Art Spirit

Place of remembrance

2011-09-13T16:06:00.000-07:00

'A time before 9/11"

A 4 foot Acrylic painting which the Artist hopes to use for the basis
of an 18 foot Tile Mural.

This past Sunday, the 10th Anniversary of 9/11, seemed to put to rest an unease which has pervaded our country. The ceremonies were understated in a very, very dignified way which echoed the marvelously thoughtful placement of the endless pools where the Trade Centers once stood. The beautiful bronzes engraved along the top edge of the cascading falls and the trees lining and giving protection from the harsh stone and steel city.

A firm named Snohetta, which means Snow Hood, in Norwegian created the only above ground building on the 8 acre memorial site. I invite you read my recent article about these Architects and 9/11 in the September 9, 2011 issue of the Norwegian American Weekly.

Best regards, Bill Osmundsen

for further reading on my mural project:- "A time before 9/11"

ON OPEN WATERS

2011-08-17T08:59:00.000-07:00

“The Voyage of the Fox,” sculpture depicted here is the work of the article’s author, Bill Osmundsen. The prototype was created as a model for a bronze monument to be placed in New York and Norway. Further information about this project can be obtained by visiting the artist’s website: http://BronzeSea.org/FoxSculpture.aspx, or by contacting Project Coordinator, Victor Samuelsen at fantslake@aol.com or (203) 561-0005. Photo courtesy of Bill Osmundsen.

NORWEGIAN AMERICAN WEEKLY

On open waters: The Norwegian-American voyage of the FOX made the impossible a reality.

This year marks the 115th anniversary of the voyage of the FOX, the first transatlantic crossing by oar, in an open 18-foot rowboat named FOX. The nearly impossible feat was accomplished by two young Norwegian-American seamen who left New York June 6, 1896, and arrived in Le Havre, France on Aug. 7, 1896.

By Bill Osmundsen
Norwegian American Weekly

Around the time that Nansen was lauded for his polar achievement, two other Norwegians by birth – George Harbo and Frank Samuelsen – rowed more than 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean in an 18-foot surfboat called FOX. They didn’t discover anything, but they did prove that through endurance and careful planning, two men in an open boat could actually achieve what was in 1896 believed impossible. If we look at their modest effort, compared to the mounting of the great expeditions of the Fram – Nansen, north and Amundsen south, they also exhibited great courage and fortitude and should join the ranks of explorers who have pushed the human limits. Harbo and Samuelsen were the first to successfully cross the Atlantic in an open rowboat.

READ THE REST OF THIS STORY at norway.com

Visit our Web Site:-BronzeSea.org

Happy July 4th

2011-07-04T02:33:00.000-07:00

Frank Samuelsen, bow; George Harbo, stern; FOX, rowboat
Painting by Bart Forbes for Nautical Quarterly

Saturday July 4th
The night has been a stormy one. Wind shifting from south to N.N.W. and rained biggest part of the night.
8 a.m. Wind north, strong breeze and clear weather.
12 noon. Wind north, strong breeze. Course E.S.E. Day’s work 55 miles.
6 p.m. Wind N.E. light
This day we celebrated by washing our-selves in soap fresh water.
The first day our faces have seen good fresh water since leaving New York.

On July 4th, 1896, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, two Norwegian-American seamen celebrated our Nations Birthday, by having a fresh water bath. It may not sound like much, no beer or hot dogs but for George Harbo, who wrote in the Log above and Frank Samuelsen, his rowing mate, it was the first time they took a break from their arduous trek across the Atlantic Ocean.

Harbo and Samuelsen were both new emigres from Norway to the United States but took care to carry the American Flag and make a point of taking a little time off on July 4th, for the bath.

George Harbo, the captain and navigator, of this first transatlantic crossing by rowboat, was particularly patriotic and had viewed the unveiling of the Statue of Liberty, from Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, on July 4th, in 1886, with his wife and their son Andrew, who he named after one of his hero's, an earlier American President, Andrew Jackson.

The marvelous illustration, at the head of this missive, was created by artist, Bart Forbes for Nautical Quarterly. The hardcover quarterly maritime magazine ran an article about the Fox, Harbo and Samuelsen, who rowed the 18 foot open boat successfully across the Atlantic, in a record (not to be broken for 114 years) time of 55 days. You can find Mr. Forbes' work and the article in NQ issue #4, published in 1978.

If you would like to view more of Bart Forbes' artworks and learn more about the artist, visit his web site:-
http://www.bartforbesgallery.com/

Enjoy your July 4th!

Cordially, Bill Osmundsen

FOX: June 6th, 1896 Departed on legendary row across the Atlantic - 115th Anniversary

2011-06-04T08:20:00.000-07:00

News Release

Contacts: (download this news release)

Victor Samuelsen, Fantslake@aol.com

William Barth Osmundsen, billosmundsen@aol.com

Subject: Voyage of the Fox, 115 years ago

This year, June 6th, 2011, marks the 115th anniversary of the departure from New York, which began the 2 Month saga known as the Voyage of the FOX.

It was the first transatlantic crossing, by oar in an open 18 foot rowboat named FOX. The crossing was completed in the record time of 55 days, a record that wasn't broken until last year but only then by 4 men in a modern covered rowing craft..

In 1896 two extraordinary Norwegian-Americans ventured out on to the vast Atlantic Ocean in a 'surfboat'. They weren't escaping from a sinking ship or dory men from a Gloucester Schooner but had taken up the days challenge for a transoceanic crossing by oar. They did not carry any sail or powered propulsion of any kind other than two sets of strong arms and three sets of oars.

George Harbo was from Sandefjord, Norway, age 32 and

Frank Samuelsen, from Farsund, Norway age 26.

Both men despite their young ages had plenty of experience at sea. George had been trained as a Pilot and Navigator and had been in the Merchant Marine. Frank had spent 6 years in the Merchant Marine and was promoted quickly up the chain of command to boson’s mate.

After years at sea, the men met in the New York area, George settling in Brooklyn and Frank on the New Jersey shore after Clamming for a time, they took up the challenge, for a $10,000. purse to row the Atlantic.

Learn more…

Web Site:

Bronzesea.org

See pages referencing

The Voyage of the Fox

LINKS

FOX SCULPTURE

NewYorkTimesonFox

Police Gazette on FOX

RipleyBelieveItorNot

MEMORIAL DAY E-Bay AUCTION- SALE, Prints & Original Work

2011-05-28T12:17:00.000-07:00

"On Milton Pond" original gouache (c) Wm Barth Osmundsen

For Memorial Day Weekend til June 2-3rd, I have an Auction type Sale on
4 Giclee Prints and 2 Original Gouache Paintings:-

See them on e-Bay
click here

Original Gouache Paintings,

(1) "On Milton Pond" Item # 330568762947
(2) "Winter at Washington Sq." Item # 330568795852

Signed Limited Edition Giclee Prints

(1) "Reflections" Item # 330568292848
(2) "Reflections Too" Item #330568564999
(3) "Swan" Item # 330568613291
(4) "Surf Fisherman" Item #3305680260

Enjoy this splendid Memorial Day weekend,

If I can be of further information regarding these Artworks please e-mail me at:-

BILLOSMUNDSEN@aol.com
or visit my web site at: http://BronzeSea.org

Thanks for your interest, Bill Osmundsen

Stavanger Symphony - 'How do you get to Carnegie Hall?'

2011-03-20T00:01:00.000-07:00

Stavanger Symphony prepares to play
at
The Norwegian Seamens Church
317 East 52nd St.
NYC

Arne Almroth - Artistic Director
discusses the state of the 'Arts'
at the Seamens Church Library

If you are in or around Manhattan on Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011,
you have got to get out to see and hear the magnificent
Stavanger Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall;
performing on the Perelman Stage at the Stern Auditorium, at 8PM.

E-Mail me for a discount code if you plan on attending. BILLOSMUNDSEN@aol.com

The Stavanger Symphony brought about half of their full 80 person orchestra to the Norwegian Seamens Church, located on 52nd St. between 1st and 2nd Avenue, NY, this Saturday for a musical appetizer of sorts. The mini concert, which lasted about one hour was led by their gifted Conductor and Violin Soloist, Fabio Biondi and was a taste of what we can expect on Wednesday night, at Carnegie Hall. Like a good appetizer we really can't wait for the 'full course'.

