Bison bison A quick recap from our May e-News (Want to subscribe? Send your email on Contact Us tab):

Clayton was commissioned to create a life size reclining buffalo sculpture for the Children’s Garden at Penn State Arboretum.  The donor for this sculpture saw Clayton’s life size Miss Gratz at the Brandywine River Museum, and specified Clayton as the sculptor.

When an artist works from life as Clayton does, sculpting a bison begins with first finding a live model.  Although a neighbor raises buffalo, the issue of proximity still existed.   According to Bill, the owner, he couldn’t approach on foot.  The closest he could get to them was about 25 feet, when he drove his ATV out to the herd to feed them. Clayton went to visit the herd and he and Bill agreed on a plan

Clayton prepared an armature and waited until a buffalo was sent to market, when he had an opportunity for close examination.*  Clayton followed his normal practice in making a life size piece: he started by sculpting a small study called a maquette.  The small size of a maquette allows a sculptor to work out compositional details in an easily changed format before embarking on the life-size version where changes are possible but more time consuming. The foundry laser scans the maquette and then uses a computer controlled router to carve a Styrofoam® enlargement.

However, as is often the case what is an imperceptible discrepancy in a table size version, can become an obvious error when enlarged 9.5 times.

Thus the first photo below shows Clayton scraping off styrofoam from the enlargement so he can add clay onto the armature and sculpt according to dimensions he had previously taken.  The second photo shows Clayton (who has taken over garage space to make loading and unloading easy) with the life size piece in progress.

*Already in place is the head and two of the legs, sculpted when Clayton had the opportunity with the bison this winter.  Probably obvious from this description, sculpting a life size piece is a lengthy process, which requires a lot of patience and willingness to go back and make adjustments where necessary.

As Clayton moves ahead, further descriptions will follow.

Clayton’s Wilmington Club presentation, “Looking at Paintings: More than Meets the Eye,” was both informative and entertaining. (See May 14 News.)  Being a big picture type of person, Clayton used analogies from everyday life to illustrate points about how he views and reacts to paintings.  With his ability to hone in on details, he pointed out five elements that appear in paintings which consistently engage the viewer.  These elements appear in a variety of genres, and cultures and span centuries. The presentation was well received by a variety of people, some for whom the paintings were familiar, and some who rarely visit museums.  One attendee who is color blind was very appreciative that although colors were discussed, color recognition was not key to enjoying these paintings.

Clayton plans to offer the presentation or versions of it in the future for other events.

Clayton has always enjoyed analyzing and then articulating his thoughts about paintings and sculptures.  He visits museums whenever he is in different area, and focuses on pieces which reveal more on second and third inspections.  For example, Clayton returned to Le Musée d’Arte Moderne in Paris a number of times to understand why a painting by Hélion, was so appealing.

Recently Clayton has been consolidating his thoughts for a presentation on May 20 at the Wilmington Club.  “Looking at Paintings: More than Meets the Eye” will cover a number of complex paintings including  Composition Abstraite by Jean Hélion, The Daughters of  Edward Darley Boit by John Singer Sargent and Winslow Homer’s The Fox Hunt.

Clayton is the master of subtle garden design, much of which takes a lot of planning and hard work.  When he was creating his Japanese garden, Clayton realized he had seen a number of large, attractive in the woods of our property.  When he sat down to plan the Japanese garden, he foresaw how these large stones could become natural accents in the scheme of the garden. If one took the gravel pathway to be water, then these stones were mountains presiding over the landscape.  Clayton picked specific spots for their locations and their orientations. For example the smallest rock is a craggy vertical, framed by the arch of the back porch, which offers a delightful view from the kitchen window.  As a group, Clayton calls them the Three Sisters.

The Three Sisters

Clayton’s design of his home is a work of art in its own right.  Connecting an old nineteenth century barn to a schoolhouse built around 1805, he has interwoven old and new in a seamless flow.  One aspect to this house is that the old bank barn opens up to the south.  Clayton utilized that aspect to create a conservatory, a room filled with plants that he has purchased or been given over the years.  Currently there are two lemon trees, a Brunfelsia pauciflora (yesterday, today and tomorrow), Amaryllis, Clivia, forced daffodils and tulips, a banana tree and a night-blooming cereus among other plants.  Spring comes to the Bright household even when the crocuses outside are struggling to come up. 

