new here - horse (and other critter) sculptor :)

[Morgen_K]

hola!
neat place, this style of BB is one of my favorites! thanks to the creators!

ok, well i've got a pretty diverse artistic background but have restarted down the carving path a few years back when I discovered a 2 part hardening epoxie that works a lot like soap stone but is mallable like soft clay for about 3hrs... i fell in love and created this boy (1:9 scale) within a few months of first laying my hands on it:
http://www.one-horse.net/images/Atlas_picture2.jpg
He was cast in hollow cast resin and sold to hobbiests who collect limited edition resin horses..... from there I tried a daunting portrait of a friends horse in 1:32 scale (4" tall on base) and sold a few more resins of this gal:http://www.one-horse.net/images/front_sondae.jpg
After her, I decided to try a very specific and challenging pose of horse that required obtaining billions of reference pictures, video and several trips to top level horse shows to get the full anatomical accuracy.. very challenging and educational. He's by far my most 'successful' piece among the hobbiests. Sorry about the size of the pic here: http://www.one-horse.net/duke/ordering/NEWtop.jpg
And now I've got several works in the studio, mostly I'm focusing on the income earners and perfecting the anatomical details on these magnificent beasts. Here's a pic of the studio and a mustang in progress:
http://www.one-horse.net/intheworks.html

In the past I've done kiln fired sculptures, stone and larger abstract plaster works. The last horse above may at some point get done in bronze if the owner of the real stallion sells one of her properties. In the mean time, I also hope to eventually pick up more commissions as I've done a lot of private flat work portraits but really am enjoying the challenge of taking a single photo and filling in the other 359 degrees of perspective. ;)

So that's me and I'll probably mostly lurk. Not a big gallery buff or juried show groupie... :rolleyes: Nothing against em really but I am extremely happy to be able to meet buyers and correspond with them... as well as see how they finish them (yes, we all, us hobby artists, cringe sometimes but that's the nature of my beast at any rate!).

Pleased to meet yall though! :D

[JAZ]

Welcome Morgen,
Your name sounds like an indicator of what you do - as in Morgan stallion? Perhaps you were fated to make these resin horses. There probably is a strong market for them, among people who really want accuracy and faithfulness to breed. So, since you have an aptitude for that kind of realism, just keep refining your skills. Seems like you are doing quite well for yourself.
Are you making multiples, and if so (which I suppose you are), how many do you make of each horse?
I once met a woman who made her living brainding horse's mains for shows. Those people can afford resin sculptures, it seems.
Good luck.
JAZ

[Morgen_K]

Thank you JAZ. Well I won't deny, since it's hard earned income for me and the minute details take thousands of hours, that I try to sell as many as I can... with the limit being 200 in an edition. The key is selling them unfinished, and still rough from casting... If I had to put the individual hours into each cast peice.... I'd never be able to find the time.

So far I've succeeded in selling an edition of 18 (barely covered the cost of casting, no profit). An edition of 40 (the small gal, and in those there is very little profit either). And that last big fellow sold out fairly quickly - I limited that edition to 120.

Realism is brutal in this niche. Many of my fellow artist friends and family find it absolutely offensive how the potential buyers can come to find such fault in 'art' (in citing examples of what they harp on the most to friends). I find it refreshing compared to illustrating or doing graphic/multimedia work... the real form of the horse has a lot of absolutes to its biomechanics. It's great fun to learn these and the ins and outs of how it all comes together into harmonious flowing motion.

I find it equally funny that my traditional fine arts family (instructors and practitioners in all kinds of media basically), find 'realism' to be hokey art... I've always adored artists such as Robert Bateman and Parrish and the like who's works beg to be stared down for hours to find a brush stroke..

At any rate. Horse people are funny buyers - its' a tricky field to say the least... Like I've said, I hope to someday do more in the commissioned works. I'm going to lurk here and in related sites to learn as much as possible about the life sized bronzes. They are my true dream projects. :D

I had to laugh at the Morgan reference.. yes, it probably IS fate... ;) although the one Morgan I've riden I did NOT enjoy too much... :p It's certainly chased me around my whole life - no one ever spells it correctly! Even on my high school diploma! :rolleyes:

[iron ant]

Cool horses.After living on a horse farm for ten years ,bieng a full time sculptor,I also worked with the horse as my inspiration.I fabricated five monumental stainless hoses,and a bunch of scaled down versions.Although my work is contemporay,the hardcore"shape and formhttp:// " crowd has a pissy if you make anything that is reconizable.The bottom line is most of them can not make a living with their art,so more power to the folks like us that don't have to make art with no purpose.

[Morgen_K]

Hiya Iron Ant. I was just admiring your stainless steel works - they are very impressive! :D

Yes, most of the artists in my family are contempory and I am the true black sheep: a realist/traditionalist.

Interestingly, from art buyers, I hear "thank you's" so often (!) for taking the time to recreate painstaking detail and realistic proportion and correct biomechanics over just 'gesture' and 'expression'. I can see you can relate to this by your work.. ;) and can tell that you too like to capture expression in a more tangible realistic way as well. I continue to hold on to the hope that there will always be a market for it. I am looking forward to a piece coming out in fine bone china soon and hope for more in the future. I certainly have a small ton of intricate works I'd like to continue to find a market for... although I doubt any of mine will wind up as displays in Elton John's home! :rolleyes:

Kudos to you! :D

[Landseer]

Wonder where Morgen went to... Just checked out his web site, he has been busy creating!

[jeramie]

Morgen, my wife has 7 horses! :D
She loves your work.

[iron ant]

Morgen,

Hey have you tried getting your horses in Musuem gift shops,like westwern art,or anything in the SW?I love your tails,kind of has the frozen motion thing going.Although my horses ar not true to form,I like your detail.You need to blow one up big and get some fat cat to cast it in Bronze.............Hey you never know who might buy your work,right time and place,heck it could be anyone...IA