I had the pleasure of sitting down with Artistic Director, Arne Almroth and chatting about the orchestra. Soon our discussion led to the 'state of the Arts' in Stavanger, Norway and the US.
I mentioned New York's classical radio station WQXR which with WNEW combined had to go into public broadcasting. WQXR could no-longer pay their own way as a commercial classic radio station and WNEW, which is mostly news and talk, these days, may have NPR's (National Public Radio) , which is it's news division cut from it's government subsidy. This with the cutting of Art and Music programs from public schools paints a bleak cultural picture here in the United States.

Arne explained Stavanger like Houston, Texas is an oil town;- has gained great wealth and is fast growing. But part of the strategic planning for the infrastructure of Stavanger is to expand in all areas, of which, the 'Arts' are important, to the life blood of Stavanger, as an international city.
Since 2008, Stavanger has been working towards the opening, in September of 2012, of a multi-million dollar Concert Hall. http://www.regionstavanger.com/en/Product/?TLp=412757

"We actually feel quite humbled to come and play at Carnegie Hall," Arne reflected, "We have played throughout Europe but this will be our first engagement in the United States."

Did Arne know how to get to Carnegie Hall?
"We are staying in a Hotel on the next block but...
Oh! yes, we have been practicing, practicing, practicing."

Don't miss Wednesdays concert.

Bill Osmundsen
Greenwich Village
NY

new Limited Edition prints by Bill Osmundsen

2011-01-07T03:24:00.000-08:00

About Giclee Prints, Print History and these images

For the last ten years I have been working again in paint. During the previous 30 years I spent the better part of my Art Career as a Sculptor and building an Art Foundry. My early childhood training was in oils; the fundamentals of drawing and anatomy. I have always had a special interest in Maritime subjects and portraiture.

I have actively taught life drawing and portrait sculpture throughout my career. I have always been interested in introducing color to my sculptured bronzes in the form of polychrome patinas.
Print-wise I have produced a number of hand-cut serigraphs and I have a great respect for the process of various types of manual printing, such as etching and engravings as well as wood-cuts. These are all labor intensive and can be defined as their own art;- really they go far beyond the reproduction process of say a photo-lithograph, which is designed to faithfully reproduce a work of art without much deviation.

Recently, in the lexicon of art processes, comes the Giclee print. Which means to literally ‘spray’ the ink onto a page. Everyone who has printed with a computer is using that process. As the process has developed the images have become more and more vibrant and the overall print quality finer than or equal to the very best photo-lithograph.

The main difference for both the artist and consumer is lithographs are printed in bulk and Giclee’s can actually be printed one at a time. In both cases a high resolution photo of the artwork can be used for the original positive. With Giclee preparation process, artwork or photography, can be scanned to create a master file of the painting.

It might be interesting to note, in history, the print, in the form of the etching or stone lithograph was used to present a finished artwork, I.e. large painting, to a potential patron or purchaser of that art. This was introduced during the 12th and 13th century throughout cultured Europe.

Very often the Artist thought he had maybe a dozen potential sponsors for the Artwork and he would make a finished study of the Art to be created; -make a plate for an engraved print which could duplicate copies of the design to be sent on to as many clients who might purchase the Artwork, with a letter describing the project.

As time went on a great appreciation rose out of these prints and they were looked at as 'Art' in there own right. The 19th century artist, such as Toulouse-Latrec used the stone lithograph media to advertise Moulin Rouge and he would also number and sell the prints as did many of his contemporaries.

In the late 1800’s many very accurate etchings were hand colored for books and prints. By the mid 20th century the Off-Set press which with a 4-color photo-separation process and lightweight plates for printing really ramped up the possibility of large and consistent print runs. Enter the Giclee process about 10 or 15 years ago and now you have an even greater color and duplication control.

For me these images produced in print and on these pages are highly autobiographical. They follow friends I’ve met and places I have been to. In every case I knew the subject or individual;- lived near or around the location that I painted.

Bill Osmundsen
Greenwich Village,
NYC, NY

PS: To purchase or learn more about these prints:- Click here !

Xmas in Greenwich Village

2010-12-26T17:04:00.000-08:00

"a Winter scene at Washington Sq Park" Watercolor (c) Bill Osmundsen

Merry Christmas

and a very

Happy New Year!

from Greenwich Village

Bill Osmundsen

The Sloop Clearwater under sail on the Hudson

2010-12-20T07:38:00.001-08:00

"Clearwater on the Hudson" Watercolor on Paper (c) Wm Barth Osmundsen

New to our work is a collection of tile Artworks designed for the Clearwater folks up in Beacon New York. They have taken over the 'University Settlement' which is located up in Beacon on 9D. This large woodland camp will be a headquarters for many of their pro-active environmental activities and work with inner City Youth. To see more of these motifs which are planned for rendering in low relief and duplication as ceramic tiles and copper Repousse see 'Whats New' at our BronzeSea.org Web Site.

VIXERAT for Bill Zechel

2010-12-09T19:38:00.000-08:00

Bill Zechel a portrait on paper by Bill Osmundsen

I have been visiting in New Hampshire for a good part of this year and after returning only once in 6 years I found a great and dear friend slowly and with some pain dieing. His death occurred in August. I visited Bill in the Hospital and Nursing Home and not reading a regular paper I missed his funeral. Two years before when I presented Bill with the portrait above he told me I've got my funeral music all planned out. Bill loved music and as we sat in Saunders at Rye Harbor, in Rye NH; in the restaurant that he built, he explained each selection of music and what it meant to him. Kind of a crazy evening to spend listening to your friends funeral music selection. Rest assured the music wasn't real sad or pompous. Bill loved life so much that he was even enthusiastic about his own funeral and that is where the Latin word Vixerat comes into play. When a Roman would die they wouldn't say he died;- they would say he lived:- Vixerat.

Bill Osmundsen

Great Blue Heron and Clearwater are new designs for Ceramic Tiles

2010-10-15T10:33:00.000-07:00

The Sloop 'Clearwater' 18" x 24" Watercolor on Paper
(c) William Barth Osmundsen (click on image)

Jordan Hanssen Ocean Rower endorses Fox Sculpture

2010-06-08T08:04:00.000-07:00

The 29-foot fiberglass Rowing Boat, James Robert Hanssen,
crossed the Atlantic Ocean on June 10th, 2006

Our (The Fox Sculpture Project) Project Director, Victor Samuelsen was recently out to Seattle, Washington where he met with Jordan Hanssen who captained the three man crew of the James Robert Hanssen.

Jordan named the boat for his father who died from an asthma attack when he was just three years old. The young Jordan also developed asthma but quickly set his mind to strengthening his lungs through exercise. As a four-time champion competition rower in the Northwest Conference Rowing Championship he decided to set the bar a little higher and row across the Atlantic Ocean.

His personal story reads a little like the story of George Harbo and Frank Samuelsen, who were the first adventures to cross the Atlantic by oar in 1896. You see, at that time, in 1896, there was a competition award for anyone who would dare to pick-up the challenge to cross the Atlantic. It was $10,000. US and gold medals for the successful oarsmen.

Jordan Hanssen who heard about a transatlantic race much like George Harbo, was a bit of an instigator and began to talk to a former UPS team mate by the name of Brad Vickers. Just as George Harbo spoke to Frank Samuelsen, who was his fishing partner and friend. I'll make a bet that Brad received the idea a little like Frank Samuelsen did more than 110 years earlier.

'Are you really serious or simply insane?'

An article in a paper called the Arches, published in the Autumn of 2006 reports Vickers asked for a meeting and after 10 hours agreed to join on. (Tony Robbins are you reading this? You've got big competition if Jorden Hanssen goes into motivational speaking). Brad Vickers agreed, they added two more men, Greg Spooner and Dylan LeValley and carefully planned the voyage.

The Voyage of the Fox was also meticulously planned, this was part of it's success and certainly a significant part of Jordan's recent crossing. The young crew decided that they would also use the race to raise money for the American Lung Association (ALAW). Approximately half of the funds raised would go to ALAW. The boat and voyage itself cost about $300,000. US. each man borrowed $10,000. US for his stake against achieving their dream.

The four man crew made their goal of Falmouth, England in 71 days about 15 days behind the open wooden surf-boat Fox but they did achieve the fastest time in the race and I recently read they are planning another crossing.

On Victor Samuelsen's recent trip to Seattle he had the pleasure to go out rowing with Captain Hanssen, on the James Robert Hanssen, with his cousin Tom Samuelsen and his son Tor, a young teenager. This remarkable first-hand experience led to our knowledge of these determined young men who are proud to walk or shall we say row in the footsteps of George Harbo and Frank Samuelsen.

I hope you will take time visit our link: BronzeSea.org/JordanHanssen to read his supporting letter for The Fox Sculpture Project and connect with Jordan's web site.

