Thursday, August 28, 2008 12:09 PM EDT
Living the Creative Life on Ninigret Pond
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Part II
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 "Against the Wind" by sculptor Richard Sartor. |
Editor’s note: Last week, we focused on the art of Diana Sartor, one half of this artistic team. This week we take a look at the work of her husband, Richard Sartor.
While wife Diana is upstairs in her custom designed painting studio overlooking Ninigret Pond, Richard Sartor has been relegated to the garage and he doesn’t mind a bit.
As a sculptor, his work is considerably messier than Diana’s so his lower level work area suits him just fine.
After 35 years in public administration with roles as an F.B.I. trained deputy chief of police, a role with the Air Force Strategic Air Command and Town Administrator for Charlestown to name a few, this retiree who has spent his life in tough roles has found a softer side.
Working with woodcarving for about 25 years, he enjoyed creating objects with maritime themes, totems, signs and carousel horses. Three years ago he discovered using clay to create a scale model for his woodcarvings.
“I found I loved working with clay,” says Richard.
“A happy accident,” as Diana would say.
With no formal training and only a handful of odd classes here and there, he has developed a marvelous talent for creating portrait sculpture. Pursuing the craft initially for his own enjoyment, “it quickly got out of hand,” he says. Finding himself in a number of shows and exhibiting his work, people began buying it.
These days he is having fun sculpting busts and human forms and particularly enjoys the challenge of capturing the character, emotion and personality in the face of his subject.
The process to create his sculptures is quite involved and can be broken down into equal thirds of conceptual work, creating molds and casting.
He first sculpts the form out of clay from a photograph as well as from his personal knowledge of the individual.
He has sculpted a mermaid, and must have used his imagination, but some of his work is modeled after people he actually knows. So, after sculpting the form out of a clay that never dries, and doesn’t mark his hands, he creates a silicone mold by adding it in layers. He then, casts the form out of one of several materials that may include plaster, epoxy or resin before finishing it with paint, liquid bronze or something else.
On occasion, he sends a piece out to be cast in another form like bronze. Diana helps with the final finish. Richard leaves that to her good judgment.
A recent project he is working on is a sculpture of a pair of hands. He is looking to express emotion through just the hands. The faces he sculpts “are infinitely complex and endlessly expressive,” says Richard. But the hands present a different challenge.
“I like working with people, really concentrating on people for some time. They are endlessly interesting and challenging from a sculptural point of view.”
With a real gift for capturing the essence of his subject he has done so with his model of Captain Heminway, friend Tom Dineen, and his son who was the model for his “clammer.” He enjoys working with local maritime themes.
With great humility, he is surprised by the discovery of his talent thinking it would take much longer to develop. He is aware of how much we recognize faces, especially the eyes. Bodies are interchangeable he says, but the face is something else. So involved in his work, he experiences a little sense of loss when a piece sells.
This sensitive sculptor with a softer side, is enjoying his retirement in a very private place on Ninigret Pond, capturing the character of those who pique his interest. He is a member of the Mystic Art Association, Wickford Art Association and the Cooperative Gallery of Westerly.
While wife Diana is upstairs in her custom designed painting studio overlooking Ninigret Pond, Richard Sartor has been relegated to the garage and he doesn’t mind a bit.
As a sculptor, his work is considerably messier than Diana’s so his lower level work area suits him just fine.
After 35 years in public administration with roles as an F.B.I. trained deputy chief of police, a role with the Air Force Strategic Air Command and Town Administrator for Charlestown to name a few, this retiree who has spent his life in tough roles has found a softer side.
Working with woodcarving for about 25 years, he enjoyed creating objects with maritime themes, totems, signs and carousel horses. Three years ago he discovered using clay to create a scale model for his woodcarvings.
“I found I loved working with clay,” says Richard.
“A happy accident,” as Diana would say.
With no formal training and only a handful of odd classes here and there, he has developed a marvelous talent for creating portrait sculpture. Pursuing the craft initially for his own enjoyment, “it quickly got out of hand,” he says. Finding himself in a number of shows and exhibiting his work, people began buying it.
These days he is having fun sculpting busts and human forms and particularly enjoys the challenge of capturing the character, emotion and personality in the face of his subject.
The process to create his sculptures is quite involved and can be broken down into equal thirds of conceptual work, creating molds and casting.
He first sculpts the form out of clay from a photograph as well as from his personal knowledge of the individual.
He has sculpted a mermaid, and must have used his imagination, but some of his work is modeled after people he actually knows. So, after sculpting the form out of a clay that never dries, and doesn’t mark his hands, he creates a silicone mold by adding it in layers. He then, casts the form out of one of several materials that may include plaster, epoxy or resin before finishing it with paint, liquid bronze or something else.
On occasion, he sends a piece out to be cast in another form like bronze. Diana helps with the final finish. Richard leaves that to her good judgment.
A recent project he is working on is a sculpture of a pair of hands. He is looking to express emotion through just the hands. The faces he sculpts “are infinitely complex and endlessly expressive,” says Richard. But the hands present a different challenge.
“I like working with people, really concentrating on people for some time. They are endlessly interesting and challenging from a sculptural point of view.”
With a real gift for capturing the essence of his subject he has done so with his model of Captain Heminway, friend Tom Dineen, and his son who was the model for his “clammer.” He enjoys working with local maritime themes.
With great humility, he is surprised by the discovery of his talent thinking it would take much longer to develop. He is aware of how much we recognize faces, especially the eyes. Bodies are interchangeable he says, but the face is something else. So involved in his work, he experiences a little sense of loss when a piece sells.
This sensitive sculptor with a softer side, is enjoying his retirement in a very private place on Ninigret Pond, capturing the character of those who pique his interest. He is a member of the Mystic Art Association, Wickford Art Association and the Cooperative Gallery of Westerly.
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