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Reconnection with a Past Binkley Collector

sculpture done in 1987

Sometimes I am asked by a patron to repair a sculpture of mine that they have collected in the past. On some occasions, it is a piece I carved many years ago. Such was the case a few weeks ago when a gentleman called about a female torso he had purchased at an exhibition in 1987. He had since moved to the USA and then recently moved back to Vancouver. During the move, the sculpture was scratched in several places. The damage was nominal – just a few nicks near the top of her head and on her shin which translated into an easy fix.

It gave me a chance to see a piece of my work that I carved 23 years ago. I find it is easier to critique a work from the past, as I am removed from the emotional attachment I had while creating it and I can look at it with objective eyes.

This torso shows my ability to imbue contraposto in the pose of the figure and a natural balance. I kept the face simple, stylizing the features to only describe the bridge of the nose and the chin and let the viewer make up the details in their mind. I described body features in a gentle and pleasing manner with soft, easy return curves of the contours.  All in all, I feel this piece stands as a competent piece of work.

In the years since, I have further developed my sculpting techniques to include the undercutting of details of my figurative pieces to describe anatomy more explicitly. I retain those gentle lines and return curves, but they are more detailed now.

It is not often I have the chance to visit with an old friend, my sculpture. I am currently pursuing my Facebook project, “Searching for the Lost Sculptures” wherein I am asking past collectors to email me a photo of their Binkley sculpture and I am posting them in my albums. I am getting to visit more old friends this way!