Interview With Bronze Sculptor Scott Nelles

Scott Nelles grew up in SE lower Michigan, where his father, a manufacturers representative in the steel business, would take him on tours to visit steel mills and foundries.
His mother was a bit of an artist and his great grandfather was a professional wood carver from Bern, Switzerland.
At an early age, he would build things out of clay and wood and whatever he could get his hands on.

In 1974 Scott began his career in the foundry at the Fraser bronze of Seattle, there he started making patterns for buckles influenced by his experience in the leather business where bought and sold a lot of belt buckles. The buckles were then cast by John Fraser who also helped him to improve his methods.

With some years of practice and observation Scott moved to Michigan and opened his own foundry where between the years of 1978 and 2000 he built and grew the business to the point of employing four full time people and selling his sculptures nationwide. In 2000 he placed a small classified add in a foundry trade magazine to sell the patterns and the rights to make his line of products. A large foundry owner purchased the line and began producing it under the name Nelles Bronze Sculpture, up to our days.




The Art Inquirer contacted Scott Nelles who promptly agreed to dedicate part of his valuable time to answer some questions about his art and provide this blog's readers with an insightful interview.


TAI What part of your historical background led you to pursue an artistic career ?

SN As a boy growing up in SE lower Michigan I was exposed to industry through my father, a manufacturers rep in the steel business. He would sometimes take me on tours of steel mills and foundries and I believe the heat and flame got into my blood. As a kid I was always making things out of clay and wood and whatever I could get my hands on. My mother was a bit of an artist and my great grandfather was a professional wood carver from Bern Switzerland. I ,in fact still use many of his hand tools when I am working with wood to make patterns for castings.

TAI When did you decided that bronze would be your medium of election for you to pass your message and demonstrate your creativity ?

SN Early on I realized that clay was just not rugged enough to do the things I wanted to do. So I knew that cast metal was the way to go. However it's no small thing to set up a bronze foundry and I had no training anyway. It has taken many years to develop my skills through observation, trial and error and working with other foundries.

TAI What are your favourite themes and subjects, and why ?

SN Currently I have been concentrating on a line of cast toys. I love the art deco period and I believe my toy cars and such reflect that love. Like most artists my interests change and evolve.

TAI Please resume to us the development of a sculpture, from its conception to its finish.

SN I generally develop my works with some rough paper sketches or create them directly in three dimensions. Though I have utilized different techniques of casting such as the ,“lost was method”, I generally work in the ,“sand casting method”, which I believe has advantages in some areas. It is the sand casting method which I will describe here. To be a sculptor and founder of bronze entails many skills and the use of many materials. Some people work only in wood, others, clay or glass. I work in a variety of materials to develop a pattern or model of my sculpture to be. I might make this model with water based or oil based clays, some very soft and some very hard. I work in a variety of waxes to sculpt and cast. Other materials important in, "the pattern making stage", are wood, plastics and resins of all kinds, sheet metal and fabrication, welding and forging all come into play. When a concept is created in one of my materials or combination of materials I then need to make a series of molds of the original model. These molds can be made in plaster, various poured resin materials, or sand. Eventually I will have a final pattern made in a rigid material like polyurethane plastic or cast aluminum. Using this pattern which represents my original form ,I can make rammed sand molds in the foundry. It is these sand molds into which I cast the bronze or other metal. When the metal cools I shake the sand away and a rough casting of my original sculpture emerges. Many types of finishing operations follow including, cutting, belt sanding, die grinding, sand blasting, tumbling, oxidizing, polishing and lacquering.





TAI Which are the most commmon technical pitfalls that a beginner working in the same art is more likely to commit ?

SN Where could I start to answer other than to say, do not enter into this craft lightly. The foundry process is without question the most technically demanding craft there is. This is not like throwing a pot and sticking it into a kiln while you drink cappuccino. It involve a multiplicity of disciplines and it could be a very long time before you succeed. Having said all this though I would never discourage a truly ambitious person from actually doing it. I have devoted my life to this thing and I have met and been mentored by many very interesting and talented people. Our community of foundry folk is very small and I would be glad to help anyone I could in there quest. I would say start small, visit some foundries read some books get some equipment together and give it a go.

TAI You accept custom orders. Which themes are most the requested ?

SN I will accept custom orders but usually when they hear the price for a one of a kind bronze the phone goes dead. Where my process shines is in making multiple pieces ,where the development costs can be amortized over the whole job. So if we can make you a hundred sculptures I might be your man.

TAI Can you be contacted to provide workshops or personal instruction ?

SN I would be happy to provide instruction but, I am a full time working artist trying to make a living at my craft. I have no interest in wasting my valuable time with dilettantes or prima donnas.

