the far distance. I find sanctuary and gratitude, that at age 86, I can still be doing one of the things I love – creating art. Best of all I am doing this with the love and support of a dear husband and family.
Elaine is teaching an upcoming sculpture workshop:
Southern Vermont Arts Center in Manchester, Vermont
July 11 through July 14
This four-day long workshop is for beginners as well as advanced students.
Southern Vermont Arts Center in Manchester, Vermont
July 11 through July 14
This four-day long workshop is for beginners as well as advanced students.
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An Introduction to Elaine's Sculpture Process
Complete video can be found on her home page. |
List of Galleries that Carry Elaine's Work:
Three Pears Gallery, Dorset, Vermont Spa Fine Art Gallery, Saratoga, New York Landmark Gallery, Kennebunkport, Maine Chisholm Gallery,Wellington, Florida |
