The Quiet Man Statue

Earlier this year I was awarded a commission to create a bronze statue to commemorate the making of the film "The Quiet Man" in Cong, County Mayo. The first problem I had to overcome was to find a model tall enough to pose as John Wayne. After some searching I hired a model from Galway named Florian who was 6ft 5in. My wife Jacinta modelled as Maureen O`Hara and both models were very patient as I took photographs and measurements in the studio.

I then proceeded to make the steel armature which would support the initial artwork
and then applied the clay which forms the artwork.

Next came the mould (below left). When the plaster mould sections are removed they will be used to paint the wax into. These wax sections are then used in the "lost wax process" which in principal dates back

nearly 5,000 years.

Once the casting is done and each section is welded together, the supporting internal steel frame is inserted and the metalwork or "chasing" is done (above right). Then the colour is applied using a process called patination. Link to video on patination I made. 

Lastly there is the installation and the unveiling. I usually don`t like unveilings but the people of Cong went to a lot off effort to make this an event and were very kind and appreciative. Below are a few photos with some local people including extras who appeared in the film in 1951.

Photo Andrew Downes

Photo Andrew Downes

Photo Liz King

Bronze Beehives in Galway.

Late in 2011, after an open competition, I was commissioned by a National School in Galway to produce some sculpture for the school grounds. The brief directed that the sculpture reflect, in some way, the ethos of the school and also that it relates to a story. After some research I came across the story of Saint Modomnoc who, it was said, introduced bees from Wales to Ireland (much in the same way that Saint Patrick rid Ireland of snakes). In my application I proposed to make several bronze beehives and also have a workshop and a presentation with the school children. At this presentation I told the children the story of Modomnoc and made these illustrations for that purpose.

Original concept sketch. The idea was beehives in a Dr. Seuss style. 

                     Beehives in the foundry

                                                                   
                                                                       Installed 

                                                                
This commission was installed in September 2012. It was a lot of fun to make and the teachers and students at the school were very enthusiastic. Thanks to Eoin Collins for the photos.

Figurative Sculptures in Dublin

I am spending a few days holiday in Dublin, a city I lived in briefly a few years ago. There are quite a lot of sculptures in the city, some wonderful and some awful, and I have decided to take a few photos and post some thoughts on a few of my favorites. 

The Chariot of Life by Oisin Kelly does not get the audience it deserves in the courtyard of the Irish Life Buildings. Somebody once told me that the sculptor died before the piece was finished; I dont know if this is true but this large and powerfully modeled sculpture is my favorite in the city. I wish I had made it.  

Cuchulainn by Oliver Sheppard (1911) on display in the window of the General Post Office is a beautiful example of neoclassical sculpture but I think, as with a lot of classical styled work, the male figures tend to be feminized. This piece does not seem to represent a man who performed feats of great strength and endurance but is nonetheless a masterpiece of its genre.

Another of my favorites, also by Oisin Kelly, is this depiction of Jim Larkin. It is sited on a high plinth in the middle of OConnell Street and the figures upward sweeping arms, oversized hands and rough texture all say one thing to the viewer; rise up. A powerful piece. 

This sculpture of four trumpeters is quite unusual in its arrangement being centered within a fountain surrounded  by alternate panels of glass and bronze relief. I am not sure but I think the sculptor may be Edward Delaney.

The Famine Memorial on Custom House Quay by Rowan Gillespie is a powerful and haunting arrangement of figures. Its success is due to the wonderful modeling, the bravery of the artist in depicting the horror of starvation and the highly textured surface. The surface includes "flashing" which is small traces of bronze which seep into fine cracks in the moulds surface when casting. These are usually removed but have been retained by the artist to great effect.  

This piece by Henry Moore is not often seen in its rather secluded location within Saint Stephen's Green. Maybe not one of his best but I love the texture carved into the original paster artwork before it was cast into bronze. Looking at Moores work always reminds me of the interesting time I had working at the Henry Moore Institute in Leeds 10 years ago.

This massive, complex and skillfully made monument to Daniel OConnell is impossible to miss in Dublin city but as with much Victorian sculpture is quite stayed and does not have the energy of some of the other pieces I have mentioned. There are a few bullet holes in the sculpture which occurred during the 1916 uprising.

When walking into the main entrance of Trinity College you will see this sculpture of Oliver Goldsmith on the right hand side. It is one of two figures set either side of the entrance made by John Henry Foley who is also the sculptor of the OConnell monument but this piece is more successful through its weight distribution, composition and charm. A conventional piece for sure but it works well.

Lastly another piece by Oisin Kelly. The Children of Lir in the Garden of Remembrance is slightly outside the city centre and again is not seen by many but is well worth a look. This piece was enlarged and cast in Italy from Kelly's original model but I can forgive him this as it is a massive piece and maybe the facilities were not available in Ireland at the time.

 So thats it, please let me know any of your own thoughts in the comment section and maybe seek out the sculptures if you go to Dublin. There are many more sculptures in the city to see, some figurative some not but as I mentioned these are a few of my favorites.