Saturday, February 25, 2012

Shawn Webster and H. David Wright Collaborate For A Worthy Cause


Sometimes when we ask ourselves why we consent to doing volunteer fund raising projects; when all is done, you have your answer.  As artists, we are frequently asked to create works for worthy projects and sometimes we ask others to donate to our causes. This is the way these things are accomplished and the end results most always benefit a good cause. Recently, I was asked to create a work for a fund raising auction, which offered me a chance to step outside my normal medium and to sculpt in three dimensions –a new medium for me.

The Project:
Brenda Golden (wife of Oak Ridge Boy, William Lee Golden) is chairman for a Celebrity Fund Raising Auction for the Joseph and Stephaine Walker Foundation which provides college scholarships to young people with financial needs. Fine organization, good cause.  For this year’s fund raiser, many celebrities (and then there are others, like me)  have been asked to decorate a “Fabergé” egg – which will be auctioned on March 17 at the “TEA TIME” fund raising benefit.

Would I decorate a Faberge egg for it?  My answer, without hesitation, “Sure, Brenda, send it over” (she’s a good friend). I have had experience at decorating eggs for fund raisers since I did one for the annual “White House Easter Egg Roll” back in the early ‘80s.  Back then I was told that after being displayed at the White House my egg would ultimately reside in the Smithsonian Institution (I’m sure it is -  buried somewhere way down in the bowels of the Smithsonian with hundreds, by now, maybe thousands of other eggs). But, after painting a landscape of the Teton Mountains on a 3” White House Easter Egg more than 30 years ago, I figured today I could handle one more egg for a good cause.

The egg arrived, and is 9” tall hollow ceramic with a hole in it. What do you do with an ceramic egg with a hole in it?  Everyone else will be painting theirs, some using sequins, beads, gem stones, etc, on their eggs, which will all turn out very nice I’m sure. We’ve got to be creative here… What to do? A call to ceramic artist friend, Lisa Crews introduced me to a special clay to work for my sculpt and I was off. (Maybe that is not the proper term…)


So -to make a long story short, I came up with an idea and coerced my friend Shawn Webster, who is a talented quillworking artist into “collaborating” with me (told Shawn I would try to get him a date with Carrie Underwood who is also doing an egg, which he liked - but I’m sure Carrie’s ice hockey husband will make mincemeat of Shawn if he even looks at her). As I knew he would, Shawn did a great job quilling the headband, making the head dress, also helping with design and fabricating the sculpture. The result  -  “Indian Egg Head”.  But since this title just didn’t quite project the dignity of the sculpt - to be a bit more refined, I asked friend Carolyn Foreman, who is knowledgeable about the Cherokee language for a name – and she did -  “DIDEYOHVSGI” which is Cherokee for "The Teacher".

More friends, silversmiths Wayne and Marilyn Holcombe from Brooklyn, Michigan specially made and generously donated all the trade silver for the project. Their touch added even more class to the sculpt.

So, with lots of help from good friends, and after much agonizing, teeth gnashing, and many days and nights of thinking, figuring, and work, it is finally done.  A worthy project for a worthy cause.  Now we all just hope some worthy person steps up and bids high for "The Teacher".  All for a good cause.   And everyone has been generous “good eggs” about it all.

I present “The Teacher”.







Copy and photos supplied by David Wright.

2 comments:

  1. Excellent example of creative artistry, and for a worthy cause. congrats my friends.
    James Blake

    ReplyDelete
  2. A truly beautiful piece of work. A fine collaboration of artistry and talent. Congrats.

    John DeWald

    ReplyDelete

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