TAI What kind of major work would you like to embrace and what are your projects for the near future ?

SN I would love to do large wall installation of my cityscape work, either cast aluminum or resin. I will also continue to create my cast metal toys for the near future.

TAI Are you artworks available for personal viewing ?

SN My art works are available for personal viewing in my studio gallery, art shows, or by viewing my web-site.

TAI What advices can you give to owners of bronze objects to maintain them in good conditions ?
SN Dust them, wax them, enjoy them.


Scott Nelles keeps developing an entirely new line of pieces showcased by the toy cars, boats, candlesticks and small animals that he now makes in his studio. This line of works as well as those created over the years are available for purchase from him and in galleries nationwide, and can be viewed at the Nelles Studios website.

Show Your Drybrush Technique and Win Prizes

Artists Network, through the Creativity Workshop section of the Watercolor Artist magazine, has launched a contest based upon the drybrush technique used in watercolour, where artists are invited to send 72 dpi JPEG images of their watercolour paintings featuring a drybrush technique and are asked to describe their method.

The “editor’s choice” will receive a six-month subscription to ArtistsNetwork.tv online video workshops, plus $50 worth of North Light fine art books.

Entrants should submit their works until February 10, 2011 to wcamag@fwmedia.com.

Watch a video of a portrait painting where the drybrush technique is used.

Interview With Canadian Artist Loretta Fasan

The work of the canadian artist Loretta Fasan reminds us of the Renaissance paintings, incorporating glazzing techniques and depicting portraits characteristic of that period.

Her still lifes entice the viewer to imagine a story beyond the painting itself.
Loretta has kindly accepted to share her thoughts about her work and techniques, as well as the materials that she uses to accomplish her art.


TAI - How do you choose the colours for your monochromatic underpaintings ?

LF - When I decide to use a monochromatic underpainting for a face or skin tones in general, I usually lightly tone the canvas with a warmish color, such as burnt siena, or burnt umber.

Then I use raw umber, ultramarine blue, and black, plus white for the underpainting. Sometimes I add viridian green, if the skin color is going to be light or medium. I do this to counteract the orangey tones of the ground color, which still partly shows through, and to act as a contrast to the pinkish tones which will follow.

The hue of the underpainting colors can vary, somewhat, but it always basically consists of neutrals. The imprimatura can also be a cooler gray. I sometimes base the underpainting color on the subject, and technique ultimately used. If I am planning to use gold leaf, I may use a more intense reddish tone as an imprimatura, to compliment the gold. This red does not usually appear at all in the final work, except for small touches surrounding the gold leaf, but it definitely affects all of the color choices used in the course of the painting.

If I decide to do an underpainting for a still life, I basically use the same colors, without adding the green.




Do you buy your linen already primed, or do you apply the primer (gesso) yourself ?

I buy linen in pre-primed rolls. When working with acrylic primed linen, I add a layer of gesso. I have discovered a compromise that works for me, since I like the strength of the medium grain acrylic-primed linen, but I prefer a smoother surface.

I smooth the surface by adding a layer of gesso using a large palette knife to spread a very light layer of gesso, skimming across the surface weave. This deposits a thin layer of gesso into the crevices of the linen, while avoiding a build-up on the top. I have to work very quickly to blend it because the gesso dries fast. After sanding with fine sandpaper, a smoother surface is achieved with a bit of the weave still visible, while retaining the strength of the thicker linen.


Do you usually use acrylic or oil primed surfaces ?

I have recently bought some oil-primed linen panels, and I plan to try them out.


Have you tried other supports, such as copper ?
If so, how did you prepare them and how satisfied you were with the result ?

I have not used copper, but I have used masonite and wooden panels. I like the smoothness, and the hard support, especially if I am adding texture, or gold leaf.


Do you make a previous study, or do you draw directly onn the support that you are going to paint on ?

I do a very basic drawing just to place the elements, but since I usually work on a somewhat large scale, I find that the proportions and placement have to be changed anyway, so I end up changing a lot of elements on the canvas. I also like to allow for "surprises" or unexpected additions at the end. These touches can end up adding a lot of interest to the final piece.


What is the importance of drawing for you and for your kind of work ?

In the past, I tended to only do drawings, because I felt somewhat intimidated to start paintings . One day, I just decided to just start painting without any preliminary drawings for a while, to get over my anxiety. At this time, I started to incorporate elaborate pattern, and since I was working lifesize, it became impractical to attempt to do a drawing of the whole painting in advance. If I used gold leaf, for example, I had to apply it in the beginning, and work the rest of the painting around it.

