2006.06.30: June 30, 2006: Headlines: COS - Liberia: Art: Sculpture: Wausau Daily Herald: Woodson granite project continues as Liberia RPCV Susan Falkman chisels with her own style
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2006.06.30: June 30, 2006: Headlines: COS - Liberia: Art: Sculpture: Wausau Daily Herald: Woodson granite project continues as Liberia RPCV Susan Falkman chisels with her own style
Woodson granite project continues as Liberia RPCV Susan Falkman chisels with her own style
Being a sculptor wasn't a goal for Falkman until she was in her mid-20s. Now 61, she graduated from high school in Davenport, Iowa, and spent her early years chasing dual passions of playing the cello and dance. She graduated from the University of Illinois in Champaign with degrees in psychology and education. She spent time in Liberia, Africa, as a Peace Corps volunteer. Then, realizing that a human being can live on very little, she started to travel the world. She discovered sculpture in Greece and began her sculpting training there.
Woodson granite project continues as Liberia RPCV Susan Falkman chisels with her own style
Second sculptor takes on ‘Big Red’
Woodson granite project continues as artist chisels with her own style
By Keith Uhlig
Wausau Daily Herald
kuhlig@wdhprint.com
Caption: Susan Falkman cuts through a slab of granite as she begins her sculpture Monday at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in Wausau. Corey Schjoth/Wausau Daily Herald
When Mequon sculptor Susan Falkman saw the massive block of red granite, she knew what she wanted to do with it.
She could see a wave carved into its face, and she could picture its shape and the way it would sit on the ground. For her, that's often how the creative process works -- it's immediate and it almost emerges from the rock itself. You have to let the rock communicate with you.
"It had a certain kind of flow," she said. "A kind of stream of life's energy."
It's almost innate. Well, not quite, because as she was looking at the 13
People visiting the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in Wausau can see how Falkman puts that vocabulary and her creative process in action. She's carving that rand one about a quarter of the size, as part of the second installment in the museum's summer project called "Big Red: Carved in Stone." She'll work most weekdays (except for the long July 4 holiday weekend) from 8 a.m. to noon and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. through July 21.
The third carver will be Tom Queoff of Milwaukee, well-known to museum visitors for his snow sculptures.
Watching the pieces evolve from rugged blocks of rock to finished pieces of art is an integral part of the project, said Kathy Kelsey Foley, director of the museum.
"That was our whole intent," Foley said. "This is very much about demystifying 'how do you do it?'"
The project started earlier this month when world-renowned sculptor Jesus Moroles carved a simple chair, bench and couch out of three blocks of granite. He invited bystanders to take their own whacks at the work with hammer and chisel.
Falkman probably won't do that. She's focused on what she sees in that rock, and meticulous about bringing it to reality.
"For me, it's a very intimate encounter with each piece," Falkman said.
Being a sculptor wasn't a goal for Falkman until she was in her mid-20s. Now 61, she graduated from high school in Davenport, Iowa, and spent her early years chasing dual passions of playing the cello and dance. She graduated from the University of Illinois in Champaign with degrees in psychology and education.
She spent time in Liberia, Africa, as a Peace Corps volunteer. Then, realizing that a human being can live on very little, she started to travel the world. She discovered sculpture in Greece and began her sculpting training there.
"I started carving and I've been doing it ever since, with a passion," Falkman said.
She went on to study the art of sculpture further in Italy and ended up living in that country for years.
All those experiences play into how she approaches each piece, especially the music and dance.
Her sculpture work, she said, is her attempt to portray music and motion into rock.
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Story Source: Wausau Daily Herald
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Liberia; Art; Sculpture
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