When Clayton sees the need, he designs furniture and then collaborates with others to get his vision produced in reality.  There is one piece he designed which is used multiple times a day – a low “bench” for sitting on while donning and doffing boots.  It is the perfect height – one doesn’t need to lean over too far, yet it’s high enough that when the Labradors come along to “help,” a half-on boot can be raised over their backs. The bench has a padded portion on which to sit and a flat wooden portion for collars, gloves, hats, etc.  There is enough space underneath the stretcher for recently shed slippers or sneakers.  And as so typical of Clayton’s designs, this incredibly utilitarian piece of furniture has great proportions and looks very attractive.

One of the first steps Clayton takes in creating a sculpture is to make an armature which can support the clay in place.  Without an armature, the weight of clay can mount up enough to sag or distort from its intended position.  Of course in order to make an armature correctly, Clayton must have the dimensions of the final sculpture in mind.  The basis of the armature needs to be strong and unlikely to bend, such as metal pipes.  Volume can be added by attaching Styrofoam® and appendages by adding twisted wire.  Pictured is the armature for a life size turkey vulture Clayton has just started.

We are in the middle of a cold snap with temperatures below zero in the mornings.  Prior to 2014, in cold weather Clayton would have to turn the heaters on full to get the studio up to 50 by the afternoon, and he had to heat the clay separately because it isn’t malleable enough at 50 degrees. Even then there were some days it was just to cold to work in his studio.  Now it is a different story.  Clayton totally rebuilt his studio in the spring of 2013, adding niceties such as insulation and sealed seams on the floor and walls. His studio is now balmy (in the 60’s) even at our frigid temperatures, and he can sculpt or paint as soon as the light is appropriate.  He can even invite artist friends for breakfast!

Sculptures in the garden, even in winter, prove to be eye-catching. Recently I looked at the sheep and thought, “With all that wool, you must be warm despite the weather!”  One look at those skinny legs and it is readily apparent just how thick their fleece can become.  Indeed, Clayton depicted in his sculpture how the fleece can be so thick that it actually parts when a sheep turns its head. As I stand looking at them, I feel sense that these sheep are watching to see how close I am going to get before they leave the scene.  Nothing like realistic art.

Happy New Year to All!

Clayton is currently working on proposals, so instead of perusing his studio, I am standing at the kitchen counter observing the Japanese garden he designed.  I am constantly amazed at the scope of Clayton’s planning; even in “bleak mid-winter,” this garden is alive and vibrant. Espaliered wisteria branches, pruned a month ago, decorate the broad expanse of the back wall which protects this garden from the sound and sight of cars zooming by on the road outside.  In the middle of the wall hangs a bird feeder where at the moment a Red-Bellied Woodpecker, a Starling, and three House Sparrows are all feeding. Waiting on the wisteria branches are a Tufted Titmouse, a Cardinal and a Black-Capped Chickadee. Three Blue Jays and a pair of Mourning Doves are cleaning up the unopened seeds which have fallen to the ground.  Below, a Song Sparrow drinks from a small pool midway down the waterfall, while five other Sparrows are bathing to the right near the shallow “rapids” of this same re-circulating water element. Behind these birds is ground-hugging green and white ivy and behind this, a grove of seven pruned black gum trees and waist high variegated bamboo, the latter still sporting its green and yellow leaves.  On the far left side of this scene near the moon gate leading out to the road, a climbing rose still clings to its green leaves, reflecting the micro-environment created in the small enclosed space. Green pachysandra leads my eye back to the wintergreen with its red berries directly in front of the kitchen window. What a joyous scene to behold while drinking hot tea in a warm kitchen.

When Clayton travels (usually by car) he thinks about the big picture of his work and connecting to people who would be interested.  Coming home with brilliant ideas is great, but then one has to work to implement them.  We are very pleased with this web site, but no one knows about it unless we spread the news.  So we have set up an e-news letter, which will come out three times a year along with a fourth hard copy newsletter each fall, in case people aren’t on line or we don’t have their email. Please pass on the web site and our emails to those who enjoy Natural Realism, the core of Clayton’s art. Word of mouth is a powerful tool.

We have shifted from the autumnal spectrum of color to the muted hues of winter. Yet there is a reminder of this past fall. Looking at recent paintings of Claytons one sees the panorama of leaves, the last fruits, bright yellow gourds and enormous orange pumpkins. Clayton’s paintings picked up these colors, transient though they were. He has often spoken of his sculptures as being a snapshot of a certain moment in his model’s life, albeit a moment that reflects the animal or person’s personality.  So too with his paintings, Clayton captures that moment observed and turns it into a moment preserved on canvas, turning the scene into a painting for you, the viewer, to experience as well.