I have sanded off, covered, and changed sections of what seemed to be finished portions of the painting, if the final effect required it. I think this adds a lot of richness at the end.


Do you use stand oil by itself or do you also mix it with another medium, such as an alkyd, or eventually with turpentine ?

I mix stand oil with 50% turpentine. I haven't added anything other medium to it so far. I have Venice turpentine, and I plan try to add it in the final layers. I have started using alkyds for the underpainting only, because they dry fast, add body to the final paint film, and can be used to affect oil glazes which are added [see painting underneath].



What role does trump l'oeil plays in your line of work ?

So far, I think I have used trompe l'oeil in a unique, and unexpected way. I have use elements of trompe l'oeil to change the context of the painting, to make some areas appear floating or glued on, or to go from 3-dimensional to flat. Sometimes this breaks the implied realistic illusion, and creates a new illusion.

Which are the positive aspects that glazzing lends to your paintings ?

Glazing allows me to add depth to color or shadows, or to modify a color. I add shadows to the beadwork, for example, at the end, only with a transparent glaze. I also add glazing to the lips and hair.

Of which colours is made your usual palette and which other ones you find yourself reaching for on a regular basis ?

My skin tones are usually composed of: raw umber, burnt umber, terra rosa, yellow ochre, raw siena, ivory black, flake or cremnitz white, alizarin crimson, Indian red, and viridian green. It sounds like a lot of colors, but I don't always use all of them. I just like to have them on the palette.

I might end up using some spare skin tone on the hair, or background. I make warm and cool color strings from these colors. I also use ultramarine blue, transparent red oxide, red and yellow cadmium in my work. I love the quinacridone colors for flowers. I have tried to use it lightly in backgrounds.

Since the internet has taken over as the main showcase for art, one result is that some paintings which are quite strongly colorful, yet appealing when when viewed in person, can appear "loud" or garish on the internet. This is especially the case when primary colors are used. Monitors can show colors differently, and no camera can see into shadows, or react to color as a person can.

Tell us about your favourite brushes (kind, shape and sizes) and in which stages/parts of your work you use them.

I use both bristle and synthetic sable-type brushes. My favorite shape is filbert. I also use flat bristle brushes for laying in colors quickly. I sometimes use a semi-stiff large sable to blend on the neck, shoulders, etc. I use filberts on the face and figure.

If the face is life-size, I use medium-sized filberts for the main areas, and smaller brushes for the eyes, and nose, etc. I try to lay in the brush strokes in all directions, but I end up with vertical strokes at the end. I use a large fan-shaped synthetic sable to lightly stroke down to get rid of directional ridges which tend to catch the light, and are distracting.

I sometimes use a splayed-out sable to lightly add blush in a random way, to the lips, nose or cheeks. I use various sizes, from large to very tiny. I also use fan-shaped bristle brushes for the background or sky.

Can you tell us what kind of frames go well with your painting stlye and subjects ?

I have used all kinds of frames, from elaborate to real antiques, brushed steel, and even found frames which I have worked on, including recycled objects used as frames. I have 2 Renaissance-style frames recycled from the speaker fronts of a vintage TV found in a barn! [jpg of this frame included in email] I like to buy frames, and have them on hand, then, as I work on the paintings, I can test how they will look in the frames. Sometimes, you can find great frames in very large sizes at home decor stores. Unique hand-finished styles. They usually come with mirrors in them, but are of the same quality as the more expensive custom frames sold in framing stores. I have tended to choose well-made solid, classic frames, which are suitable to various types of decor. I do tend to prefer linen liners, which almost always seem to enhance the look of the painting. Linen liners set the painting apart from the frame, and give it breathing space. Without liners, frames can cast shadows onto the painting, and sometimes appear to confine the painting.

How would you define your work and how has your art evolved to reach this stage ?

My painting style and subject matter is evolving. I will describe what I've tried to do so far. My goal was to create a sense of richness and impact creating female faces as icons, while incorporating a strong graphic aspect.

I was attracted to pattern, decoration, and flatness, and at the same time, to certain aspects of realism. I have been working to combine all of this , and, recently, to get the rich colorful elements to also appear worn, and aged. There is an element of trompe l'oeil, also. Parts of the figure can appear to flatten, and the background goes from atmospheric to a texture with folds. I tend keep the mood of the paintings positive, even if there is a moody element. I am inspired by many artists, both past and present. Currently, I am reducing the scale of the imagery away from lifesize, to allow for complete figures, and more of the surrounding space. [Detail from Quiet Girl (underneath); Titania; Example of trompe l'oeil; Quiet Girl ]

Do you accept commissions ?

