Hippy Drippy Seed Pod Dreamer, 2020 © Beau Smith, bronze, stainless steel, height 11”

SHOP NOTES

Name of the sculpture: Drippy Seed Pod Dreamer.

I’m only going to make one of these. I only made one. There is no reason to make any others, for what I was doing was not something that I’m going to repeat as far as the design is concerned. This is the only one. 

I know it’s kind of weird. It has a kind of weird feeling energy to it. But that works for me. I was investigating how to create more liquid forms with bronze, welding it directly. I was also seeing how well I could do a face, welding the bronze directly.

The whole thing is entirely bronze. It definitely has a Picasso cubist style. That was very much intentional. I was just playing around, basically, and trying things using the medium of welding bronze rod directly onto itself. 

It’s a Lemurian Dreamer. I’m calling it that anyway. The body looks like a strange seed pod or something like that. It’s a very weird piece and the weirdness is what makes it art. 

He stands on a chunk of stainless steel.

***

I made this last year, in November of 2020, the first year of covid. Like I said, I was looking to create more liquid forms with the metal. I wanted to create something that was drippy. Here is an Instagram post for when I was first working on this piece:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CHbAEo6DZsc/

That drip form became the body. It was all downhill after that. I jest. I actually think it turned out well, for what it is, a one-of-a-kind piece that I will never duplicate, made just because I was investigating what I could do with the medium. In fact, I think the piece is actually really awesome. I guess I think most of my work is awesome, in one way or another.

But not all my work. I trash stuff all the time. I start, don’t like what I have done, and then I backtrack.

Actually, I don’t work that way all the time. When I have developed an idea that is working, I don’t have to do that so much. It’s only when I am working completely by the seat of my pants that I have to scrap something and start again. 

Well, that’s not totally true, either. Sometimes, when I am working by the seat of my pants, I just go with it. But not always. When I first started making the small froglets, I would scrap what I was doing all the time. I had the equivalent of a mini waste basket – of pieces of copper shapes that just didn’t work out for one reason or another – right beside me.

It’s like a singer songwriter with a new song. You perfect the song. Then you can play it over and over, and, if it is any good, not get tired of it for a long while. You try different variations, which do not lead you off track because you have the song. So, when other musician artists do a cover, they are working from something that has already been tweaked, besides the song having often met with popular support. And a musician learns his/her craft that way, by playing other people’s songs. Just like, a painter learns his craft working in styles of other artists, doing what they have already done, working a path that has already been cleared.

There is nothing wrong with that. But hopefully, at some point, you come up with your own stuff. Or, in the case of me, you make the stuff you are working with yours. I have done that to a great extent with the frogs. I have had to. They are my bread and butter, and I am an artist. I do not like to repeat myself – even though, ironically, I am working with the same designs over and over again. 

Steal it and make it yours. Well, I did not actually steal the design of the frog. My father taught me how to do it. But, in retrospect, there was some theft involved. Let us say simply I liked to do things my way. 

A teacher at the College of Charleston (where I went to school before I transferred to RISD, some, now, like, 38 or so years ago) – his name was Leo Manske – was the first to tell me and with other students to steal it and make it yours, and that art was very much about doing that. Which is absolutely true. And if you look at some of the most successful artists in any genre in any medium, be it fine art, music, writing, whatever, you see they all do that to some extent. Most of them, anyway. Yes, sometimes someone will come along and do something completely different. But more often, you see artists who have stolen work of other artists. Picasso did it. Bob Dylan does it. They all do it.

Leo Manske, I do not think, sadly, is any longer with us. I could not find that out on the internet. There is not much about him. I would think if he were still alive, he would be making art, and there would be a lot more about him out there. He was a great artist. I had him for two drawing classes. I, along with others, watched him create this monstrously large watercolor, incredibly meticulously drawn and painted, that ended up looking like a strange phallus thing in a very surreal setting. The colors, shapes and forms were incredible. (note 1)

Memories of Leo Manske: When I told him I was accepted to RISD and that I was going to study illustration, he nodded, very much in approval. One time I showed him something I had done, and he commented that the tones were too much the same, and that one could not distinguish the fragmentary parts of the drawing from each other. I was puzzled, as I thought it not to hard to see what was happening. Then someone told me he was color blind. He could not see certain colors. For being color blind, he was great with color. I guess he was also good with tonality, because he had to be good with that to see what he was doing. He would work with all these little jars of well mixed water color paints. His incredible phallic watercolor was in the classroom over to the side. You could see that he was working on it – usually not during a class. I am sure he wanted his privacy, when working on his art. He worked on that one piece the entire semester, I think. It was a great effort. It finally went into a bar. I actually one time went into that bar – maybe he was having an opening there, I think. Anyway, he was there, receiving accolades. He saw me, and, to my surprise, he kissed me. I even think it was on the lips. Leo was gay. I guess he found me attractive, and this was an opportunity. I let him do it. I did not feel violated. It was not some #metoo thing. I guess it could have been, had I been a woman, and had he been straight.