Enjoy the Summer,
Cordially, Bill Osmundsen

Police Gazette on George Harbo and Frank Samuelsen's Fox Voyage

2010-05-22T00:06:00.000-07:00

The Fox (c) Wm Barth Osmundsen, Sculptor, Victor Samuelsen, Project coordinator

About a year ago or more the Fox Sculpture Project was in touch with William A. Mays, Editor and Publisher of the 'new' Police Gazette, which is only online at this time.

If you are under 40 you may not remember going into a Barber Shop and fingering through a 'pink paged' tabloid with rather provocative pictures and writings in it. It was a magazine far ahead of Playboy having been published in the mid 1800's. The run of this 'pink press' tabloid lasted until the 1970's. Our particular interest (besides the women displayed in the periodical) is the sponsorship of the 'first transatlantic crossing by oar in an open boat' ; which is the Fox Sculpture Project, presently ongoing and in planning as a bronze monument.

The 'original' publisher (he made it famous after purchasing it from the original owner and was also the one who decided on 'pink pages') of the 'Police Gazette' , Richard Fox was, in fact, a man of diverse interests which ran from promoting some of the great bare knuckle fights which John L. Sullivan participated in to investing in a small row boat which two Norwegian American seamen and fishermen thought they could row some 2000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean.

I don't really think we can fully appreciate the risk or frankly the organic quality of this whole venture without somehow taking a time machine back to lower Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Jersey Shore where the FOX (an 18 ft 'Surf boat' was built by William A Seamens, in the Long Branch, NJ area. The film 'Gangs of New York' I believe has some of the grit you might have found then. For instance the last John L. Sullivan, bare knuckle fight went over 100 rounds.

Richard Fox didn't like John L. Sullivan, because Sullivan was rather dismissive of Fox. Actually Fox hoped Sullivan would loose, which he didn't.

Fox sponsored George Harbo and Frank Samuelsen to row across the Atlantic but had little hope the open boat would make it across. His comment to George Harbo who presented the idea was, "What makes you think you can do this other than you have a giant (referring to the 6' 4" Frank Samuelsen) for a partner. He promised them solid gold medals if they accomplished the task.

The excitement surrounding Mr. Mays article, lost for about 100 years, about the Fox voyage is that it is the most complete and comprehensive article documenting the link to the historic crossing, by oar, in an 18 foot open 'Surf Boat by George Harbo and Frank Samuelsen to Richard Fox and the Police Gazette. On our web site BronzeSea.org we have two other articles online both published by the New York Times in 1896.

Here is a link to the Police gazette article and thanks again to the new editor and publisher William Mays for his research and sharing it with all of us. I think it is a great piece of information and we are pleased to add it to the Fox Sculpture Project.

http://bronzesea.org/PoliceGazetteonFOX.aspx

4 New Giclee Prints, "On Virginia Beach"

2009-12-02T19:10:00.001-08:00

4 Giclee Prints are offered

for the Christmas Holiday

at

40% discount

Pay Pal Accepted

For quite some time I have been wanting to develop a reliable source for Giclee Prints. As you may know Giclee is a printing process which allows for excellent duplication and when done by printers' who consider it as an Art form you can get an image which is hard to tell apart from the original. Another advantage is you can choose from a variety of surfaces; such as paper or canvas.

The paper prints are printed on Premium Archival, acid-free, matte paper. The image sizes for all the paintings pictured above is approximately 20 inches x 16 inches. The paper itself is about 26 inches by 22 inches. The prints are signed and number in the traditional manner, under the picture; the edition is 250 of each in paper. With this type of print, you will need a glass with the frame. There is a further discount on the collection of four prints.

The canvas prints are finished with a 'Gallery Wrap', which is to say there is a plain finished edge and framing is not really necessary. As well the canvases are coated with a protection from ultra violet rays. The edge can be finished in black or white (the canvas color). The overall image is 20" x 16" approx.

The wrapped canvas maybe framed and we are offering 4 various 'Float Frames'.

A new feature to the BronzeSea.org web site is we are accepting Pay Pal. This allows for payments with a variety of Bank and Credit Cards as well as your Pay Pal account.

Please visit my web site to make your purchase. Here is the link:- Paintings n Prints

Have a very happy holiday season.

Bill Osmundsen

ps pls place your orders early for Christmas delivery

A Story About Earthday

2009-04-28T07:40:00.000-07:00

AN EVENING ON THE HUDSON IN 1862
Hudson River Sloop riding tide upriver through Haverstraw Bay,

while the sidewheeler Daniel Drew heads south beneath Hook Mountain.
Oil Painting by William G. Muller

Scenes like the one above were common in the 1700's - 1800's and inspired the Clean-up of a River forgotten for it's Beauty

Pete Seeger, The Clearwater and the Hudson River

Earth Day and Earth Week have come to an end. It is 39 years since the first Earth day was declared in 1970. A few things fueled that idea, including the Cuyahoga River that caught fire in June 1969.
The Cuyahoga, which means crooked river in Iroquois, meanders through Ohio, flowing south from Hambden to Akron and north from Akron to Cleveland where it empties into Lake Erie. Pollution then was thought to be the price of industry and doing business. After all, the Cuyahoga, caught fire in 1952 and at least 9 other times, beginning during the 1860’s.
But, I’ve never seen the Cuyahoga River and this piece is about the Hudson River, a river that has been called the American Rhine; a river you can grow to love for all it’s majesty and surrounding countryside.
The Hudson never caught fire but was chocked full of pollutants which by-and-large could be visually overlooked. My father, who’s father was an occasional yacht captain in the New York area said to me, when he was growing up, he used to swim in the Hudson. We both agreed, during the 1960’s, that would be a really terrible idea. The Hudson over the centuries had been polluted by open sewage and by the 1970’s large amounts of PCB’s.

PCB’s, a group of Polychlorinated biphenyls and are plenty useful ….

PCB were used as dielectric fluids in transformers and capacitors, coolants, lubricants, stabilizing additives in flexible PVC coatings of electrical wiring and electronic components, pesticide extenders, cutting oils, flame retardants, hydraulic fluids, sealants (used in caulking, etc), adhesives, wood floor finishes,[1] paints, de-dusting agents, and in carbonless copy paper.[ref. Wikipedia]

However General Electric (GE) elected to dump this, mostly yellowish, sticky, highly toxic and not in anyway biodegradable ooze into the Hudson rather than dispose of it responsibly. By 1937 a conference held at the Harvard School of Public Health warned the industry and anyone else interested in listening that PCB’s were hazardous. This warning remained largely ignored by GE and other industries.

The Hudson River, is tidal estuary, divided into the Upper Hudson and the Lower Hudson or North River and South River. The River begins in upstate New York in the Adirondack Mountains and flows 315 miles down to the Battery in Manhattan. As well as a tidal estuary, the tide flows north from the Battery all the way to Troy, NY. This divides the river into the Upper Hudson and the Lower Hudson or North River and South River. The Iroquois, native American name, for the Hudson was Muhhekunnetuk (Great Mohegan) or the river that flows north and south.

By the 1970’s Commercial Stripped Bass fishing was banned on the Upper Hudson and Seabirds that were washed up on the shores showed significant amounts of PCB’s which are not only toxic but carcinogenic. (Frankly I don’t know anyone who would have deliberately eaten any fish at that time from the Hudson River). But by the mid to late 1980’s, in Kingston, NY, where there is a fresh water and salt water exchange, the River-side town hosted a Shad and Shad Roe barbecue that I attended. Shad, a fish which spawns much like Salmon, in fresh water were migrating up the Hudson River.

We also noted that Swans were back in Cold Spring Harbor and Eagles were nesting again up by Bear Mountain, areas south of Kingston and within about 100 miles of New York City.

So what brought back the Eagles, Swans and Shad?

The biggest culprit in the deadly PCB overload was GE, but if anything we can learn from the present corporate mess of Banks and Car companies is the ability to regulate or police itself; as long as it’s profitable ‘who gives a PCB’.

Enter now, in 1966, not a big government agency or powerful advisory to pollution but a home spun, modest folk singer named Pete Seeger. He lives in the Hudson Valley in the Town of Fishkill, initially building his own log cabin there, and after reading a book about the great Hudson River Sloops, that traded up and down the river in the 1700’s and 1800’s, he has a visionary moment. Seeger thinks by building one of these magnificent 100 foot Sloops, which carried over 4,000 sq. ft. of sail, everyone would once again see the Hudson River as it had been, when it was called the American Rhine. Pete and his wife Toshi and a few friends commissioned the Harvey Gamage Shipyard, in S. Bristol, Maine to build a replica Sloop.

