Posted by | January 28, 2020

Portrait of Julia C. R. Dorr

The concept sketch for a monument to author and philanthropist Julia C. R. Dorr (graphite and gouache on paper). Her portrait is the ninth sculpture to join the Rutland Sculpture Trail (VT).

Excerpts below are by Julia C. R. Dorr.

Design Revealed for Julia Dorr Sculpture

Julia Dorr Sculpture Trail Press Release

Rutland Sculpture Trail

Rutland Herald

Rutland Free Library

THE JOY
SYBIL HUNTINGTON: A NOVEL
A CATHEDRAL PILGRIMAGE
SANCTIFIED
MY MOCKING–BIRD
One way to check your scale as the scathing sun pours in…I listen to my mocking-bird sing from dawn until dusk. Now and again his courtship antics still…he flies over, peers in.
SPIRIT TO SPIRIT
Draw me. You spoke to me of your death in the morning, and inquired about Heaven by noon. A scrap of paper goes on top of a cutting board, absorbs an oil. It blooms around the graphite growing there. You drift in and out of consciousness, sing, reminisce. In another room, the clay has gone back onto the salvaged armature. My two unsolicited subjects: they might have stayed up late together, spoken of the same things from kindred hearts.
SUPPLICATION
A weight-bearing cart and its supportive platform were assembled. Team effort – thank you! Some 250 lbs. can be supported on the top tier.
Windshield, 3 a.m. Circumstances evolved. In those hours, a neighbour slipped me a stack of books and the one inhaled was News of the World; it resonated across the 1,500+ miles the dismantled portrait bust and I have covered. Tomorrow: set up new workspace, reassembly, onwards…
COME WHAT MAY
One thing I appreciate about Julia’s body of work is that she didn’t deny the dark times she endured…nor fail to include the light in every written piece. This was the first rough block-in of Julia before events led to the second version. I’m grateful to have largely started over again, as Julia No. 2 is stronger!
EXPIATION
The 3D work began with crumpled newspaper taped to a pipe and flange (firmly affixed to a stable board) because the 1.5 life-size model would be quite heavy if created in solid clay. Many papers were ultimately recycled for the armature (I focused upon positive or poetic words/phrases, word searches, and crossword puzzles). The door is for scale for Dorr, and here you can see decisions being made about the shoulders, etc.
THE CLAY TO THE ROSE