Bas Relief Artwork
"Lady Clove"
At the beginning of Platte Clove Road, travelers are welcomed by the stunning bas-relief wall art known as "Lady Clove." This inspiring bas-relief artwork greets visitors as they ascend through Devil's Kitchen, an area renowned for its breathtaking waterfalls, which form swirling, cauldron-like pools at their bases.
This wall art sculpture showcases the beauty of a hand-carved, high-relief portrait in stoneware clay tiles harmoniously set within a majestic Catskill Mountain bluestone wall.
Creating Wall Art "Lady clove"
To create this relief, a clay slab is prepared after several preliminary sketches. Using two colors of clay helped visualize the composition more effectively.
Fred modeled a high-relief portrait separately. The model, Laurel, kept falling asleep; however, perseverance animated the clay, and the portrait emerged.
Before bisque firing, the clay drying proceeded slowly, lasting over a month, due to differing clay body shrinkage and cracking concerns.
Before installation, our good neighbor, Ron, removed the remnants of an old mural hat that had deteriorated due to frost.
Tile blocks with beveled edges made stacking challenging; square-edged blocks are more straightforward. We learned this lesson.
We completed the installation before the frost arrived in haste, allowing the bas-relief wall art to feature a tilted sun rising above the horizon.
BAS RELIEF SCULPTURE
"Laurel"
Situated on the opposing wall, which boasts the clay wall relief art entitled "Lady Clove," we are presented with a complementary clay bas relief art sculpture named "Laurel."
CREATING BAS RELIEF Sculpture "Laurel"
Before starting this project, several sketches were made, which led to the creation of a 4 ft by 8 ft ceramic bas-relief mural.
A 3-inch thick slab of clay is sculpted by adding and removing material, while the mural blocks are cut into various shapes to enhance the art design.
The high-relief Laurel portrait was modeled separately and then added to the relief.
The stone wall required a complete reconstruction to accommodate this high-relief sculpture.
The sculpture installation went smoothly with the cementing of bluestone and 3-inch thick clay tile blocks.
The relief wall art "Laurel" is fired to cones 6-8. It has a clear glaze beautifully enhanced by Masan stain metallic oxides.
CLAY BAS-RELIEF WALL ART
"Jurgen"
The bas-relief "Jurgen" mural shown has not yet been glaze-fired or installed. We are waiting for spring. The clay wall art image was altered in Photoshop to illustrate how it may look in colors.
3D wall sculpture
As you stroll along the bluestone path to our studio, you’ll discover Dragon, a captivating clay 3D wall art sculpture nestled behind the free-standing Beowulf sculpture. In the Beowulf saga, the Dragon is a guardian of treasure, offering wisdom and support. He warmly greets you here, inviting you into a world of artistic fantasy.
This stunning artwork captures the spirit of "Dragon" in a close-up view. It showcases a hand-carved, three-dimensional wall sculpture made from clay fired at cone temperatures of 6 to 8. A brilliant glaze achieved with Mason stain metallic oxides enhances its beauty.
Ceramic wall portrait sculptures
Clay Busts
Fred taught sculpting busts in clay for over ten years at various institutions, including the State University of New York at Albany, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Byrdcliffe Guild Pottery Studio, and Columbia Greene Community College. Through his work with different models in these classes, he developed exceptional technical skills in capturing portraits in clay. Pictured is a selection of portraits created during these classes, now permanently embedded in a blue stone wall.