I have done some commissions in the past. It would depend on the individual proposal. Obviously, I would prefer to work on a project that would suit my style.

Are you available for workshops or painting lessons, if someone should be interested in learning more with you ?

I would be available for workshops, to explain fundamentals, or metal-leaf technique.

Are there any planned exhibitions for the near future ?

At the moment, I have many paintings-in-progress that are at the 70-80 % finished stage, which I need to complete. I would like to have a decent body of finished, framed work put aside, so I don't feel pressured to complete work specifically for a show. Many galleries have closed, including some in which my work has been shown. I will use the internet to show my work for now, and will probably enter my work in some group shows.

Loretta Fasan owns a Fine Arts degree from Concordia Univertisty.
After working commercially with airbrush for years, she decided to go back to oil painting, and took the time to develop a personal painting style, in between working on music recording.Since 1995 her work has been exhibited in galeries, cultural centers, and small museums in group and solo shows in Canada and the US.
Her paintings have been featured for several years on PBS television, and are in private collections in Europe, Africa, Canada, and the US. She has received 2 honorable mentions from the Quebec Association of Illustrators, and has completed commissions for individuals and for public spaces, she is currently working on a series of paintings of women in mythology.

You can also read Loretta's blog, where you can follow the different stages of her paintings and her artistic career.

"Titania"

Example of trompe l'oeil

"The Quiet Girl"

Interview with British Artist Paul Coventry-Brown

Originaly from Liverpool (UK), Paul Coventry-Brown is a mostly self-taught full-time artist.

Having spent seventeen years in Japan, he now resides in the South West of France.

TAI - You use belgian linen. What characteristics make you want to work on it ?

Do you use a certain weave according to the subject ?

Paul - I use hardboard/masonite a lot because of the smoothness of the surface.
As for the linen panels, I use Claessens #13 which is their finest weave. It is still quite a rough weave compared to a fine detail cotton canvas but the first coat/layer fills most of it in and by the second coat the paint goes on very smoothly and very fine unbroken lines are possible.
It come the nearest to being able to replicate some of the techniques and feel that I have observed in the old masters.
The reason I like it so much is the way the paint goes onto the surface, it's very hard to explain, it is just a joy to paint on and I would recommend it to everyone to give it a try.

After the first coat it becomes very smooth but still has a slight texture and the paint does not 'sink in' (become dull) like it seems to do on normal acrylic primed cotton (this is usually because they don't put enough coats of gesso on to save money).

TAI - Do you prepare your owns canvases with primer ?

If so, do you prefer the acrylic or the oil one ?

Do you use hide glue or PVA resin/glue, if prepared with an oil primer ?

Paul - On hardboard I use about four coats of acrylic gesso (usually lightly sanding the last coat).
If I ever use cotton canvas I always give that two extra coats of gesso too.
I never need to prime a canvas as I never buy any that have not first been primed.

The Belgian linen needs no extra gesso at all:
Starting with the finest unprimed surface, the canvas is inspected, smoothed with a pumice, cleaned, and sized. It is then oil-primed with linseed oil and zinc white and allowed to dry for 3 days in a dry air oven before the final coat of titanium white is applied.

TAI - Which brushes do you prefer, taking into account : shape of the brush, quality/kind and subject being painted ?

Paul - use a mix of brushes, long/short handled and mostly synthetic ones, very rarely do I use bristle brushes.
I use the same brushes for all subjects, still life or portrait.
Winsor & Newton - Cotman watercolour brushes
Robert Simmons - White Sable
Siverwhite

I use only flats and brights (the round 'pointy' ones).

TAI - Differences between student/beginner quality paints and artist quality ones ?

Namely in terms of final results i.e. the aspect of the painting.

Paul - would always advise everyone to use artist quality paints, even for beginners as they are loaded with more pigment and some of the student ones have too much oil in them so they are a bit thin and don't cover well.

I know that some artists use cheap oils because they put them on very thick so there's no worry about covering power. But for my kind of work I found the artist quality to be better suited ... I don't know about vibrancy as you can probably get the same effect with the student ones but you would need more coats and more paint. When you put a lighter colour on top of a darker one, it's harder to cover if the light colour is thinner on pigment.

TAI - What acccessories do you find essential ?

Paul - A sheet of glass with white paper underneath for my palette, it's so easy to clean each night.

Winsor & Newton Liquin Original medium. I have tried every type of medium (including lead based ones) and always come back to this.

I always paint using an 85W, 5,600K daylight, energy saving bulb, this duplicates the light of the sun at midday and seems to give the best results when the paintings are moved to different lighting conditions when they are finished.