The Clearwater, a replica of 18th & 19th century Dutch gaff rigged Sloop, was laid down in Oct. 1968 and Launched on May 17, 1969. from South Bristol, Maine. LOA: 106 ft., Beam: 25 ft., Draft: 8 ft., Auxiliary Engine, Sail: Main, top and jib;- 4,305 sq. ft. The Sloop was sailed down from South Bristol, to the Hudson River; offices home based in Poughkeepsie, NY.

www.clearwater.org/

The Clearwater's mission was well defined by 1966, but the unfortunate or maybe fortunate blaze on the Cuyahoga River in 1970 hit Time Magazine (remember this River had been on fire at least 9 times before since the 1860's) and a swell of indignation rose throughout America.

Since the 1960's a Wisconsin Senator, Gaylord Nelson had been ineffectively campaigning for an environmental turn around. In 1969 Senator Nelson announced grass route demonstrations in the form of peaceful 'teach-ins', in part inspired by the effectiveness of the Vietnam demonstrations. On April 22, 1970 it is estimated 20 million people gathered throughout the United States demonstrating for environmental clean-up;- Earthday was born.

The Clearwater continues to actively navigate the Hudson River for Environmental clean-up.

Pete Seeger will be 90 years old on May 3, 2009 and will be honored at a concert in Madison Square Garden, at the date. For more information about that event;- http://www.seeger90.com/

Keep the Scene Clean,

Bill Osmundsen

Paul Ridley

2009-03-10T10:21:00.000-07:00

The evening has given away to the blackness of the night and in my solo comfort I think of another member of this earth also alone but in the vast expanse of the Atlantic Ocean. Paul Ridley is a young ‘rower’ of 25 who has decided to cross the Atlantic and presently as I write this Blog is on the last leg of his solo voyage in a 19 foot boat. You see Paul, who lost his mother to cancer, has taken his considerable rowing and boating skills and is making this crossing to raise money for cancer research. He is hoping individual donations will reach $500,000.00. As of March 6, 2009, Paul has been rowing 65 Days. Departing Canary Islands in December the westward crossing is intended to end in English Harbor, Antigua; a total distance of 2,950 miles. Presently 650 nautical miles lay ahead.

I picked up on Paul’s story in a CNN interview, while he was at Sea, about a week-and-a-half ago. It got my attention because we have been deep into the project of “The Fox Sculpture and Monument. Perhaps Paul got his inspiration from George Harbo and Frank Samuelsen, subjects of our Fox Sculpture. They were the first men to dare the North Atlantic in 1896. They made their two man crossing under oar only in 55 days and since that event no one has matched their crossing time. That voyage was from west to east, Paul’s is east to west. Theirs was a northern crossing, Paul’s a southern route.

Each crossing has it’s own particular problems. I think the loneliness of Paul’s and the difficulty of being the only propellant to the boat must be his. Harbo and Samuelsen could at least rest while the other rowed;- albeit in an open boat.

Paul makes a daily entry to his Blog:- Solorow.blogspot.com and you can track his progress on Google Earth, presently he his on day 69 and is delayed because of weather.

Paul’s web site is:- RowforHope.com and you make a donation to Cancer research there.

We all wish Paul and his Norwegian named craft LIV all the best for a safe return.

Bill Osmundsen

NEA's impact is more than decoration

2009-02-05T20:32:00.001-08:00

'6 more weeks of winter'

.........

I was struck the other day by the dollar figure of 50 Million.

I had been seeing it bounce around ;- first for the purchase of Citi Banks’ Corporate Jet, part of the first Congressional bailout package and then just the other day on CNN as a figure associated with the NEA, National Endowments for the Arts, as part of the new recovery bill.

Both dollar amounts are identical and both are being scrutinized for there validity.

Many people are aware of how dramatically the Arts have been cut in Public Schools, State and Federal Funding, and Corporate sponsorship. This has impart taken place quite amazingly enough during our recent boom albeit a financial success driven by smoke and mirrors.

Ah look at the King stride down the street in his long underwear the

proletariat are unaware his garments are so fine they can’t be seen.

It is difficult to comprehend that during times of prosperity that the Arts were being so severely cut. One would wonder doesn't Art go hand and glove with a great civilization. After all, really all, we have to show of the great civilizations of the past is Art, Architecture and their Writings;- you might describe this as the soul of a civilization. Every civilization needs a soul as do we as individuals.

The NEA was begun during the hopeful years of the Kennedy Administration and it flourished for a period of time and was reminiscent of the WPA program of the Depression era. Why Art isn’t driven by a free market is because it simply isn’t a utilitarian commodity, it can be ephemeral and conceptual. In many ways each Artwork is its own journey into an unsolved problem. Art seeks creative solutions for intrinsic ideas.

Teaching then and the education of Art is an important tool for creative thinking and the hands on technical skills one needs to create them.

You can almost see how culture devoid of Art and Art Education would foster all the greed and excess of the last decade. How can a CEO the head of a company accept millions of dollars of bonuses while the company and it’s employees go in the tank.

A CEO must be viewed like the captain of a ship. He is ultimately responsible for the vessel and it’s crew. More than one Captain has been tried and convicted for malfeasance.

Has anyone thought of sending a bonus to Captain Smith (or his heirs) for the sinking of the Titanic?

When Captain Kidd was sponsored by the Kings investors to go ‘a roving’ and came back empty loosing their investment and accused of misappropriating the bounty, he was slapped in a dungeon for a year, tried, hung twice and his body bound in an iron cage to hang out on the quay for one year.

Gone are the good old days.

What does 50 Million mean to the NEA and the USA.

The 50 Million dollars are spread throughout 50 States and to over 4,000 local and state agencies. The distribution is not equal for all states, it is driven by population density, but it does only average 1 Million dollars per state or based on 4,000 agencies working with art grants, $12,500. Per agency.

4 MILLION PER CORPORATE ASS

Compare this modest dole out to the Citi Banks Corporate Jet. Both again have the 50 Million dollar figure but the corporate jet accommodates 12 corporate executives compared to the NEA Art program which directly impacts thousands of individuals. In comparison each seat on the airplane costs 4 Million 167 thousand dollars per executive before fuel and usage.

$50 Million to NEA, on the other hand, will directly impact on 14,422 jobs in the Arts, according to a press release issued by Americans for the Arts.org.

The NEA funds are leveraged by 7 to 1 by local, state and private donations leveraging the 50 Million dollar figure to a $350 Million.

The 2007 Arts & Economic Prosperity III study indicates nonprofit arts and their audiences generate 166.2 Billion dollars yearly; support 5.7 Million jobs and return nearly 30 Billion in local, state and federal government revenues every year.

The Arts support the mind and the economy.

Andrew Wyeth remembered

2009-01-18T18:00:00.000-08:00

"Christina's World" Andrew Wyeth

Are you a Seagull

or an Eagle

Andrew Wyeth 1917-2009

Andrew Wyeth died Friday, on January 16, 2009, at 91 years of age. He quietly influenced many artists, in fashion, out of fashion, he was always respected in his trade. His stately presence and the possibility that he would add to his list of creations was a comfort to many artists as we continue daily to add to our own. I didn't know him; I don't create like him but his lone individual course, like an Eagles, was one I drew strength from, so because of this, lets take a moment to honor him.

I first became aware of Andrew Wyeth in the mid-60’s he had created a picture called “Christina’s World” which was a powerful realistic painting of Christina Olsen, a Maine resident with polio, crawling through a field toward her farm house and barn. The picture a purchase by MOMA, Museum of Modern Art, in New York, stood distinctly against the avant guarde art trend of the period.

Many an art discussion of that time pitted non-objective or abstract art against Wyeth’s realism. Jealously, many artist’s attributed Wyeth’s stunning style to being only a facial technician. AOL in their on-line article on Wyeth stated that New York Times critic Hilton Cramer said; he didn't think Wyeth could paint at all. As a true artist and innovator Andrew Wyeth simply went his own way following a path that lead to painstaking realism and introspection. It’s his introspection and detailed analysis that Wyeth performed, in his paintings, that I believe will live for centuries to come.

After some college studies I opened an Art Gallery in New Jersey and as it had two store owners before and having been a music shop I inherited the musicians and the previous store owner. They used to drop by with guitars and banjos pulling up in a 1938 Chystler convertible. Very much into the free form of the late 60’s, still 'Beat', not Hippie, they would play a little Blue Grass; one of the instrument cases always carried the Sangria Wine.

Chet, the former store owner, had moved his musical repair shop into his nearby house and in this little work room and there I first learned about N. C. Wyeth, Andrew Wyeth’s father.

