Nautilus Shell Sculpture

 

 

On September 17th, 2022 the Alamosa Public Works Crew installed my new sculpture Nautilus Shell. It is located on the corner of Main Street and State Street. This is the 6th year that I've participated in Alamosa's Artscape Outdoor Art Sculpture, each year from the start of the program. 

 

Here are my boys Ethan and Wesley, waiting for the installation of the pedestal for my sculpture.  The sculpture that was here previously was very large so the crew removed the standard pedestals that are always there for the new work. They had to bring it back and set it in place as my sculpture looks best when raised a couple of feet.

 

Alamosa's Public Works Crew is always a pleasure to work with and lots of fun to watch as they carefully install all the art around town.

 

Kyle and the boys watching in awe =)

 

The Chambered Nautilus, sometimes referred to as a living fossil, has remained relatively unchanged for over 400 million years. Most people recognize it for its shell which captivates with its geometric and jewel-like beauty. Its appeal has been driving this previously abundant species toward extinction through over-harvesting for jewelry production. It is easy to want one of these mysterious and mesmerizing treasures for oneself, especially when the true cost to the species is not realized or advertised by the trinket producers. I hope that others are inspired like me to only take inspiration from the living Nautilus and to leave them in the deep, dark ocean where they can thrive for millions of years to come.

 

 

Each year I design a brand new sculpture specifically as next year's submission entry for the jury to consider. This was the concept that my partner Kyle helped me realize via Solid Works.

 

There is a neat contrast between the colorful glass front of the sculpture and the back that is made to look like stone. 

 

Here is a photo of how I realized the back of the sculpture to appear like in the concept design. It is sculpted polystyrene foam, covered in mesh and layers of exterior foam coat that is then faux finished with exterior paint and sealed.

 

 

I completed my Nautilus Shell a few months before the installation of the 2022/23 Artscape. For a few months we installed it at our 40 Acre Mystic Valley Sculpture Park in Mosca near the Great Sand Dunes National Park.

The front is created with hand cut and shaped stained glass. Some of the glass is irredescent so it changes color in the light.

 

Here you can see a size comparison as well as how the colors changed when sculpture is viewed from a different angle.