Archive for July, 2009

miChelle has just completed a series of fun, garden ready, Dragon Fly’s made from re-cycled metals.

 If you look closely you can find things like-

• A Toyota Corollas oil pump or door knob as a face components.
• Eyes vary from water valve seals to fan blades.
• Wings are comprised of many household items such as blender piece, nuts and bolts, some expanded steel or even the display parts from a Heineken beer rack.
• Some of the stealth like bodies is legs from a patio table.

 She has made a total of 6 – 2 are more serious and have not yet been photographed.

All in all a fun affordable family friendly, garden ready sculpture.

Hand Made with passion from Upstate NY.

Displayed at Saratoga Sculpture Park in conjunction With Ballard Rd Art Studio – Wilton NY- 518-587-8706

Wilton artist creates historical sculpture

http://www.saratogian.com/articles/2009/07/19/wglife/doc4a5f5c5bd1ad3247861717.txtBy NAOMI TELUSHKIN
For WG Life

miChelle Vara and her latest work celebrating the voyage of Henry Hudson at her Ballard Road studio. ED BURKE WG Life

WILTON — In 1609 Henry Hudson and his ship, the Half Moon, discovered the Hudson River. Now, 400 years later, New Yorkers will commemorate Hudson in a celebration known as the Quadricentennial, and a local artist’s work is part of the kickoff.

Wilton resident miChelle Vara was commissioned one year ago to build a sculpture of Hudson, which will be installed in the Kingston Arts Council on Saturday. Her final result, a combination of iron pieces nearly 10 feet high, “is a depiction of his entire voyage. Me trying to roll his story into metal.”

“Henry Hudson is so inspiring,” Vara said. “He was supposed to be delivering goods, but he took the boat and went off on his own adventure. He was a pirate really.”

Although Vara has worked as a sculptor for 30 years, this is just her third historical project. As she researched Hudson, she found herself becoming interested in the European traveler, a man she had previously known little about. She said she feels sculpture is a great way to teach people about history.

“Sitting in a classroom and reading, that can be so boring. To take a kid instead and watch him with a sculpture — look, it’s a wrench! It’s a bicycle! Suddenly, he’s involved.”

Her sculpture includes a bicycle wheel for Hudson’s head and a large metal map for his lap, both of which symbolize traveling. The map has a noticeable hole, which to Vara depicts “the great unknown.” Not just the general unknown of traveling at his time, but also the unknown of Hudson’s fate.

“Nobody ever knows what happened to Hudson. On his second voyage, he was mutinied off his ship, along with his son and first mate, and they were never heard from again.”

There are nuts and bolts attached to the bicycle wheel, which are meant to represent his mind.

“He had to be putting together so much all the time. How to get this major ship out, get his crew together. How he could be an adventurer but be funded at the same time. The man was so driven,” Vara said.

“His crew almost starved to death, suffered through freezing conditions. He was motivated on a spiritual level. And isn’t that kind of passion what art is really about?”

Vara worked on the piece for a year, explaining that it takes a long time to bring a sculpture to life.

“The flow is wrong or the balance,” she said.

Sometimes it just takes a while to get a hold of a certain part.

“You can’t just call up and say, ‘Can I have a 30-foot metal shaft please?’ ”

When asked about inspiration, Vara said, “Everything inspires me. A friend will call and say, ‘I have to go to a boring baseball game with my kid,’ or something, and I’ll say ‘take a sketchbook; it won’t be boring.”

The sculpture will be at 6 |Ballard Road Art Studio Gallery in Wilton until June 26, when it will be moved to the Kingston Arts Council. For more information, call Vara at her studio at 587-8706.

http://www.saratogian.com/articles/2009/07/19/wglife/doc4a5f5ba090db8428679446.txtBy

The Saratogian

 BEVERLY McKIM
WG Life

I am penciling in a visit to the Hyde Collection sometime this summer to check out the Degas exhibit that opened last week and continues until Oct. 18.

The collection of nearly 35 pieces of paintings, sculptures and prints from the artist’s portfolio are on display at the museum located on Warren Street in Glens Falls is centered on The Hyde Collection’s holdings, along with loans of major works from national and European institutions and private collectors. Curators of this exhibit say “it will appeal to visitors of all kinds: artists and art enthusiasts, music-makers and music-lovers, professional dancers and their counterparts, and those with an interest in history and culture.” Whether or not I fall into any of those categories, I appreciate the genius needed to create a work of art.

Wilton resident miChelle Vara has been a sculptor for 30 years. She was commissioned to create a piece in honor of the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s discovery of the river that bears his name. The 10-foot-high combination of iron pieces depicts one of Hudson’s early voyages. It can be seen at her Ballard Road gallery until July 26 then it moves to Kingston.

Vara says she finds inspiration everywhere. I admit that occasionally it hits me at unlikely times and places but I am not inspired by everything. If I were that capable, coming up with something for dinner daily would not be such a challenge. But perhaps I lack inspiration in that category because I am saving my creativity for a loftier purpose. I’ll get back to you when I figure out exactly what that might be.

http://www.saratoga.com/ecolocal/2009/07/trash-to-treasure-local-artist-brings-new-life-to-junk.html

By: Pamela A. Gibbs
       Contributing Writer

WILTON – Asked if she could be described as a woman with a lot of junk in her trunk, sculptor miChelle Vara hooted with delight.

