by robin on February 24, 2010
Over the course of stone sculpture history, there have been many talented stone sculptors. Today, I am going to talk about one of them; Epigonus of Pergamum.
During the late third century BCE, Epigonus was one of the most respected stone sculptors to the Attalid dynasty. He was a very dedicated person, who spent a lot of time at his craft, and by the looks of his works of art, he was extremely detail-oriented. In fact, his stone sculpting ability was at such a high level of expertise that his stone sculptures are still recognized as some of the best of all-time.
One of his most famous sculptures is known as The Dying Gaul. The significance of this sculpture is that he made it as a war commemoration. In essence, by making this stone sculpture, Epigonus crystallized that moment in time forever. There were no cameras back then, so people relied on artists, specifically stone sculptors, to help capture moments to the best of their abilities. In other words, stone sculptors were the historians of that time period.
The fact that this stone sculpture is still recognized today, it is clear that capturing pieces of history is very important to who we are as a society. Who knows? Maybe you can make the next great stone sculpture that can last for a lifetime. So go out there, get inspired, and start sculpting.
by robin on February 17, 2010
For those of you who are new to sculpting, you need to make sure to protect yourself properly before you start your stone sculpture. While sculpting stone, many small pieces will fly off, and they can cause a lot of harm to your body. For instance, pieces of stone can get in your eyes, your lungs, or your skin. In order to prevent these incidents from happening, there is some protective gear that you should definitely have.
Protective gear includes eye-wear, gloves, and a respirator.
When choosing eye-wear, you should look for a large pair of goggles that will cover your eyes completely. Also, you should make sure that the goggles are durable, so that they can handle the stone you are working with. It is imperative that no stone particles get into your eyes in any way, so a good pair of goggles is worth the investment.
When choosing gloves, you should get a pair that is very thick and made out of a rough material. If you use gloves that are thin and weak, they will tear easily, and they will basically serve no protective barrier between your hands and the stone. Remember, it is always better to get the most protection, even it feels uncomfortable.
Finally, when choosing a respirator, you need to be certain that it fits over your mouth and nose correctly. Outside of that is pretty much up to you. The reason a respirator is so important is because it will prevent you from inhaling particles of stone that can be detrimental to your lungs. There is going to be a lot of unwanted stone flying around in the atmosphere, so a respirator is a must.
With your eyes, hands, and lungs protected from harmful stone, you are ready to go ahead and begin your masterpiece. Always remember: Safety first!
by robin on February 10, 2010
Today, we are very fortunate to have a lot of advancements that help us make stone sculptures in a relatively efficient manner. However, before these advancements, how did people go about making their stone sculptures?
When stone carving first came about, there was no metal or steel. Instead, there were just rocks; some were harder and some were softer. So people used the hard stones to shape the soft stones, and thus they were able to sculpt.
Even though people were able to carve stone sculptures with that technique, it did not provide a lot of freedom. First off, the people were forced to use whatever rocks they found. They did not have a wide selection of specialized tools like we have now. And secondly, they were forced to use rocks that were not as precise as the chisels and other tools that we have access to today. Because of this, the sculpting process took a lot longer, and the work was not as smooth and polished like it is in modern times.
Yes, the original technique for carving stone sculptures is far-removed from what it is today. But you need to remember that if we never had those original techniques in our history, we probably would have never had all of the advancements and beautiful stone sculptures that exist today. So we need to appreciate all of those stone-carved stone sculptures, and realize that they paved the way for what we currently have.
by robin on February 3, 2010
One of the most important decisions that a sculptor needs to make before beginning a stone sculpture is, what kind of stone to use. There are many different choices to select from, but there are a few that are more popular than the rest. I am going to discuss three of them: soapstone, alabaster, and marble.
Soapstone is a popular choice amongst sculptors because it comes in many different textures and colors. Because of that diversity, soapstone can be used to create a lot of different kinds of sculptures. Also, it is a relatively soft stone, which makes it easier to carve than most stones.
Alabaster is also a favorite of sculptors. Like the soapstone, alabaster is easy to carve, and it is very pleasing to the eyes. With a wide array of colors, alabaster is considered to be one of the most beautiful kinds of stones available. It is also known to have a grainy inside, which improves its appearance, yet makes it a little more delicate.
Marble is a choice that advanced sculptors enjoy. It is harder than the soapstone and alabaster, but there are benefits that it has that the other two don’t. Because it is harder, you don’t need to treat it as delicately. In addition, because of its make-up, when light hits it, it gives the marble a life-like appearance. This is why sculptors like to use marble for sculptures of the human body. As long as you have the proper tools, this is a choice that every sculptor should try to work with at least once.
Whether you decide to choose any of the three that were mentioned above, or you decide to use any other types of stones, you need to know the characteristics that each stone possesses. Knowing that information will help make your sculpture the best it can be.
by robin on January 26, 2010
When you have the particular type of stone that you want, in order to begin a stone sculpture, you are ready to begin the sculpting process. The sculpting process has a few steps, and each step requires you to be more precise than the previous step. For now, the focus will only be on the first step of this process, which is known as roughing out.
