http://drawger.com/richarddowns/ Thu, 04 Feb 2016 23:19:21 EST FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://drawger.com/_images/drawger_leo_logo.gif http://drawger.com/richarddowns http://drawger.com/richarddowns/index.php?section=articles&article_id=15608

    “Confluence” is my first steel sculpture edition.   instagram     







    All images | Richard Downs © 2015 

]]> Sat, 19 Dec 2015 16:45:38 EST http://drawger.com/richarddowns/index.php?section=articles&article_id=15576

Here are some pictures of  my limited edition bronze titled, “The Family”.  This was a fun project that was commissioned through the generous appreciation of my original steel sculpture titled, “The Family”.   I created this edition through Frostad Altelier in Sacramento which will open in January 2016 and it will become Northern California’s most sophisticated and versatile foundry.    I had a great time working with Ronnie Frostad, the owner and her team of master craftsmen. During this job I found that foundry work has no shortcuts, it has been done in the same way for almost 2,000 years and that is what I really like about the process.    Shown below are some production photographs.













]]> Thu, 03 Dec 2015 02:54:21 EST http://drawger.com/richarddowns/index.php?section=articles&article_id=15541

Here are 2 new pieces from my “Getting Ready” series. This work continues my revisionist stories built around my favorite stylistic times in history. I love ancient Mythology. It is fantastic, scary, absurd and ridiculous yet ancient cultures believed in these tales and even today people still believe.    These are going up to Seattle to Frederick Holmes and Company to a group show where my work has found a supportive audience. 









    All images | Richard Downs © 2015 

]]> Tue, 03 Nov 2015 03:44:23 EST http://drawger.com/richarddowns/index.php?section=articles&article_id=15507

Less is More has never been the case for me until recent. The Hunter Museum looked at galleries in Austin, New York, Atlanta and Nashville to present a variety of art for their 2015 auction. TEW Galleries in Atlanta provided this piece. It is a small and understated piece but it represents what I try to bring to my work. 

]]> Thu, 15 Oct 2015 00:48:58 EST http://drawger.com/richarddowns/index.php?section=articles&article_id=15490

    Back in 1981 I took my first art history course and fell in love with the Modern Art movement. Around the same time Robert Hughes', “The Shock of the New” was broadcast on PBS. Every week I could not wait to tune in. Talk about inspired...Vladimir Tatlin’s, “Monument to the Third International” (1919–20) really stood out to me at that time. My fascination with his piece, the questions I asked, the thoughts he inspired, really made a huge impact upon my work.     





]]> Mon, 28 Sep 2015 19:41:56 EST http://drawger.com/richarddowns/index.php?section=articles&article_id=15468

You can never predict what comes your way as an artist and here is one of those happy surprises. After investing 10 weeks and several weeks of 3 other fabricators I finished a large private commission called “The Family”. I had no idea that I would be revisiting a piece that had consumed so much of my time and energy. What was a 9’ sculpture has been commissioned in a small edition in bronze and at 15”. I said yes of course to the commission without any idea of how or what was involved in casting the piece. My first foundry choice was in Berkeley CA but after some conversations I was told that this piece would be as difficult and close to as much work as making the 9’ version. This was information that I didn’t think was necessary for me to hear and I decided at that point that they were not all that interested in working with me.    After more looking around I have decided to work with Frostad Atelier in Sacramento which is an amazing foundry that was up to now located at the retired McClellan Airforce Base but has moved out and relocated to a new building the size of another aircraft hanger and they will be pouring metal in a month. This is just enough time for them to make the urethane molds from my wood maquette and get the wax ready for the edition.    It is really inspiring to be working toward bronze on this little sculpture. What draws me and I am sure other artists to bronze is that it was mankind’s first casting material used to make objects of importance and longevity. Before casting there was stone and that is why it was called the stone age. I like thinking about artisans of the past and how they didn’t even know that their efforts would become future study and that their work would be placed into their cultural history.  So much of our history is connected to artisan materials or what we call today art supplies because when it is all said and done,,,       what would you keep, a hand made art object or the famiies tax ledger? Another bit of trivia that the foundry pointed out to me was that the only difference from modern casting and the ancient method was that today we have gas. Took a few minutes to absorb how cool that is but I would like to add that we also have power tools but back in the day they had an endless supply of labor to pound, beat and polish materials into form.     I also like to think about my life and how it would have been lived in an early time with all of my artist friends around in a great bazaar hawking our wares while pounding urns or painting mosaic portraits and yakking on and complaining or being envious about so an so’s latest commission, some things I am sure will never change as an artist.    Here is "The Family" at 15” made from hobby 1/4" birch plywood and 3/16" basswood. Every part has been designed as an individual unit to eventually have a rubber flat mold made from it’s shape or if it is a 3D unit it will have a rubber 2 sided mold made from the wooden form. The smallest shape that I could go was 3/16” and still be able to push the bronze through the cavities of the ceramic shell.    The guy from Berkeley was correct in some ways, the wooden sculpture took way more time than I would have imagined and what was so ironic is that it had the same pitfalls in design and challenges in fabrication that the 9’ version had. This model is now at the foundry where mold makers will create urethane molds of all of the components. In a few weeks I will receive every form in wax that I will then do some minor scraping of details. 









    All images | Richard Downs © 2015     

]]> Thu, 03 Sep 2015 17:48:09 EST http://downs-art.com/?section=news&article=30
]]> Wed, 08 Jul 2015 16:20:57 EST http://downs-art.com/?section=news&article=29 Here is the start of a new series of sculptures of "Kayakers". This first protoytpe was a blast to create as I take notes to make the next piece ever better. Although sometimes the first of a series can end up being the most interesting and charming because of the raw exploration of the original concept. This piece can be displayed by hanging flat on the wall like he is going down a waterfall or it can hang from a thin cable from the top of his head and spin or it can sit on a pedestal. 

]]> Thu, 22 May 2014 19:57:30 EST http://downs-art.com/?section=news&article=25 The KVIE PBS Art Auction 2012 will be televised September 28, 29 and 30, 2012. It has been 5 years since I have participated in this benefit auction and gala and I am thrilled to have my "Couple #178" selected. The last time I entered was 2007 and I was fortunate enough to be an award winner which was a huge honor and PBS did the short interview of me describing my work below. For 2012 the jury consisted of Sacramento's art royalty and the prize winning selected works will be announced next week. I've got my fingers crossed!

]]> Mon, 23 Jul 2012 20:43:44 EST http://downs-art.com/?section=news&article=24 Here are a few newly Illustrated DVD covers for the good folks at Lynda.com. The challenge of designing business application covers becomes the lack of tangible symbolism. Without the obvious metaphors and symbols of the real world I looked closely at the interface design of the applications and built my designs in a very architectural and structural manner. This set of pieces were both a challenge and a blast to create. Thank you, Lynda.com  

]]> Tue, 19 Apr 2011 19:18:45 EST http://downs-art.com/?section=news&article=23 When: March 10, 2011 - Thursday Preview Opening 6-9pm March 12, 2011 - 2nd Saturday Opening 6-9pm March 10 - April 2, 2011 Where: Sacramento Temporary Contemporary

]]> Mon, 07 Mar 2011 00:50:26 EST http://downs-art.com/?section=news&article=19 I was happy and honored to hear that these Sea Turtle Monotypes were juried into the Illustrators 53 Institutional Exhibit. These pieces were part of a series created through an invitation by the Sea Turtle Restoration Project to participate in a show and benefit titled, "Save Them All" to help restore habitat destroyed by the BP oil spill. Thank you, Society of Illustrators!

]]> Fri, 03 Dec 2010 01:19:20 EST