Posted by ateliersisk | August 24, 2017
Ann Story Monument
In partnership with the Carving Studio and Sculpture Center and city patronage (Rutland, VT) as well as private funders, work is now underway on two marble figures that will speak to Revolutionary War heroine Ann Story’s legacy in the area. You can follow some of the sculpture’s progress below.
PRESS
Stuck in Vermont: A Rutland Sculpture Trail Celebrates Area’s History
New model of sculpture unveiled, Mountain Times
Ann Story model unveiled, MyChamplainValley.com
City’s next sculpture tells a Story, Rutland Herald
Carved by Evan Morse and Taylor Apostol, the Ann Story Monument is now installed at Cottage and West in Rutland, VT.
The plaque for the monument.
Evan Morse has been carving away to the figures at the Carving Studio and Sculpture Center.
Plaster model from the clay original.
Nearing the deadline for delivery to the mould maker.
Detail of cabin wall.
Drapery progress by night…
The ‘before’ on apron folds…
Buckles may not have been in a pioneer woman’s budget, much less a widow’s, so simple strings tie Ann’s shoe together.
The ‘before’ image for the maple log and Ann’s shoes…
Working out the remaining proportional and gestural issues – then the details begin! The cabin wall behind the figures makes this an alto relief rather than a sculpture in-the-round.
Both Ann and her son Solomon are now blocked in. This is the clay model at 1/3 life-size and it will become life-size in marble. Solomon was approximately fifteen years of age when they returned to finish the cabin in the wilderness (which his father had begun before his death) and he has become taller than the boy in the concept sketch but still somewhat short in stature to aid the composition. Details of Solomon and the overall model pending…
One likes to think that Ann would appreciate the studio environment wherein her monument takes form: trees abound and influence daily life – including providing the heat to melt and shape the clay – and trees profoundly shaped her life path.
Guidance arrives from those who care deeply about the project: here we have some help to develop the appropriate clothing for Ann. Thank you!
The concept sketch evolved from a single figure of Ann Story to include her son Solomon, who became a Green Mountain Boy. His inclusion supports a visual representation of Ann’s legacy as the Mother of the Green Mountain Boys. Detail.
Ann was a woman of great perseverance, and one aim of the sculpture is to communicate this aspect of her character.