N C. Wyeth was the illustrious illustrator of such books as “Treasure Island”, and there on Chet's wall was ‘the pirate with cape’, the original painting, as illustrated in the book. And the collection also included another 3 or 4 original N. C. Wyeth’s and another 3 or 4 original paintings by Howard Pyle. Howard Pyle being the great illustrator, a generation before N. C. , and N. C. Wyeth’s teacher.

N. C. Wyeth was a big robust man who had 5 children, They lived in Chadds Ford Pennsylvania and the family summered in Maine. All the children were trained in art, by N. C., two daughters and Andy became professional artist’s. Henrietta married Peter Hurd who made the presidential portrait of Lyndon Johnson that he hated. Henrietta, also a portrait painter painted Pat Nixon.

It’s interesting to note that Andrew being rather frail was mostly home schooled in a time before that became popular. He described his family life as being rich in the sense of opportunity to learn and the support and love that went with it. You can just imagine Christmas with N. C. Wyeth as Kris Kringle must have been a real event.

The Wyeth’s were pretty regular people from what I read but years ago, while on a Med. Cruse in the Navy. I started a painting onboard using the subject of the ships block and tackle and two of the deck crew over by the rail. I knew both of those guys. One named ‘Smitty’ was pretty quite and to himself. As the painting progressed I was rummaging around in the Drafting Shop, where I was assigned, and found a book on Andrew Wyeth. Both men had come down to the Drafting Shop, I said, “look at this I found a book on Andrew Wyeth, do you know about this Artist". Sure said Smitty I used to see Jamie (Andrew Wyeth’s Son, also an Artist) down at the garage all the time, he likes to work on cars. And that painting there of the girl in the grass, “Christiana’s World” was always hanging unframed over Andy’s fireplace.

Christina's World can still can be seen at MOMA, the Museum of Moder Art in New York City.

Art n Gun Studio & Forge

2008-12-11T08:46:00.000-08:00

"People of Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Hampton Roads,

the East Coast, America, the World and Beyond!

I am the spokes Bear from the new

Art n' Gun Studio & Forge...

Opening this 2008

We will provide Educational and Practical Services for

Artists & Sculptors

Classes in Life Drawing

Life Sculpture Classes

Apprentice Opportunities

Enlargement

Mold & Pattern Making

Lost Wax Bronze

Vacuum 'Silver' Casting

contact

Bill Osmundsen 757-392-1488 or Joe Filipowski 757-623-4675

1046 West 24th Street, Norfolk, VA.

Get in the Holiday spirit with

Art n Gun Studio & Forge

Gift Items

A Visit to the replica of the FOX

2008-12-02T19:00:00.000-08:00

THE FOX

This is an exact replica of an 18ft Boat which was rowed

across the Atlantic Ocean in 1896

by George Harbo and Frank Samuelsen.

It is housed at the Long Branch Ice Boat and Yacht Club in

Long Branch, NJ

read more ....

A Visit with the

Long Branch Ice Boat and Yacht Club

The FOX Sculpture Project Continues

October 28, 2008

New Jersey has many faces which it presents to visitors. The Jersey Shore is a one-of-a-kind strip of resort towns that runs about One Hundred Miles down the Jersey Coast. Going ‘down to the Shore’ says it all to Jerseyites, it is a mix of old, new, tacky, glitzy;- big sandy beaches, salt water taffy and every ones destination the day after the high school prom. I drove that southern pilgrimage, living in Northern NJ, for more than 30 years. This year Joe Filipowski, Master Wooden Boat Builder and I headed north out of Virginia Beach, in what was such foul and windy weather that we were turned back at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel and had to tow our trailer through the Baltimore and Washington route, taking a nail biting 13 hours, to reach our destination, the Long Branch Ice Boat and Yacht Club, in Long Branch, NJ.

Fishing Villages, like what was Long Branch, thrived in the late 1800’s. A lot of industry, pollution and increased population has changed the active fishing and clamming that brought Harbo and Samuelsen, the two Norwegian Emigrants that rowed across the Atlantic Ocean and are the subjects of the Fox adventure, and my sculpture work.

Long Branch, New Jersey has a close proximity to Manhattan, the lower Battery and Brooklyn where the FOX was launched and Harbo lived as a Sandy Hook Pilot with his family after their Atlantic adventure.

The Long Branch Ice Boat and Yacht Club is tucked away on pretty sheltered harbor and that is where Wooden Boat builder Joe Filipowski and I met up with Victor Samuelsen, Project Coordinator for the Fox Sculpture Project, who also made the rain soaked trip, from Greenwich, CT. We were all greeted by Dick Hauter who is charge of the Fox replica, built to the exact specifications of the original Fox and by wooden boat builder Donald Godshall.

Later the Commodore Tom Bray and a other club members joined us in their cozy eclectic club house which is filled with photographic memorabilia.

Joe Filipowski made a detailed photo essay of the Fox Replica which was housed under it’s own roofed open building display. Joe and I later visited the small boat shop of Donald Godshall who had built the Fox replica under the guidance of Harold Seaman, the son of the original Fox builder who drew out a set of plans from memory at age 90.
Donald Godshall has a great shop with a wood stove,- burning.

It was a warm welcome as it started to snow. With the weather and another nine hours ahead of us we begged off lunch and headed north to New Hampshire to reclaim some studio equipment.

On our return to Virginia, Joe and I will revisit the 3 foot working model which I completed this year and which was displayed at the reopening of Skipjack Nautical Wares in Portsmouth, VA. and construct a more accurate revised boat model using the plans supplied by the Long Branch Ice Boat and Yacht Club and Joe's detailed pictures. This will further refine the sculpture which like most artworks goes through a metamorphose before reaching it's completion.

The new "Voyage of the Fox Sculpture", will be cast in bronze by our

Art n' Gun Studio & Forge in Norfolk, VA.

For purchase and exhibition information e-mail: BILLOSMUNDSEN@aol.com

Have a Happy Holiday Season,

Bill Osmundsen

Skipjack Sails Again

2008-10-14T06:55:00.000-07:00

Avast! Saga of the Skipjack

There was an ancient mariner who stopeth one of three

by his long gray beard and glinting eye

he then spake to me.

Skipjack did run aground about a year ago you know

she was heading on a long reach

but met a blizzard of woe

They had to cut away her rig and make previsions last

Her deck sloped so much

the Captain grabbed the mast

The First Mate cried 'Oh Thunder'!

The hull lied broke and smashed

All their hopes and dreams lied on the rocks and dashed

We can't go back! Only straight ahead the ragged crew surmised

A new vessel is what we need

to every one's surprise

We'll build it better, we'll build it longer, we'll sail it straight and true

By God in Thunder, we'll make them wonder

It just sailed out of the Blue

So set your date and plan your watch, the motley crew survived

Joe and Alison have planned an opening

The Skipjack has arrived

Seventeen October, Two Thousand and eight,

from Twelve Noon on

You best not wait

Be you there, see you there, only days away

Join the joyous celebration

As we all cry Hurray!

Bill Osmundsen

BronzeSea.org/WhatsNew

A Time Before 9/11

2008-09-10T18:40:00.000-07:00

The Legend of the Grey Goose

2008-07-14T20:04:00.000-07:00

" Grey Goose" acrylic 50"x 50" (c) Bill Osmundsen

Ode to The Grey Goose

The Grey Goose flew over the water
With a silver chalice in his beak.
He knew he was the inspiration
For a drink served both cold and neat.

The Grey Goose honks victorious
His fame spread meritorious.
From Canada to Southern climes
He migrates to survive.

Oh where would the Martini be
If he hadn’t flown bye
Maybe with ole James Bond
In Scotland or about to die.

Only with fortitude
Did the Grey Goose make plain
That the Martini has won
Lording to everyone's acclaim.

The Grey Goose fly's over the wetlands
Endangered by the years
So lets drink to Grey Goose
With laughter and with tears.

The Grey Goose flew over the water
With a silver chalice in his beak.
He knew he was the inspiration
For a drink served both cold and neat.

For particulars on purchasing the original acrylic painting

Grey Goose by Wm Barth Osmundsen

please visit our web site: http://bronzesea.org/GreyGoose.aspx

Enjoy the Summer and your Grey Goose

Thanks for visiting, Bill Osmundsen

April Blog; Project Fox continued /Felix de Weldon remembered / Earth day

2008-04-06T22:26:00.000-07:00

Avast!!! Project Fox:- "The Voyage of the Fox, the first transatlantic rowing adventure, in 1886, by George Harbo and Frank Samuelsen, a Sculpture work in progress", has been published in large 11" x 17", 22 page format and is also on view and available on my web site:-

Bronze Sea.org/TheVoyage of the Fox

Victor Samuelsen who is based in Greenwich CT and Manhattan is the project coordinator. Victor introduces the Fox project, in the publication, the idea, which caught our collective fancy in July of last year.

