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Artist Simon Winegar, a painter and sculptor, on how working on canvas and in 3D develops his process in both dimensions.
I create the bronzes myself, from start to finish. Each one is unique. There’s just something primal and romantic about flowing, molten metal. I’ve always tinkered in 3D art. Most sculptors I know dabble in painting by the same token. I think artists tend to get deep into the process of creation, and sometimes one medium will lend itself to certain subjects more than others. I don’t know many landscape bronze artists for that reason…trust me, I’ve seriously considered the idea. Bas Relief maybe? I digress. The reason I started bronzes is that I had this idea, and it kept festering in my brain…I’m not sure how many people will understand the way an idea needles at you and compels you to give it attention. Anyway, that’s what started it all. To quiet the nagging in my brain.
It’s real. I adore painting — it’s a part of my being. But 2D artwork is literally an untruth that we tell getting people to believe that what is 2D appears to be 3D. There are cool aspects of that trickery, but bronzes ARE real. There’s no untruth. It is actually 3D. In a way it makes things easier…in others, it’s much harder.
I really like that they’re left a little raw, yet finished, kinda like nature. Both beautiful and unforgiving at the same time, a dichotomy that at once provides balance and chaos. I really try to imbue my sculptures with an honesty and essence of the thing being portrayed. A motion, action or pose that embodies the emotion and idea of the thing itself.
It’s a little like ginger in a sushi restaurant. It cleanses your palette. Sometimes a painting just isn’t going the right way, so spending a couple hours working a bronze is a great way to reset and recenter, and vice-versa. Provides an opportunity for added perspective.
I think one of the successes of the bronzes I do is that they fit a range of styles. It’s prehistoric and modern at the same time. I’ve seen my sculptures displayed in rustic settings and very modern ones. I love that – the versatility – the vision of the people who fall in love with one of them. I’ve yet to be disappointed when I see one in the “wild.” They always seem to feel right.
