Cast Stone sculpture inspired by historic architectural details
It was during the summer of 1992, I had gone to Boston with my girlfriend to see the sites and shop on Newbury Street.
One of the shops we walked into was rather strange and unusual.
The shop was dimly lit and full of architectural salvaged pieces like beautiful old stained glass and old church parts. Dried leaves on the dusty floor crushed under foot, soft melancholy piano music, it was amazing!
There were also sculptures created by local artists, castings in plaster of green men and gargoyles. I had never seen a shop like this before, or since. It felt like something out of a movie.
It was also a bit busy, so after a few minutes of browsing I went outside and while I waited for my girlfriend, I sat on a bench where I watched and listened. Lots of people walked by and I overheard many talking about this strange shop. A few were frightened by the gargoyles they were selling, but most were saying things about how “this was their favorite shop” or “what a cool place!”
That was the beginning, the start of making plaster casts of my sculpture from molds.
I had gone to school for architectural drafting, worked as a freelance illustrator and had even experimented with making plaster sculptures and molds. I had noticed stone carvings that decorated buildings before but until that moment that walking into the shop on Newbury Street, it never occurred to me that an artist had to create these and that many symbolic elements were at play.
Now It seemed to me that many carvings on buildings were 3-dimensional illustrations, telling little stories. Some sculptures had meanings that could be discerned or read, others might be just decorative, but even pieces that were just decorative began to have stories, the salvaged piece, that some one cared enough for to risk their own safety to save. As an artist, I was attracted to the idea that people could be interested in these architecturally based pieces as art.
These historical sculptures, beautiful and imaginative, inspired my own creations.
In 1993 I started Cast Shadows Studio while living in Meriden, CT.
Making molds and casts of my sculptures and selling them to that very same shop in Boston.
Our first work space had lots of character and space. It was in an old brick factory building, built in the 1860’s, with lots of large windows and a wide open floor plan.
The interior was so spacious that you could ride a bicycle around inside the studio.
High ceilings and wood floors, it was perfect.
Our current workshop is in the seaside village of Niantic, CT.
My home studio is an 1890’s Victorian farm house with a carriage house and huge yard. It’s smaller but has great character and we love it. We’re located midway between New York & Boston.
I have found that I’m attracted to spaces with a certain charm, or ambiance, especially Victorian architecture that has a been carved and embellished with all sorts of details these bits and pieces of the building seem to let my imagination go wild.
These architectural elements are the focus of Cast Shadows Studios’ production. Ornamental Pieces that were cast or carved to be placed on a structure for the enjoyment of the viewer, and occupant and maybe a glimpse into the reason for its existence.
More recently here at Cast Shadows Studio, I have been making pieces in a “cast stone,” a material that is used largely for decorative architectural components and is intended for use OUTDOORS. These pieces retain both the look and feel of carved stone.
I’d like to extend a special Thank You to, Louis, Bill & Cristy Gordon and their shop in Boston, "Gargoyles,Grotesques & Chimeras" for the influence it had on my artistic direction, with out their help, this sculpture wouldn't be available today.
This site has a great write up on the Newbury Street shop--http://becunningandfulloftricks.com/2012/12/31/gargoyles-grotesques-chimeras-listening-to-the-anatomy-of-melancholy/
I would also like to THANK YOU! art collectors and fans of architectural carvings.
Richard