We both share a common heritage and love of the sea. When Victor unearthed the little known story of George Harbo, Frank Samuelsen and the Fox,- he thought it would be a good motif for my ongoing Bronzes from the Sea series. We also thought with a little luck and good will "The Voyage of the Fox" in Bronze would be a fitting monument for the home town of both Frank Samuelsen and his distant relative and my friend Victor, both of Farsund, Norway. As we delved into the story of this adventure it grew and became more and more worthy of such a memorial.

The story of the Fox, which I touched on in the March Blog, is about two Norwegian immigrants who, in 1886, decided to take up the challenge of taking a small boat, by oar only, and row 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean. This type of adventure and daring was a great part of the mid to late 19th century. The American Yacht America in 1851, had challenged the British in a race around the Isle of Wright, winning and beginning the legacy of the Americas Cup. The Statue of Liberty was dedicated in 1886, an event witnessed by George Harbo.

John L. Sullivan was the bare knuckle Boxing champion in America, his last fight going over 70 rounds. The promoter of these fights, Richard Fox became the backer of Harbo and Samuelsen's voyage. Everyone was looking for a 'big idea' something which would set them apart and maybe make them rich and famous. Harbo and Samuelsen wanted to become part of this dream and so they set out to build a row boat, outfit it and row from the Battery, in lower Manhattan, to Le Havre, France. Today there are rowing clubs and one of them is even international. People continue to attempt Atlantic crossings by oar alone but still no one has beaten the record set by Harbo and Samuelsen.

Felix de Weldon and Bill Osmundsen, Beacon Rock, Newport, RI, 1984

When I consider developing a monument like The Voyage of the Fox I like to draw from my friendship and mentoring of Felix de Weldon who was perhaps the greatest monument builder of the 20th century. We met in Newport RI during the America's Cup in 1983 when I exhibited my new collection of bronzes featuring a history of the America's Cup. He became an instant friend and supporter of my work. We both share a birth date in April, just a few days apart, so I always think of Felix around this month.

When I met de Weldon he was owner of Beacon Rock, a Newport RI mansion, originally built for Edward D. Morgan, J.P Morgan's cousin. Felix was very humorous and a great story teller, when we lunched in Woodstock, Virginia with several other people and his son Byron, he kept all of us and eventually the whole Waite Staff, in rapt anticipation, of the punch line, of the next story told.

Felix worked at his sculpture, using oil based and water based clay and frequently plaster, in a suit and tie. Rising by 5:30 or 6 AM each morning Felix would come to the studio between 7 and 8 AM after his breakfast which he took in town. During the times I did some work for him he would put me up at Beacon Rock, in a bedroom suite, and after his breakfast, when I was already in his studio, Felix would graciously bring me a smoked salmon on bagel, for my breakfast, without fail.

Felix de Weldon passed away here in Woodstock, Virginia in 2003, he would have been 101 this year. He is most famous for making The Marine Corps War Memorial , near Arlington National Cemetery, which is the massive monument of the taking of Mt Suribachi and the raising of the flag on Iwo Jima.

Here is a link to an interesting verbal history made with Felix de Weldon in 1969 at the Truman Library.

Earth day, earth week;- Everyday should be Earth day!

It took a noble leader who won the Nobel Prize, to wake everybody up. Kudos to Al Gore!

I believe, with a little effort provided by everyone, that this mess we have gotten into, environmentally, is reversible.

I started Eco-Tips, a weekly environmental cartoon, published in the Granite State Extra, while living in New Hampshire, in 1993. The town of Wolfeboro had also planned on adopting the characters of Emerald Moss a frog and his side-kick Half-Shell a clam to bring environmental consciousness to the area. As the years followed, recycling and environmental interest dwindled. The message is not really fun because it makes you do things you don't really want to bother with;- sort of like when your a little kid and you have to quit playing at night and come in and take a bath. But, good habits, like bathing take hold and so will follow recycling, reusing and rehabilitating our habitat.

Happy Earth day,

Bill Osmundsen

PS See our Eco-Gifts for Earth day

Buy this tote

Beware of the 'eyes' of March; THE FOX; Skipjack Nautical Wares

2008-03-16T19:33:00.000-07:00

The Blog:- Well, it's like opening up the garage to find an old favorite car after the Winter snows. I haven't visited this Blog since last December. Speaking of snow in Virginia Beach, the extent of our winter snow was about 1/4 of an inch, which quickly melted.
When I lived in New Jersey you couldn't expect Spring until sometime in April and in New Hampshire, where they are still up to their armpits in snow drifts, maybe in May, so this is a great treat to see flowers already blooming around the beach.

The Fox:- During this winter I have mostly been intent on refining my project on "The Voyage of the Fox". This is a remarkable story of two men, who were Norwegian Immigrants who rowed across the Atlantic Ocean in 1896. I didn't know about this until my friend and collector of my work, Victor Samuelsen returned from Norway in July of 2007 and called me to tell me the story of the Fox.

Victor had a distant relative from Farsund, Norway, Frank Samuelsen, who rowed across the Atlantic Ocean with another Norwegian who immigrated to America named George Harbo. Victor suggested this would be a great motif to add to my Bronzes from the Sea collection.

If you think about it, this adventure was nothing short of breathtaking, in fact even with modern means no one (and quite a few have attempted it) have even come close to the feat that Harbo and Samuelsen accomplished. That's why we hope this project develops to the full Monumental proportions we are currently planning. The sculpture work would give long overdue credit to this superbly brave and tenuous feat by two Norwegian-American Immigrants. Please watch my Web site; BronzeSea.org and look for THE FOX as this project progresses.

Skipjack Nautical Wares and Gallery:- At the end of last year, there was a tragedy of enormous magnitude visited upon our very special friends and Galley representatives Joe and Allison Elder. Their Portsmouth VA. fine Maritime Gallerye and apartment was destroyed as collateral damage of the Baptist Church which had a gas explosion last December. The Elders, members of their family and pets were able to escape and in fact, the building, was still standing strong, with minimal damage. This was a relief to all. After all the Elders had their life in this building;- upstairs as an apartment and downstairs as a quality seller of Maritime Art and artifacts.

Skipjack Nautical Wares and Gallery was without question one of the finest examples of the quality shops that are marching up the now resplendent High Street.

Skipjack was an apparent labor of love for the Elders for each and every display was unique and a delight to the eye. Aside from the amazing and often one-of-a-kind marine artifact was a growing collection of fine contemporary Maritime Art. This was displayed along with some truly significant Maritime Paintings from the past centuries. The name Butterworth comes to mind as one those artists that I viewed on Skipjack's walls.

In my travels I have always been interested in unique harbor side shops and galleries. Places like Mystic Seaports' Gallery, in Mystic CT. make Mystic CT., which is an out of the way destination the purpose of the trip. For me and other people I know, Skipjack was a destination. It was located in Portsmouth, VA., but Portsmouth wasn't the destination, Skipjack was and the hours you could spend at one of their special events or just browsing.

Last year, for instance, Skipjack hosted a special exhibit benefiting wildlife and the Elizabeth River. There was also a book signing by local author Amy Waters Yarsinske who spent years researching and writing "The Elizabeth River". This event or many others such as authentic seashanties during 'First Friday Exhibitions" made Skipjack into something of a living PBS Televison Show that you could walk into and interact with. The Elders' are shopkeepers on the simplest level but that only defines their basic premise, so I was like so many other people, that I have talked to, outraged by the action, the City of Portsmouth, took following the gas explosion that rocked the family out of bed at 4 AM.

You might ask what could be worse than being evacuated from your home and business a few days before Christmas after this early morning horrific explosion. An explosion that damaged your building, blew out your showroom windows and left you 'homeless'. Immediately, you would say "phew! we are still standing! more than 90 percent of our inventory (much of it one-of-a-kind or Art on consignment) is at least still intact, not harmed by the devastating explosion. You would think, "We can go back, we can fix this, set that and although we are damaged at least we are still in business".

All those carefully placed and loved items that I described to you earlier could be saved with almost no damage. One of kind, thousands of dollars, thousands of hours to carefully make the crafts, to make the Art; to place the antiques and exhibit these items. All of this would be bulldozed into rubble by the City of Portsmouth within a day or two of the explosion.

