RECENT COMPETITIONS I HAVE ENTERED:

This was my entry into the 9/11 memorial sculpture competition.  The  work is meant to be 140ft tall and constructed of steel and copper.  It would have rotated at 1 revolution per hour and house a museum telling the story of 9/11 in bas-relief and other memorabilia.  I was not one of the finalists but received top billing in an article written in The New Mexican Newspaper and was chosen by the reporter from the 33 New Mexican entries as "most interesting submission."

(left) looking up from below during daylight hours
(above right) looking down from the high rise buildings at night.  This piece is available in coffee table size and ready for the foundry.
Price depends on current foundry costs but should price out at around $5,000.00

(left) Bus shelters were called for in three Bloomington, Indiana locations as part of a city beautification program.  I entered three submissions and decided to use painted steel and plexiglass for my designs. These designs were much admired by the general public but did not place in the final list.

     These are obviously  variations on a theme.  First I sketch ideas on tracing paper.  I prefer tracing paper because instead of wasting time erasing what I don't like and then finding out I liked it after all, I simply fold down a new sheet and trace the elements I want to keep in the design on the new sheet.   Once I am satisfied with my sketches I build a model to scale and check for balance, beauty and feasibility.

      I use whatever I can find to build the initial models. Nuts, bolts, cardboard boxes, dowel rods, paint brushes, etc.. I am a firm believer that if the design looks good on paper it will look good in 3D.

      Once I am completely happy with my design I make notes for further changes or developments and run the models and my notes over to local computer wizards who build my designs into digital copies so further manipulation and changes including color and lighting can be made. These we make together at the computer.  The final changes are copied onto a CD for my files and mailings.  Most juries still ask for the antiquated slide presentations but the more sophisticated organizers now accept CD's

          I am proud to announce that I was a finalist in the Alaska Airlines Flight 261 Families Memorial Sculpture competition.  You  may remember sadly that on January 31, 2000 Flight 261 crashed off the coast of California killing all eighty eight passengers and crew.  The airline funded a memorial for the families was was erected on the beach looking out to sea and the crash site.  Above is my design and digital entry.

          My proposal included a vandal proof stationery base with wind activated rotating helix and spirit forms.  Intermittent openings in the base of the helix would emit soft flute sounds whenever an ocean breeze arises.  The names of the victims would be carved into angled bricks at the base. One of 8 finalists, I was summonsed to present to the art committee in Seattle, Washington on July 15, 2001. Three finalists were again selected and asked to re-present on August 28th, 2001.  I was not one of them.    Details:   Title: Spirits Rising   Materials: Bronze.   Size: 18ft tall by 20ft at the base.   Proposed Site: Hueneme Beach, California.  Budget: $300,000.00
                                 SCROLL DOWN TO SEE ADDITIONAL WORKS

(above) Title: Cloned Helix
Suggested material: Flat steel or tubular bronze.     Dimensions: Negotiable.
This piece has not been constructed.   Outdoor Sculpture - I love it!!

(above) Title: Twelve Bells       Materials: Steel and Wood.      Dimensions: Negotiable but seen as 24ft tall by 12ft wide.
I designed this piece for the Texas A&M memorial sculpture competition in  memory of the twelve students who were killed when the bonfire scaffolding they were building collapsed . 
This sentry to tragedy has 12 steel pipes and twelve openings at the base which could admit 12 students to stand for a bell ringing ceremony.  The bell or pendulum hanging in the middle would be activated by taking hold of 12  knotted ropes (not shown). When activated by the bell ringers the pendulum strikes each pipe individually creating a series of 12 diferent sounds.
 I am particularly fond of this design but I was not a finalist.  

 A WORD OF ADVICE TO "WOULD-BE" PUBLIC ART COMPETITORS;

     Many competition committees offer little or no remuneration for initial entries. It often amazes me that they can invite artists to participate in sometimes elaborate designs with no remuneration whatsoever, except if the artist happens to become one of the finalists. Even then a finalist is sometimes expected to pay their own way, right down to the model building and presentation of same.
     When entering these, make sure you fully understand the materials requirements.  For example many simply ask for rough sketches or even written explanations of the artists ideas.  This of course is a much cheaper first approach for the artist but can cost the artist dearly in the end because large wealthy firms and sophisticated Architects have a tendency to ignore the "simple initial entry" instructions and send instead rather elaborate working drawings and even models, which time and time again seem to sway the vote of the art committee in spite of their own instructions for everyone to be judged on an even platform.      So if you think you have a good chance. Spend as much money as you can afford on the best possible presentation. Oh and by the way. Do what you feel dedicated to doing rather than following specific instructions. I believe your originalityand creativity will shine through.

Regarding further instructions: It is difficult to predict what an art committee might vote on.  One memorial competition I entered asked for "spiritually uplifting work, an individual designed specific to the project and one that would sympathetically fit in with surrounding residential  areas and the natural terrain

I always try to comply with specific requests  yet committees will continue to ignore their own specifications and requests and go with something quite different from their stated objectives. While the competitors winning designs might be perfectly lovely the committee's instructions are often quite obviously ignored yet they  may win the vote.

Click here to see our exotic Tiger Horses
  Tel: 505/438-2827 Email: VictVarley@aol.com

This Web Site is maintained by Nice Touch Design. Contact the Web master for questions about this site.
Last update December, 2008