I, myself, am not gay. But I didn’t mind Leo stealing a kiss. I really didn’t mind it. I liked him. So he got one in (a kiss). What of it? Like I say, I am not gay, so I did not kiss him back. But I let him kiss me. It was not a big deal to me. As I write this, I can still feel it – the surprise. Shit, he just kissed me on the lips. Oh well, I’m happy for him.

I have another Leo Manski story.  It’s short. He was having a show at the college Charleston gallery. I was there at one time when he was setting it up and there was some junk on a table. I asked if it was part of the exhibit. He frowned. He was very and incensed by that. I didn’t know. I actually really thought that it might be part of the exhibit. Most of his work was very meticulous but he also did some collage. I remember this collage that he did called Tagged for Murder. He had written down on tags distributed across the artwork the names of all these people that he wanted to kill. That was the entire the collage, just that. 

***

I will say something about the bronze Rod that I use for brazing.  that is the bronya rod that I use entirely for this piece that’s entirely bronze was just come to the rod form Image used to attach the copper together but also it produces a bronze on the copper but I wasn’t on this piece working on any copper and I wasn’t trying to fuse in the welding and copper together I was just building up a piece just using the rod. 

The stuff the bronze rod fairly expensive about a dollar and a half to $2 prosthetic now more like three or four dollars per stick.  depending on where you get it. It has a relatively low melting point. lower than copper.  this is a very soft material. It’s actually copper mixed with a zinc. zinc has an extremely low melting point. when zinc is fused together with copper, you get bronze. but don’t try this at home. when you hit heatsink up too much it turns into a gas and is toxic. which is why you can’t weld on galvanized metal. Galvanized steel it still it has been coated with zinc. these sort of things have to be done in the special factory conditions. Somehow though when you get the zinc to fuse with copper and it becomes bronze it is no longer toxic when heated. it does not turn into a gas. so that saves your lungs. 

Bronze welding rod that’s one of my basic materials and it’s a fantastic material it’s very beautiful. There’s some things you can’t do with her very well but other things. That it is so made for it’s very soft.  I say it’s off but the truth is that copper actually a softer that is more malleable. but it is very similar to Copper just has a lower melting point.

When you’re sculpting with up to the basic techniques involved gravity and the air pushing through the force of the torch. They are pushing through the forests of the torch can push the multitude molten metal around. of course with one other thing that is happening is that you’re melting the metal and then letting it Harden and refusing it to other parts of the metal. so you can add a lot move dark surprise silver little dots of brass to create very nice traps. there’s actually a lot you can do with it. but it’s not infallible I’ve ever actually found that welding with steel in this manner is more effective to create a sculpture made entirely of metal. the brass is so soft that it softens forms. But that might be desirable steel is an entirely different metal in it works and then come entirely different way when you melt it. You can’t push it around as easily as you can the brass that’s for sure. The problem with the brass is that I become so liquid so fast send it just once to stream out everywhere and puddle up. 

 I’ve tried to describe working with welding the metal oh, but it really is something you have to do to find out what it’s like.  it is entirely a medium end to itself, which is called direct metal welding direct metal rather than casting to achieve forms. 

 another thing to mention is that the brass or bronze Rod actually looks gold card. it’s beautiful it’s a beautiful now. And it takes on a beautiful patina. It’s bronze. What can I say artist sculpted suffused it for millennia. it’s the go to metal for making sculptures particularly outdoor sculptures. Besides bronze for making outdoor sculptures you have the choice of Steel stainless steel aluminum copper . These different metals have a different way of working with them each of them. And if you look at sculptures made out of these different materials you can see that they each of the materials lives themselves to specific tasks and specific forms in specific ways of working. For example copper works very well and sheets soft sheets that are hammered or Pressed Against The Forum to create the desired shape. This was how the Statue of Liberty was made. Steel and stainless steel tends to require a lot of grinding. With stainless steel you can get a very beautiful polish  affect, but you have to have certainly put in the elbow grease for that.