Joe and Allison Elder thought they were talking to the City to get things in order and the next thing you know they were watching the destruction of their home and business. Holly Crap! I thought we lived in America where a 'Man's home was his Castle'. Is there or will there ever be a reasonable explanation of such hasty and careless treatment of these valuable business owners, residents and citizens of Portsmouth.

Aftermath; Last month Joe, Allison and myself sat on a bench, about 50 feet from what was Skipjack Nautical Wares and Gallery. The corner was all fenced in like it had been immediately after the explosion, so one would assume the public was protected from any falling debris. Despite this the building was demolished to protect the public. So, for now Joe Elder, like Bernard Baruch will meet and discuss the business of Maritime Art and Antiques with you on a High Street park bench. Good Luck Joe and Allison... we will keep you all advised of their progress.

Enjoy the Spring; - Beware of the 'eyes' of March!

Bill Osmundsen

Life Sculpting Class Update

2007-12-05T09:07:00.000-08:00

Reminder for all
that the last Life Sculpting Class is scheduled for Wednesday nite.

Last week we discussed possible new subject matter such as 'the Portrait Head' and 'Casting our sculptures' as well as how frequently we will use a Model in future Classes. We project to charging the present class fee of $25. however the Model will be available and scheduled only after her fee has been accumulated in advance.
Weekly posing for various projects are not always a matter of necessity.

After this Wednesday's class we will pick-up classes around mid-January.
If you will not be able to attend this Wednesday please let me know.
Anytime you have a moment please e-mail me with any suggestions or ideas for the coming year.

Thank you Elizabeth for a fine job modeling. update
See you Wednesday, Bill

George Laakso's Sculpture

2007-11-14T07:26:00.000-08:00

Sculpture by George Laakso

About Us: New to GeorgeLaakso-Sculpture.com

Very often in Art History the individual Artist has very little to do with his own legacy; particularly in the case of a relatively short life span. When there is a large collection of work as in the case of George Laakso and an eventful life, which was shared by his surviving widow Ruth, who passed away recently in April of 2007, there is a lot of information which needs to be put in order. The value of this is that the past and present collectors and art appreciators can have some idea of the biographies and extent of the Laakso’s contribution in Art.
You never really know how time will judge an artist. Sometimes they can fall out of view for 50 or 100 years or more before their full worth is realized and then again there really is never a final assessment or value for an Artwork. It might be interesting to note that da Vinci who died in the arms of the French King disappeared from view, as an important artist, for hundreds of years. It was only when a rather small portrait called Mona Lisa surfaced that there was a renewed interest in da Vinci’s paintings and then his codices and later his sculpture. And we can repeat a similar story for Rembrandt.

Did anyone believe in Vincent Van Gogh’s Art other than his brother Theo who fortunately was an Art dealer and yes, of course the one person who purchased one of Vincent’s paintings during his lifetime. So, Art is really the one thing that never really dies. As long as it exists the energy that artist put forth dwells in this object.
Robert Henri author of the Art Spirit said it best, when to paraphrase, ‘An Artist creates an exact record of himself at that moment and such a thing will never be produced again.’
When you navigate this site it is broken down into various categories and they relate in turn to date chronology, bibliography of articles written and known works by George Laakso and collections the work is in.
I was able to go through a complete portfolio of Georges work, as well a countless pictures and notes. For me this was a Labor of Love for I have know both the Laakso’s well since 1969 when I began exhibiting in their Studio-Gallery in Virginia Beach. Although I moved out of the area for many years it was my good fortune to again relocate here and pick-up my friendship with Ruth Laakso.
Ruth and I had recently discussed organizing Georges work, as his life had so abruptly ended of a heart attack in 1981. Ruth continued to paint for another 26 years until being hospitalized, before her death, at age 87. Without question I was impressed as a young man with this dynamic couple and today nearly 40 years later I hope this site will help to define and give homage to their gifts and dedication.
Because the Laakso’s were Working Artists, continuing to create almost daily, there was an endless seam of Artwork and projects in the making. As it turns out there are works by both Laakso’s that have been made and never were released for sale. In the case of George he was working on a sculptural interpretation of the Mythology of Finland, known as the Kalevala. This he defined as his Life's’ Work and it was his final effort.

We are fortunate to be able to offer this and many of Georges artworks, on this site. These works will be listed under Gallery Offerings at

www.GeorgeLaakso-Sculpture.com
Bill Osmundsen

Life Sculpting Class

2007-10-24T09:25:00.000-07:00

Life Sculpting Torso Study

Study of the the Torso continues as we go into week #5 of Life Sculpting Class. Sculptures are about 1/2 life-size and are taking shape at different rates of completion.

Every week we have had Elizabeth posing for us. This is a great advantage for life study as nothing beats working from a live model.

Although everyone may leave the class with a finished sculpture, the detail study and opportunity to explore the nuances of a particular model is really the essence of this type of study.

As the weeks stretch out some students will move ahead of others. Speed of completion is not vital to this study, introspection and personal development are.

There is still time to jump in and begin your study of the nude.

See you tonight, Bill

call for info: 962-4778

Life Sculpting Class

2007-10-16T10:10:00.000-07:00

Our Life Class continues on the Torso study. It's not too late to join the class, you can jump in anytime.

Bill

tel. 962-4778

Life Sculpting Class #2

2007-10-09T06:55:00.000-07:00

Life Sculpting Class was held last Thursday but will resume Wednesday nite; 7-9 PM.
We will continue class every Wednesday as planned.
Class #2 introduced our new model Elizabeth.
We also received our Clay Stone shipment from Sculpture House.

The Armature: was constructed by class members from 1 1/2" PVC Water Pipe, measured at 14" in length. The pipe length was connected to a 1" x 1ft sq. board using a small shelf bracket.
The upright pipe was wrapped with layers of wet newspaper. The paper had been torn into 3" - 4" strips. The excess water was squeezed from the newspaper before and during building;- we wanted a nice tight fit of the paper to the pipe. String was used to insure a close bond.

Elizabeth then modeled for the class during the clay build-up. We left several inches at the base, making the overall height of the Torso of about 10". This Wednesday the Torso's will sculpted and further refined from Life.

It's not too late to join the class, every class member is free to proceed at their own speed.
more info: BronzeSea/Whats New

See you Wednesday nite;
Bill

Life Sculpture Class

2007-10-02T08:31:00.000-07:00

Life Sculpture Class will be rescheduled to Thursday Nite, same hours 7-9 PM.
This rescheduling is only for this week. We will be changing models and our Clay Stone is not due in until Thursday.
We may in fact make the class available both Wednesday and Thursday evenings.
Your input will be desired.
We seem to be having a Model problem as of late. You may know of somewhat who would like to pose (female). They can contact me at: 757-962-4778.

What are we looking for in a model?
The art of life modeling is a practice which goes back to the Renaissance and indeed in this country to the 1700's.
The nude is studied both for it's anatomy and beauty.
Oddly enough even in today's liberated world there are still people who don not understand this art form and question it's motivation.
For those people;- working from life is a serious study which strenghtens the artist's understanding of the media they are working in and the anatomy of people which maybe depicted fully clothed and outfitted in finished artworks.

So the model should be 18 years or older, mature. Have a sense of their body and movement.
Models with no experience can be trained in a matter of a few sessions.

