Hello everyone, I'd like to introduce myself

[Stevem]

Hi everyone! I just found this site and it looks like just what I've been looking for! My name is Steve Miller and I recently became a fulltime artist. I am a sculptor dealing mostly in bronze and cold cast resins. I have dabbled in marble carving also. I reside in Marietta Georgia, with my wife of 17 years and my two sons of ages 8 and 3 years old. I will sculpt most anything although my favorite thing to sculpt seems to be hands. I give this information so as to not sound concieted when I give you the name of my web site. My website was named after my signature piece, which shows an adult hand holding a childs. The piece is entitled "Gifted Hands", hence the name of my website. Gifted hands sculpting. I would like to invite you to take a look at my web site if you are intrested. Please feel free to sign my guest book which can be located at the lower left of the home page.

Thanks for having me, I look forward to coresponding back and forth with you.
Steve Miller
http://www.giftedhandsssculpting.com

[Stevem]

update to my link to my website http://www.giftedhandssculpting.com

[JAZ]

Dear Steve,
Welcome to this community. Hopefully it will be as useful to you as it has been for me. I did look at your website and found it easy to navigate through, which is significant, since you want it to be a useable portfolio. You've got some nice figurative work there and your experimentation with combining materials is interesting.
It's good that you have introduced yourself here because lots of people will see your work and we all love to look at images. One small technical thing about the setup of this site that may be useful to you is that when you want to make a correction to one of your postings as you did with the URL, you can also do it by clicking the "edit" button at the lower left of the message area, then fixing the typo. The way you did it works just fine, but this is another method. Our webmaster has done a great job of setting this up so it is easy to use, don't you think?
One of the things we've talked about a lot on this forum is the way works are presented. Your web images are clear and the enlargements are a good size, so it is easy to see the work. There is good contrast between the backgrounds and the positive form. Congratulations on that too.
One small personal preference of mine, and it is certainly just one person's opinion, relates to interactions between text and art, bases and art. When I look at a piece, if there is text on it, I assume that it is part of the form and texture of the art itself. An artist's signature is different in that it usually is in fact a part of the work of art, done in the same material as the sculpture or painting and incorporated in a way that fits with the overall aesthetic.
Congratulations on your upcoming exhibit during the Venice Biennale. Could you explain a bit about how that came about for you and what your expectations are?
Thanks for showing us your work!
JAZ

[Stevem]

Hi Jazz. Thanks for the comments. I'll certainly keep that edit button in mind as I'm not the best typist there is. :D I would like to ask you a question of clarity on your comment about the text. Are you saying I should have the pictures taken before I put some kind of plaque on it? or are you suggesting that I leave it off all together? As I have no formal education in art, I try to really listen to all comments and learn from them. Thanks for your advice. The Biennale I'm attending is in Florence, Italy. A friend of mine who is the president of a local Art's Alliance, displayed her work over there in '03 and said she thought of me when she got back and submitted my name and website to the international jury. The next thing you know I got an invite. It was very exciting. At the time I worked for a local auto body shop and the owner was kind enough to sponsor me, so now I can't wait till December.
Again, thanks for the advice,
Steve

[bluedogshuz]

Hi Steve,
I like your site and work as well, it shows you are versitle in many mediums. What piece will you have at the Venice Biennial? I to have learned a tremendous amount with ISC and my favorite group of artist, Sculptors!
I hope you will contribute to the discussions.

[fritchie]

Steve - Congratulations on joining this forum! Your work is excellent, and I hope you will be a very active member of this group.

I think what JAZ is saying about your titles applied to the sculptures is that many sculptors today, such as JAZ, make the title and artist’s signature relatively less visible. I think most artists agree that a signature, and possibly also a title, should be on the piece somewhere, so that it can be recognized in, say a hundred years.

All the best museums used to put artist’s names and titles in very prominent places, but beginning probably about 1930 to 1950, with the “contemporary” or “modern” trend, painters began to leave frames off their work and mounted just the plain canvas on the wall, and sculptors also, beginning even earlier, put their signature and title on the side or back of the piece. That would let an interested person find the words, but also let people look just at the “art” without seeing words. All this is a matter of personal choice, as JAZ says.

[Stevem]

Hi everyone, Thanks for the warm welcome. Bluedogshuz I am sending three pieces to the Biennale I am sending the "Gifted Hands", one called, "The Learning Years", and another one I am about to cast called "Independence". Thanks for asking. Fritchie, thanks for your kind words and explanation, I would have a hard time not naming a piece. I guess I could name it and put it somewhere it wasn't too visible, however that said, I always figured the name of the piece was inspired from whatever the moment was that invited me to sculpt it and in that sense, I feel like I should put it out there for the world to see! of course I haven't tried any other way so maybe I'll give it a shot and see what turn of events happen! Thanks again everyone, for the warm welcome and looking.

Steve