Sculptures of People

String Quartet  (6 1/2 inches high)     When a quartet performs for an audience, the musicians' inherent characteristics play out visually, as well as audibly.  Clayton became fascinated by the way in which musicians unconsciously express themselves through their bodies while engrossed in their music.  In The String Quartet, Clayton depicts four distinct personalities: the first violinist is an upfront, commanding type; the second violinist is just as competent a musician, but more relaxed and at ease; the cellist appears good natured and affable; and the violist seems independent, though very much connected musically.  Clayton succeeded at creating four individuals who form a cohesive group, as their personalities mesh together to form a whole sculpture.

Third Element  (27 inches high ~ edition of 60)     This sculpture studies a child's fascination with the contradiction between the solid appearance of a stream of water and its true liquidity.  Bright was inspired to create a fountain when he recognized the process of discovery before him.  The result is this life size fountain depicting a one year old girl trying to grasp water as it flows from a spigot.

This recirculating fountain provides tranquility both visually and through the soothing sound of flowing water.  The organic nature of the piece lets it blend into any garden, complimenting woodland or formal garden settings.

Phoebe  (16 inches high ~ open edition)      Many artists have been inspired by the female form.   Few have depicted it with so much beauty and warmth.  Spiritually and anatomically accurate, this bronze communicates fully the emotions involved.  The joy of impending motherhood comes not only in the smile but in the whole face; the intense maternal care emanates from the whole body posture.

Acute observation and a conviction of its universality enabled Bright to capture these complicated feelings in a sculpture and convey them to the beholder.  His approach is mature and true to life; avoiding trite conventions, he presents beauty in its spiritual as well as physical form.

Arthur DeCosta  (7 1/4 inches high ~ commission)      A bust doesn't have to be life size to convey a strong sense of personality and presence.  At one third life size, this bronze resides easily on a desktop, providing a focal point, but not dominance.  (This photograph is actually of the plaster cast, a step which can be made prior to casting a sculpture into bronze.)

The features of this sculpture disclose the compassion of the model.   One aspect of the appeal of Bright's bronzes is his ability to convey what lies beneath the surface.  In all his bronzes there is a mood, a complex of feelings, or a characteristic which strikes a chord in us.