Featured Artist Gabrielle Fischer

Artist Gabrielle Fischer presents a portfolio of bronze sculpture created in a signature layered and fragmented style. See more of her work by visiting her website.

 

 

As I reflect on my artwork and its evolution since my early twenties, it seems improbable that I would end up at this juncture. The transformations I went through in my artwork were often tied to my life’s journey. Not unusual, I suppose, as we are highly emotional creatures and our work often reflects that.

 

 

Clay was my first love, as it is incredibly malleable and yielding. My figurative female sculptures revealed a fascination with the human form. It wasn’t long before life-size nudes were far more fascinating to work with.

 

 

Living in New York during the nineties added another element to my work. A sculpture commission for a bust of Jake LaMotta of “Raging Bull” fame evolved and included taking a mold of his fists. This one action caused momentum, and I worked with other greats such as Ken Norton, Archie Moore and George Chuvalo. The old world boxing champions fascinated me and I now have a collection of fists that continues to grow.

 

 

I decided to combine my sculptural abilities with mold impressions of clients who wished to express themselves through their own image. They (the sculptures) became my “canvas” for my own creativity. I developed trust and confidence with each client I worked with. It was through that trust that I was able to evoke an emotional expression from them. The sculpture must emote a feeling and be relatable to others.

 

 

I worked in several metal foundries during the eighties and nineties, and have cast small sculptures through the lost wax process. What I found fascinating during this time was how the molten bronze spilled onto the ground in interesting patterns. My thoughts was “how could I pour molten metal into an open mold?”

 

 

Since I was working with artist and foundry master Bill Jurgenson, I put the question to him. We proceeded to experiment and found a solution. We created open sand molds from my existing sculptures. Once the molten bronze was ready, I ladled out small portions and poured, splashed and flicked the 2400 hundred degree molten lava into the negative mold.

 

 

The results just blew me away. It was the most exhilarating experience of my life.

 

 

The intense heat, cumbersome clothing I had to wear and the weight of the ladle with 30/40 lb. of molten metal at each turn was challenging, but worth any discomfort. It’s no wonder there aren’t too many female foundry workers. Yet, this is where I felt at home.

 

 

My bronze sculptures have a landscape feel to them. Lace-like, they have overlapping layers going under and over to lock in the shape. Beautiful colors burst through as the burnt sand is pressure washed from the surface. Fire, water, metal and form all combine in this creative process.

 

 

This fragmented depiction is a language in itself, with contradictions of fragility, sensuality and rigid sharp metal edges. But isn’t that what life is? Contradictions exist in all of us.

 

 

For me it works beautifully.

 

Artist Gabrielle Fischer invites you to watch her process of “painting with bronze” on YouTube, and the YouTube video on how she created “Sheba.”

 

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