This week photos of me and my sculptures appeared in two publications. One is the catalogue of the Catherine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club‘s 120th open juried show now at the National Arts Club on Gramercy Park. My latest piece “Moving On” was selected to be in the show, and the reception was on December 9th. The historic mansion was decorated for the holidays, and the public rooms filled with wonderful paintings and sculpture. Thanks to my friends for coming to support me, and for a special surprise visit by Toni and Bill who came down from Albany.
Last year I also had sculpture in that show, and attended the awards dinner as well as the reception, which is always a benefit for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Catherine Lorillard Wolfe was the only woman among the founders of the Met, and her donated art works formed the start of the European Painting Collection. Last New Year’s Eve the members of my sculpture class joined our teacher, a club member, for a black tie New Years Eve there on Gramercy Park in the fabulous private rooms, gorgeously decked out for the holidays.
The other publication is the Art Students League magazine “Lines from the League.” Rhoda Sherbell, great sculptor and teacher, was the cover story which included photos of the class at work. I am in two shots, and in one of the photos she is teaching from my new work in progress. Rhoda has been in 27 museum shows, and has spoken at recent annual meetings of the Portrait Society and the National Association of Women Artists. Students join her class and become part of her coterie.
Our class is unstructured, everyone works on their own different piece and the model takes poses for each of us. We drink wine as we sculpt and listen to all kinds of music: Opera (which Rhoda loves) and all kinds of other sounds, from jazz to rock & roll. One member of our class is a Swiss DJ, and he loves techno. Four of us from sculpture class at the League took the party to Birdland last week to hear songstress Stacey Kent in person. Her father is a former member of the class, and we listen to her CDs. Our class is social and fun and the students are multinational, from their 20’s to 80’s, doctors, scientists, finance pros and full time artists. It’s a party every Monday and Tuesday evening!
People are surprised to learn that I didn’t go to art school or have formal instruction as a child. I went to museums and made crafts, but that’s it. It was in 1977 after my father’s funeral that his brother told me he had taken up sculpting since retiring to Florida. My hands started to tingle and a voice in my head said “I could do that.”