The pay is good, the people,- dedicated artists and the atmosphere is wholesome.
Hope to see you Thursday,
Bill

The Figure from Life: About the Class

2007-09-19T13:52:00.000-07:00

I will be teaching classes in Life Sculpture at Don Watson's New Studio Gallery on September 26th here in Virginia Beach. These will be small classes so that there will be a lot of individual attention. What our goals are: - is in depth figure and anatomy study, in 2 and 3 demensional form.
We will be using a young model named Brandy who has plenty of experience modeling for art classes around the area. I met with her on Monday and a sketch of Brandy is included on the entry preceding this.
Our first study this Wednesday night will be the Torso. For the 10 week series we will focus on a particular area of the body. This will give us more time for complete study. The Torso will be followed by the Head , Hand and Foot. The Torso is a good beginning point for sculptural form.
Wednesday night, bring a Sketch Pad because before we sculpt and design our Armature we are going to draw from the model.
This is an important class because it familiarises us with the model and her proportions. This will carry through the rest of the study.
I understand from Don that we have between 6 and 8 people signed up. The class size will be limited to about 12 students;- so call or e-mail me or Don to get signed up.
Particulars are on my Web Site:- BronzeSea.org - look under WhatsNew for all the links.
See you Wednesday night, Bill

The Figure From Life

2007-09-19T12:39:00.001-07:00

A Time Before 9/11

2007-09-11T08:33:00.000-07:00

Virginia Beach Boardwalk Show 2007

2007-07-11T07:49:00.000-07:00

This is the second year I perused the now famous VB Boardwalk Art Show. In it's 52nd year there were about 300 exhibitors and it has to madding for even a Good Judge to evaluate all the Art. Certainly there is no shortage of talent;- some sold well, some didn't sell and many Good Artworks received no recognition at all. From my conversations most of the sales seem to be local but what of the tourists in and on a Boardwalk end-to-end with Hotels. It would be a Good Idea for some of these Hotels to really push the notion of coming to the Beach for that Weekend and buy Art. (We all know you can swim). In particular there are some World Class Artists who would be worth the flight and lodging to Virginia Beach;- really. If you buy a Painting or Sculpture for $3,500.00;- hang it on your Wall for 3 years - you have the joy of it for less than $1.00 (one dollar a day).(Sound like PBS) - The next 10 years of enjoyment are absolutely FREE and in time 'the Art' can be a Family treasure or maybe 'a ticket to ride' - if the Artist hits the Big Time.Onward Irregardless
My Top Ten Favorite Artists from this years Show:
1) A.E. LONDON: "I love an Artist that can Draw... and Annie can draw the pants off a Gorilla! Traveling on frequent Trips to Africa, London breathes life into each and everyone of her Animal subjects. The Elephants, Gorilla's have pathos, personality and the Lions, Tigers, Giraffes are real;- Not Photographically - but Real through the imprint of the Artist (who when she runs out of paint, in the Bush, uses Coffee- no Judging recognition - HELLO-Wake-up and smell the Starbucks Judges!See More: http://www.aelondonstudio.com/
E-Mail:AELONDON@AELONDONSTUDIO.com

A. E. LONDON

2) Li Wang: 'Wang can Paint',- he has lush painterly style producing marvelous Still Life's'. Painting in Oil the actual surface of the canvas is as compelling as the picture. An observer of Rembrandt and Vermeer, Li Wang pays great attention to light, the depth of dark and the surface of the object. I.E. a fruit is a fruit and it feels completely different from a ceramic jug. A great achievement of technique, observation and virtuosity.Judging No Flag for WangSee More: http://www.liwangart.com/contact: liwang_56@hotmail.com
Li Wang

3) Fredy Staal: Fredy is an Artist who relocated to Richmond from the Netherlands. At the Boardwalk she showed her well conceived abstract bronzes. Staal works her shapes something in the manner of Henry Moore or Barbra Hepworth, both good company for inspiration. The casting is done locally (thank God for that) and by a family of sculptors and founders who I have known of for more than 30 years. The sculpture shapes interact and flow by the sculptors touch; the Wegner Foundry provides first rate lost wax casting and beautiful organic patinas.Fredy's work could translate well to the Monumental.No Flag for Fredy-a Judging loss..
See More http://www.artefigura.com//
contact: info@artfigura.com

Fredy Staal

4) John Costin: A Print can be a work of Art;- John does hand Etching, meaning he works (draws with a sharp tool) directly on a metal plate which is coated with an acid resist. When the drawing process is done, which I can't explain briefly, the plate is inked and rolled with paper through a hand press. These graphics are in color requiring multiple plates and pressings; after that Costin hand colors each Print. The results are beautiful and rich images.Judging: CAC Trustee Award- See More: http://www.costinggraphics.com/Contact: caracara@tampabay.rr.com

John Costin

5) Tom Radca: Architectural Ceramics is Radca's art form and he brings to this ancient craft Art in a big way. There is so much process, technique and unbelievable manipulation to arrive at one of his wall pieces that they are much more of a symphony than a song. Happily, Tom reported good sales in the four figures and was honored with a Sand Dollar Award. Perhaps his grand circular wall hangings shaped the Judges award.Judging: Sand Dollar Award
see more: http://www.tomradca.net/Contact: Radca@tusco.net

Tom Radca

6) David Cochran: It's not often that painters dare paint groups of people in complex settings as Cochran does and does it well. There is a picture of him below with (or in) one of his paintings. I guess the photo says it all because the painting is so well executed that you really don't notice that David is not part of the painting. No Juried mentionSee More: http://www.davidcochran.com/
Contact: info@davidcochran.com

David Cochran

7) Mauro Pozzobonelli: Mauro is a Sculptor classically trained in Florence and has produced large architectual wall hanging of scenes in high relief. They are colored, cast in hydrocal with fiber resin and are a product that demands considerable skill from a variety of disciplines in that relief lies somewhere between drawing and sculpture and requires the artist to understand how to trick the eye. Beyond that each work is individually pulled from a master mold, so they are signed in editions and then hand painted. The results are colorful, free-form scenic images from around the world.No Judging recognitionSee More: http://www.pozzobonelli.com/Contact: pozzobonellistudio@yahoo.com

Mauro Pozzobonelli

8) James A. Skvarch: Etchings;- Skvarch is another first rate engraver but he takes you out of the everyday into his own mind. Even scenes of Rooms or Boats have his own input. They are all inviting and tell a visual story you could listen to each time and find something new and different. James' fantasy etchings encompassing machinery from past centuries are remarkableJudging: Sand DollarSee more: http://www.jskvarchetchings.com/
contact: James@skvarch.com

James A. Skvarch

9) Ed DiCamargo: Artisan;- Saying DiCamargo is an Artisan is to bring to that term it's highest achievement, when the craft becomes art. Working with gemstones, granite and marble Ed combines these materials in functional forms, whether it be a table or floor medallion, they are all rich in natural gemstone colors and meticulously executed. Judging: Award of HonorSee More: http://www.stoneart.cc/Contact: ed@stoneart.cc
Ed DiCamargo

10) Joseph LaPierre: could be called;- the Beach boy that painted instead of sang- LaPierre's palette knife paintings are perfect for an outdoor show by the beach,- the motifs, the color and texture of each painting are joyful. But, don't be fooled, the ease of this work comes through years of study and talent to spare. In a conversation I learned Joe had been doing the Boardwalk Show for about 20 years always selling successfully. He wondered what happened to little lady painter Ruth Laakso who he had seen every year;- and about Ruth will be my final entry.No Judging recognitionSee More: http://http://www.joelapierre.com/
Contact: joe@joelapierre.com

Joe LaPierre after completing painting above

Ruth Laakso was one of the early exhibitors to the VB Boardwalk Art Show and this June would have been her 44th consecutive show meaning she only missed the first 8 and that was before Ruth and George Laakso relocated from Florida to Virginia Beach to own and run the Studio Gallery which in it's time was the largest Art Gallery south of Washington. George was a prolific sculptor who peppered the local landscape with his inventive sculptures. Both exhibited at the Show for years. George passed away in 1981 and Ruth after a lengthy hospital stay died this April. On June 29th Ruth would have been 88 years young. Her concerns in the hospital were that the stay was conflicting with her painting; - And oh yes, she was to be at a dear friends Wedding on Saturday, the Best Selling Day for the Boardwalk Show. "Couldn't you reschedule the Wedding"? - Ruth innocently requested. That is the Art Spirit and one that we will miss. Thanks Joe, We nearly overlooked Ruth contribution to the Boardwalk Show and that just would have been a damn shame!

RUTH LAAKSO, Impish to the End, "I just want to make a few Good Paintings".
Learn more about the Laakso's at the link above.
Thanks for visiting,
Bill Osmundsen

e-mail: BILLOSMUNDSEN@aol.com
web: http://www.bronzesea.org/

2007-07-10T19:04:00.001-07:00

2007-02-21T14:51:00.000-08:00

Art Spirit

2007-02-18T21:08:00.000-08:00

Art Spirit will be the heading and direction of this Blog. Art Spirit is also a book compiled with the philosophy of Artist and painter Robert Henri . Henri's book was shared with me by my girl friend Salli who was also an Art Major with me in college. That's a long time ago now, in the mid 60's when the US was in the turmoil of Civil Rights and the Vietnam War. We thought the ideals and purity of Henri's philosophy was something to aspire to. I began teaching sculpture at that time and that was interrupted by my Navy enlistment.

When you first teach you regurgitate your lessons and this solidifies your ideas. Youthful enthusiasm carries the day. I think though a real Art Journey has to take place out of the classroom and in the real world to have real substance. (Lots of reality in that sentence).

Forty years later is again a good time to teach and kibitz about Art. I still think the Art Spirit still has something to say and I'm still enthusiastic about Art. So lets converse, exchange some ideas and have a little fun.