“The cowslips tall her pensioners be:
In their gold coats spots you see;
Those be rubies, fairy favours,
In those freckles live their savours:
I must go seek some dewdrops here
And hang a pearl in every cowslip’s ear.”
William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Charles Vess is celebrating the completion of a long project, the creation of the gorgeous Midsummer Fountain, which as you can see from the picture above has now been successfully put into its place across from the historic Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia. The central figure of the Queen of Faerie came in at a less than ethereal 800 pounds of bronze (plus stainless steel supports), so it was a fair old effort to put her in her place of honour, even with the aid of a crane, but well worth the effort. The following day a fall of snow covered the scene; there’s something hauntingly beautiful about seeing the Queen of Summer’s Twilight in a soft, winter scene; I always think that public sculptures like this are never quite finished, they change a little every single day depending on the time of day, the light, the weather, always a little different each time we look, but that’s part of the magic.
Charles has posted up a blog about the creation and installation of the fountain, a huge effort involving himself, sculptors, foundry artisans, welders and more, all working to turn a design and large chunks of metal into a work of art to brighten the environment of people in the city; I never cease to marvel at the way some people can take a piece of inarticulate metal or wood or blank paper and create something beautiful from it. Go and have a read – Charles has many more pictures documenting the creation of the Midsummer piece and its fascinating to see the stages, from seemingly disparate panels of bronze to the finished sculptures. (photos courtesy and (c) Charles Vess, thanks to Charles for allowing us to reproduce them here)
Wed, Apr 15, 2009
Art and animation