I hope you aren’t bored to tears when the simple lesson of welding and making metal sculpture. Really the best way to learn as it is with many things is to jump in there and actually do it yourself go, get behind the flame and melt some metal. It does take a lot of practice, and truth be told if I’m not doing it day in and day out I can get a little bit Rusty I list my chops.  But then welding in brazing and working with metal as an everyday event for me. 

It’s like a singer songwriter with a new song. You perfect the song. Then you can play it over and over, and, iif it is any good, not get tired of it for a long while. You try different variations, which do not lead you off track because you have the song. So, when other musician artists do a cover, they are working from something that has already been tweaked, besides the song having often met with popular support. And a musician learns his/her craft that way, by playing other people’s songs. Just like, a painter learns his craft working in styles of other artists, doing what they have already done, working a path that has already been cleared. There is nothing wrong with that. But hopefully, at some point, you come up with your own stuff. Or, in the case of me, you make the stuff you are working with yours. I have done that to a great extent with the frogs. I have had to. They are my bread and butter, and I am an artist. I do not like to repeat myself – even though, ironically, I am working with the same designs over and over again. Steal it and make it yours. Well, I did not actually steal the design of the frog. ***I will say something about the bronze Rod that I use for brazing. that is the bronya rod that I use entirely for this piece that’s entirely bronze was just come to the rod form Image used to attach the copper together but also it produces a bronze on the copper but I wasn’t on this piece working on any copper and I wasn’t trying to fuse in the welding and copper together I was just building up a piece just using the rod. The stuff the bronze rod fairly expensive about a dollar and a half to $2 prosthetic now more like three or four dollars per stick. depending on where you get it. It has a relatively low melting point. lower than copper. this is a very soft material. It’s actually copper mixed with a zinc. zinc has an extremely low melting point. when zinc is fused together with copper, you get bronze. but don’t try this at home. when you hit heatsink up too much it turns into a gas and is toxic. which is why you can’t weld on galvanized metal. Galvanized steel it still it has been coated with zinc. these sort of things have to be done in the special factory conditions. Somehow though when you get the zinc to fuse with copper and it becomes bronze it is no longer toxic when heated. it does not turn into a gas. so that saves your lungs. Bronze welding rod that’s one of my basic materials and it’s a fantastic material it’s very beautiful. There’s some things you can’t do with her very well but other things. That it is so made for it’s very soft. I say it’s off but the truth is that copper actually a softer that is more malleable. but it is very similar to Copper just has a lower melting point.When you’re sculpting with up to the basic techniques involved gravity and the air pushing through the force of the torch. They are pushing through the forests of the torch can push the multitude molten metal around. of course with one other thing that is happening is that you’re melting the metal and then letting it Harden and refusing it to other parts of the metal. so you can add a lot move dark surprise silver little dots of brass to create very nice traps. there’s actually a lot you can do with it. but it’s not infallible I’ve ever actually found that welding with steel in this manner is more effective to create a sculpture made entirely of metal. the brass is so soft that it softens forms. But that might be desirable steel is an entirely different metal in it works and then come entirely different way when you melt it. You can’t push it around as easily as you can the brass that’s for sure. The problem with the brass is that I become so liquid so fast send it just once to stream out everywhere and puddle up. I’ve tried to describe working with welding the metal oh, but it really is something you have to do to find out what it’s like. it is entirely a medium end to itself, which is called direct metal welding direct metal rather than casting to achieve forms. another thing to mention is that the brass or bronze Rod actually looks gold card. it’s beautiful it’s a beautiful now. And it takes on a beautiful patina. It’s bronze. What can I say artist sculpted suffused it for millennia. it’s the go to metal for making sculptures particularly outdoor sculptures. Besides bronze for making outdoor sculptures you have the choice of Steel stainless steel aluminum copper . These different metals have a different way of working with them each of them. And if you look at sculptures made out of these different materials you can see that they each of the materials lives themselves to specific tasks and specific forms in specific ways of working. For example copper works very well and sheets soft sheets that are hammered or Pressed Against The Forum to create the desired shape. This was how the Statue of Liberty was made. Steel and stainless steel tends to require a lot of grinding. With stainless steel you can get a very beautiful polish affect, but you have to have certainly put in the elbow grease for that.I hope you aren’t bored to tears when the simple lesson of welding and making metal sculpture. Really the best way to learn as it is with many things is to jump in there and actually do it yourself go, get behind the flame and melt some metal. It does take a lot of practice, and truth be told if I’m not doing it day in and day out I can get a little bit Rusty I list my chops. But then welding in brazing and working with metal as an everyday event for me.