Roughing out is the step where you remove the most amount of stone from your stone sculpture. In order to do this, you can use a point chisel, a pitching tool, and/or a mallet. Each tool is useful for knocking off large chunks of unwanted stone because of their solid makeup. Since that is the case, they can also cause a lot of damage if they are not used properly. A lot of times, a stone sculptor who is not careful can actually damage the stone, and they need to start sculpting all over again with a new piece of stone.
So even though the roughing out process seems like a step that doesn’t need too much precision, that is far from the truth. You need to be as careful with roughing out as any other step in the sculpting process. After all, if you damage the stone from the beginning, how do you expect to ever get to the final step?
by robin on January 18, 2010
Stone sculptures have existed longer than civilization itself. Between then and now, there has always been the choice of whether or not to follow a model from the beginning of the sculpting process. There are those who prefer to begin sculpting without a specific plan in mind, and then there are those who follow a model as closely as possible to achieve a desired result.
No matter what approach you take when you start your contemporary stone sculpture, you should constantly be trying to define what you want your final product to look like. The sooner you determine that, the more closely your stone sculpture will resemble something people can relate to. Remember, each move you make affects your next one, so don’t do something too drastic that you might regret. Unlike a pencil, in stone sculpting there are no erasers.
What approach do you prefer to take? Do you like to figure it out as you go along, or do you like to follow a plan step by step?
by robin on January 14, 2010
New York, NY—Award-winning NY artist and sculptor Robin Antar, will participate in the first International Juried Show at Rogue Space Chelsea, January 14-30, 2010 in Manhattan. Ms. Antar was chosen from among more than 300 entries from eleven countries. She is one of 47 winning artists who will demonstrate their diversity, style and artistry at the two-week show, offering an extraordinary collection of talent from all over the globe. The gallery is located at 526 West 26th Street in NYC.
Art critic David Cohen is among the distinguished guest judges. Mr. Cohen is Gallery Director at the New York Studio School and editor and publisher of artcritical.com. In addition, he also served as an art critic and contributing editor at the New York Sun from 2003 to 2008. He currently moderates the Review Panel, the popular monthly forum at the National Academy Museum.
Sculpting since she was 14 and a student at Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, Robin Antar typically works at all hours of the day and night. Her studio houses more than 20,000 pounds of stone, with works such as a cowboy hat and larger-than-life sized Heinz® ketchup bottle, and the unusual tools of her trade (including heavy drills that seem far too bulky for the slight Antar to lift, much less sculpt with).
Antar’s works have appeared in exhibitions at museums, galleries, corporate offices and universities, ranging from the City Museum in St. Louis, to the Nabisco Corporation Gallery, to New York University. She appeared on HGTV’s That’s Clever, where she transformed a block of stone into a life-like boot. She has also been featured in countless print and broadcast media, and sells her original pieces for upwards of $25,000.
The winner of ‘Best in Show’ will receive the ‘Artist Package’ prize, which includes a premiere showing of their artwork in our Chelsea gallery in the heart of New York City’s art scene. The winner will also receive a promotional film about their work produced by our sister company FilmsOnArtists.com, which will premiere at the winning artist’s opening reception. A slideshow of selected works can be found at: https://www.chelseagalleryspace.com/JanuaryJuriedShow/Finalists.html
A complete list of participating artists are listed below:
OPHIR AGASSI MIEKO ANEKAWA ROBIN ANTAR BYRON ANWAY
MALADO BALDWIN TIRTZAH BASSEL DAVID BENDER CARLA BERGER
BRITTANY BINLER JENNIFER COLLINS STEPHEN EAKIN
STEPHANIE FRANKS ANDREW GEISSLER ALLAN GORMAN HAIM ELISHA
SARAH HAVEN TAMAR HIRSCHL CHRISTOPHER HOFFMAN HANA JOO
MIRYUNG KANG CHRISTINA KEE ULF KOENIG LESLEY KRANE
JOOAHN KWON HYUN-A LEE LISA LILLIBRIDGE
CHRISTOPHER LOWTHER KURT MARKGRAF NORMAN PERLMUTTER SHRAVAN RAJAGOPAL HYOUNG-KWAN ROH JANET ROSSI
BARBARA RUBENSOHN ESTY SADE ROBERT SERVO
AUDREY SHACHNOW GEOFFREY STEIN SUZANNE STROEBE
TAKEFUMI HORI LESLIE TUCKER ANNA VRANCKX ERIC WHITE
JEFF & SABRINA WILLIAMS VICKI WILSON SUSAN WOLFE
YUTA BORIS ZAKIC
Note to Media: Media are invited to the opening reception January 14th by advance arrangements. Photos and interviews are also available. Contact: Robin Antar at Robin@rantar.com
by robin on January 14, 2010
Carved out of orange alabaster and brown onyx, 12 inches high, 2 people having a conversation
by robin on January 2, 2010
carved out of alabaster, 2 people having a conversation, 12 inches high
by robin on December 31, 2009
carved out of brown marble
