Allen Horstmanshof - Sculptor
Contact: allenho456@gmail.com
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The raw |
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Sealed and harlequin lines carved into the surface |
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Final |
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Detail of bronze patination |
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Notes on Don's Harlequin
At a recent workshop I ran, some students were disappointed when their sculptures did not turn out as they had anticipated. I suggested that one should not view these as being disasters as they might well be the beginning of a new and exciting journey.
That is exactly what happened with this work
This sculpture is named Dons Harlequin as a tip of my cap to its originator. With Don's permission I retrieved the two basic pieces that he had discarded and set about seeing what might be done with them.
There was a primitive naivete in the horse that appealed to me as it is not a style I work in that often and so presented an interesting challenge. The robust splayed legs, the subtle swerve to the right and the aggressive forward thrusting head of the horse gave it a powerful energy and rhythm that I felt should be developed. The sheer bulk of its body evoked a feeling of raw power.
At that point the figure had no head, no hands and no feet. It had a rather blob-like feel about it that brought to mind circus tumblers I had seen as a child. That is in essence what it became.
This is the result of a journey begun by Don with the itinerary significantly altered by me. It is a work of whimsy and contrasting textures from the glossy porcelain-like head of the figure, to the matt finish of the figures silk-like baggy clothes and finally the patinated roughcast faux bronze of the horse.
At that point the figure had no head, no hands and no feet. It had a rather blob-like feel about it that brought to mind circus tumblers I had seen as a child. That is in essence what it became.
As often happens with this sort of thing, this work triggered another idea. Another whimsical sculpture with contrasting textures. See Yeah-right (item #3 on the page)