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Dan's World Portfolio Pages 1 Intro
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Dan's World Between two evils, I always pick the one I never tried before. pg 6 -
Mae West So you think you want to be a sculptor.
To choose to be a plaster caster is daring enough. But to try to carve out a living as a sculptor is to ask life to throw you into the briar patch. I'm not saying that playing with clay all day and nearly cutting your fingers off with wood chisels, knives, hatchets and every other sharp instrument under the sun isn't a blast. It truly is. I've made some of my best friends in the emergency room. Look I'm no Brer' Rabbit and I don't claim to be anywhere near as smart as a hare in farmer McGregor's garden but I managed to wend my way through the prickliest stickers in the woodlot. If you're dead set on doing this, given 30 or 40 years of trial and error (a lot of error) and you to could fumble through the brambles at least as well as I have. In time you will actually learn to like the brambles. I have brambles for breakfast in the morning. Mmmm chewy and cleansing too! Remember weeds survive when the highly cultured hybrids die from the slightest change in their environment. If you are about to embark upon this path of three dimensional creativity probably everyone you know has said "what? Are you crazy? You'll starve to death!" So there's no sense in me saying it once again. Those nay sayers just don't understand the driving forces at work deep within the creative personality. Uniqueness is a rare commodity. Hold on to it. Anyway do you really have a choice? That gnawing feeling deep within your bosom isn't heartburn. It's a message from your soul to get on the right path. Imagine if Noah said "I'd like to build that ark for you lord but people are telling me it's a really dumb idea so I'm going off to make ticky tacky with my cousin Yacov. You can make ticky tacky in red, blue, green, or yellow and whether you make it with cousins Yacov or Smirnov it's still ticky tacky in little boxes all the same! Don't make ticky tacky. Make the images that resonate within your body and soul, not the ones that you think most people will like. Let the world be enriched for your being here. If you feel passionate about it someone else will. Chances are a whole bunch of someone elses will. If you have the desire and the persistence, let's see what the possibilities are for a career in sculpting. What really turns you on? Is it the idea of working in clay or wood or metal? Expand your mind to include other possibilities. What about food sculpting or ice sculpting. Ever think about confectionary teddy bears? Try this link. http://www.squires-group.co.uk/
Here is a fine example of fruit sculpture by Global Ice just to give you an idea of some of the unusual careers in sculpting.
One lucrative field in sculpting is the toy industry. I sculpted this model for a dinosaur toy from the movie Lost World. To break into this field try prototype and model shops as well as toy companies.
These figures are about 4 inches high. I sculpted them as part of an ad campaign for an advertising firm. You might try advertising companies to see if they have any projects in the works that require your skills. Send out photos of your work.
Here is Carl Jung
Here's something you don't see all that often, a 40 inch soccer ball with a face on it. This is a foam model turned on a wheel. Foam sculpting may be something for you. You can start with simple foam cutting tools and progress to larger foam cutting equipment as your skills increase. There is a need for foam sculptors at this time. Your foam carvings can be coated with a hard shell material to allow them to be used outdoors. Likely clients will be theme parks, restaurants, hotels and party planners. These are only a few of the career choices open to you. Of course you may take the fine art route. To get started on that path approach art galleries and museums. Show your work at local art fairs. Creating a web site to show your work may be of obtaining jobs. Once you have decided to become a sculptor how do you learn the trade? Art schools are the first and most obvious source of knowledge in this respect. The next best advice is to read all the books you can on the subject. Get some materials and start to practice your chosen profession. Manufacturers and suppliers can be of great assistance in learning how to use their sculpting materials. The Plaster Master Web Site has a wealth of information. Study it. Become all you can be. Contact Dan at plastermaster.com
Dan Kijak 4308 Shankweiler Rd. Orefield PA 18069 610-391-9277
Dan's World pages 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
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Portrait
sculpture may be more in your style. 
This
one is Sigmund Freud. I did this pair of heads for the Penn State Theater
class. You may find work in the props and sets departments of
theater groups.
This
butterfly and wild flowers napkin ring was made for the Franklin Mint.
It is one of a set of six. The finished pieces were made in porcelain
and beautifully hand painted. Apply to manufacturers of
collectibles to get work in this field.