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My little mountain of art in front of my house
My little mountain of art 1989
Me puting a new roof on my house
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Fish Stories Sculpture

Richard Arfsten

United States

Sculpture, Metal on Aluminium

Size: 20 W x 16 H x 10 D in

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$4,750

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About The Artwork

Fish Stories is about a pair of Siamese Fighting Fish. They decided to be friends since they lived in the same fish tank with a piece of glass separating them. Continually slamming into the glass to get at the other fish got old after while, not to mention the hurt and continual bruises on their lips. They learned to swim in-synch making it pleasant after a while. This way they could still be macho with no pain. This was one of the first larger sized pieces of lost foam I tried. I buried it deep, upside down with a support, and a base as part of the composition. You cannot ram the sand hard next to the foam like you do with a wood pattern in green petro bond sand (an oily loose sand that packs like a snow ball) or the foam pattern breaks up. I was being gentle. After the metal cooled I pulled it out of the sand mold and the whole thing was deformed and covered with flashing. Those are little fin like forms that happen on the corners if the sand is not compacted dense enough. Being the lazy, frugal, inquisitive guy that I am, I was fascinated by the results. I usually do not chase (grind) my work. I like to see and show the processes of how something is made. I am also an inventor so I do all my own casting so I can experiment to alter the anticipated results and I want to see the record of the deviation. The great part about making art is if it does not come out according to the plan it is not the end of the world. I just change the title and make up a new story ... ta da! So instead of being Guppies as planned they turned into Siamese Fighting Fish. I always say "Failure is your Friend." There are life lessons to be learned from it. Examine it, embrace it and set yourself up to experience it. In addition to that, the major concept that I have lived my life by is to ask the question, "What if?" When something does not work as anticipated, examine it and try to answer that question. If it does not look dangerous, try it! Failure is the great teacher. Examine why it did not work so you can learn from it. This piece will come with a thick stone base that is polished on top and rough cut on the sides (if I can find it). I have not seen it for a number of years. I hope it has not been stolen along with so many of my pieces. I would come home sometimes and find people in my yard going through my art on my "mountain of art" like it was a yard sale. At first I did not mind. Then I noticed my work disappearing. I was sick. I had "shoppers" shopping in my yard when I went to night school or was working. I would ask them what they were doing, "just looking at your art". I had to put up a gate and lock it. The little peaceful rural back road in the country has changed.

Details & Dimensions

Sculpture:Metal on Aluminium

Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork

Size:20 W x 16 H x 10 D in

Shipping & Returns

Delivery Time:Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.

I have an ambitious approach to life ... and to art ... make something happen every day ... but most of all have fun doing it! A sculptor first, and now working in 2D, I do my best to do just that. Presented here are examples of some of my work. •• My sculpture runs the gamut from abstract, to figurative, to architectural. The materials and methods used are diverse ... from figures modeled in clay or wax, then cast in pewter or bronze ... to aluminum maquettes (produced by evaporative pattern casting) which serve as the 3D blueprints for the pieces that are enlarged and fabricated from sheet metal of all kinds. •• My 2D pieces range from abstract to figurative. You’ll find Originals done in oils or acrylic, one-of-a-kind monotypes, collages, mixed media paintings, and more ... I love working in all mediums. Some of my 2D work may be available as reproductions on this site. ••• MY FASCINATION WITH SCIENCE FICTION & MAKE BELIEVE - When I was in second grade, television was new and the hottest thing. The "Adventures of Flash Gordon" was my favorite program. There was only one kid in the neighborhood who had a TV. We, all the kids, gathered at his house for every episode. I was a huge fan of the characters. Flash was cool and my hero. Dale Arden was OK but Princess Aura was way cooler because she was naughty. Ming The Mercilous was very interesting. But Dr. Zarkov and his super duper telescope - that could see into time forwards and backwards, far and near - was the star of the show for me. The spaceship was really hoakey. You could see the wire that it was traveling on and the little puffs of smoke coming out of it were a joke, even for me. But the concept of the show was magical. Also at that time there were radio shows about space travel and aliens and monsters. I would listen to those shows with my grandfather as I sat on the floor next to the big wooden box radio so I could get the full impact of the sounds. •• These shows inspired me to draw spaceships, mostly "new and improved" versions of Flash's ship. I taped them all over my bedroom walls. At night I would travel with Flash. We would go to distant parts of the Universe and explore ancient ruins - like what I saw in National Geographic when I was not looking at the bare-breasted girls of exotic cultures. (I think artists and sculptors, are to a large part, voyeurs.) Those memories pop up in my art over and over. •• Faces also intrigue and inspire me.

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