A 'mahl stick'. This is a 1cm diameter, round piece of dowel that is one meter long. This is to rest my hand on as I paint.
I rest one end on the top of my easel and the other end I hold in my left hand (I never rest it on the painting itself).

TAI - How important to you find draughtsmanship ?

Paul - It is not so important to me as I work from photos to set up the composition and lighting and then mostly 'square them up'. That is, I make small squares on the photo and the same number of bigger squares on the canvas (like a grid) and then just copy; it's been done for hundreds of years, why change it ;-)
With the less complicated compositions I just go straight onto the canvas with a brush and draw the outlines very freely with a very thin burnt umber. I much prefer this to pencil of charcoal. Even beginners can do this, as I proved at a class I taught in the Spring (see the May posting on my blog).

TAI - Do you find that a good knowledge of colour plays an important role in your paintings and in art visual arts in general ?

Paul - This is something I am not sure about. Colour theory can be taught and it can also be instinctive. My theory is very weak and I just work from a subconscious level.
A basic understanding of mixing colours is valuable and so is experimentation.

TAI - Share with us a little about your technique for painting core and cast shadows.

Paul - Sometimes I paint cast shadows as near to the colour and darkness I need and other times I paint them lighter and then glaze them darker, I use both just as much.
I will always make sure to paint the shadow and the surface it is cast onto at the same time so I can blend the edges into each other, I don't want hard edges shadows.
I usually work from dark to light.

TAI - Are the techniques that you use to paint a certain theme, influenced by those that you use on others ? i.e. when you are painting a portrait, do you feel that sometimes you are applying the techniques that you use on still lifes and vice-versa, even if sometimes without noticing ?

If so, what are the pros and cons ?

Paul - always apply the same technique to whatever I am painting and this is generally dark to light. That is to say, I put the darker areas in first, then the middle tones and then the lights, with the highlights at the very end.

TAI - Why trompe l'oeil ?

Paul - don't always paint 'trompes' but I do love the challenge of making something look as though it is 3D and fooling people into thinking that a flat surface of a panel has real depth. This is easier to achieve on hardboard rather than canvas.

TAI - Tell us about your comissions for Winsor & Newton and Blick Art Materials.

Paul - Well, Winsor & Newton picked me up as a featured artist on their UK web site and, apparently, the office staff there liked my work, so when they were looking for a painting to feature on the label of their new range of fine detail canvas the office staff recommended me to the marketing division. Of course, I was delighted and so surprised when I received a phone call from them. I haven't seen the design yet but I will put it up on the blog once I get a copy (if it isn't a total disappointment that is ;-). The canvas should be going out in December I think.

The work for Blick will go out on the cover of their Winter flyer and apparently goes out to 350,000 people! Again, I don't have a sample yet but keep your eye on the blog.

TAI - What marketing strategies do you think work best into getting customers ?

Paul - My secret weapon is my sister in law, Sheila, in Bermuda who worked really hard to help get me started and has built up an amazing client base for me out there. I don't really know of a surefire strategy, but a blog is essential I think.

I have been lucky in that many people have seen my paintings that other people have bought and then bought some themselves.

I don't have any gallery representation but I would like to try that one day.

TAI - To which countries do you sell more ?

Paul - Mostly the USA and Bermuda with the UK next.

TAI - Is there's a social level that is more interested in your works, namely according to subject ?

Paul - No, I don't think so. My work seems to appeal to a broad spectrum of ages and social levels.

TAI - Do you have future exhibitions happening soon ?

When and where ?

Paul - I don't exhibit. No one has asked me to and I don't have any unsold work to show.
I have a regular client base and, luckily for me, most of the paintings are sold by my mailing list and sometimes through my blog.
Sometimes I sell some on eBay that I don't manage to sell privately, but only a few.

TAI - What about your projects for the future ?

Paul - Just to get better and better. Like most artists I never feel that I have done well enough and that I should be better; I find fault in everything I do and want to move on and try and learn from my mistakes.

I would love to do some really good original 'trompes' but they take so long to do as you have to be a lot more careful.

TAI - Thank you for the interview to The Art Inquirer, would you like to add anything else ?

Paul - If anyone has any questions at all about painting (beginners or advanced) or my work I will be delighted to reply to any queries. We should pass on what we learn to help each other.

You can see the paintings of Paul Coventry-Brown and contact him at his website.

Drawing Lessons for Beginners

One of the most well known forums for artists is Wetcanvas.
In this forum, beginners and more advanced artists have access to a great source of information about several mediums.
Thanks to the generosity of its members, basic drawing classes are easily accessed, permiting beginning artists to develop their skills through easy to follow lessons.
The artist Ann Buckner has made PDF versions available on her website.