“You could definitely arrive at that conclusion,” said miChelle, her laughter continuing. “But then again, the stuff really isn’t junk to me.”

The “stuff” in her trunk, and all around the grounds of her Wilton studio, includes antique metal tools, pipes and chains, bicycles, long-retired farm equipment, old car bumpers, a huge assortment of keys, and hundreds of other interesting metal objects rescued from a slow death-by-rust and now slated for new relevance in one of the artist’s sculptures.

Many of her pieces, some of which weigh several tons, have traveled around the country on loan and for exhibitions. “One Bucking Thing After Another,” an 11-foot-tall creation of a horse, was exhibited at the Shore Institute of Contemporary Arts in Long Branch, NJ, before finding its way back to its Adirondack pasture.

Last year, a piece commissioned by New York State through the Lakes to Locks Passage program, was installed and dedicated at the Knox Trail Pocket Park in Schuylerville.

Titled “The Train of Artillery,” the 18-foot-high piece depicts Gen. Henry Knox and his oxen. Close inspection of the design elements reveals miChelle’s devotion to recycling found objects.

“Using a Model A frame or a ’63 Chevy grill is a way to draw the viewer in, a way to get them to contemplate other uses for discarded items,” she said. “And of course, it does a service to the planet.”

Born in New Jersey, miChelle, 45, moved to the area more than a decade ago and kept busy with a growing airbrush and pin striping business while also working with her partner, Chad Wilson, on custom fencing, railings and gates. In her spare time, she created sculptures, dozens of which are on display inside and outside her Ballard Road studio.

Much of her current work is commissioned by individuals seeking a specific design that will be showcased on their property – a process which miChelle said she enjoys most because of the close creative interaction with clients. She said she encourages design input and welcomes clients who stop in at the studio to watch the progress of the work.

“During the design phase, I also spend time at the actual site to study the topography and the interplay of light and shadow that will influence how the piece is seen,” said the artist.  “I need to know if the sun will come up on the piece, illuminate it all day or only spotlight it as the sun sets.”

Several new projects have consumed the past year, one of which is a 20-foot-tall representation of a mother and child.

“It’s abstract and simple,” miChelled explained. “But creating it hasn’t been so simple. I’ve been hanging off a frame, moving across an I-beam with trolleys and climbing ladders a lot.”

In July, miChelle’s sculpture of Henry Hudson and his ship, the Half Moon, will be part of the 400th anniversary of his passage up the Hudson River. The Quadracentennial event
will be held at Kingston, with an opening reception on July 4th and exhibitions running through October 26th.

Her piece contains many of her signature elements, which often combine practicality and intentional humor.

“I made his eyebrows out of bicycle pedals,” miChelle said, “and used nuts and bolts to represent his mind. His eyes are made out of old ship rings that were used to tie off boats, and I have a representation of Hudson’s actual map of his passage. I made a hole in the map, to represent the unknown – and also to show that he really didn’t know where he was going.”

To view some of miChelle Vara’s portfolio, visit www.mvarametalandpaint.com or contact her at 518-587-8706.

http://www.saratoga.com/ecolocal/2009/07/trash-to-treasure-local-artist-brings-new-life-to-junk.html

Section of Wilton artist’s sculpture stolen

By ANDREW J. BERNSTEIN, The Saratogian

KINGSTON — A portion of a sculpture depicting the Halfmoon, the first European ship to explore the Hudson River, was stolen last week from a display in Kingston.

The ship, part of a larger work by Wilton-based artist miChelle Vara, was part of a show orchestrated by the Kingston Arts Center.

The work was created in relation to the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s exploration of the river and was part of an outdoor exhibit called the Kingston Sculpture Biennial. This year’s theme celebrated the Hudson River, with a focus on recycled materials.

“I think it’s sad because the viewer now is not going to get the true picture of the culture,” Vara said. “The ship is a mainstay of Henry Hudson.”

The sculpture is made of recycled metal and depicts Henry Hudson standing over a map. His ship, the Halfmoon sculpture, rested on the map. The ship was about 1 foot long, and 1 foot tall.

“It’s ironic how Henry Hudson has once again lost his ship, but not so funny to the artist,” Vara said.

Vara said the ship was bolted and welded to the map.

“Somebody had to have tools or some kind of technology and would have had to have looked at it pretty closely,” she said. The rest of the sculpture was not damaged when the ship was removed.

Exhibit curator Meagan Gallagher said she is optimistic the ship will be found.

“We’re doing our best to locate the ship, but this is an unfortunate risk when you’re doing public art,” she said.

Although curators check the exhibit twice a day, no one noticed the theft, which is estimated to have occurred Friday or Saturday.

“I find it very alarming that someone would take sculpture. Basically, you’re not only taking from the social setting of art, but you’re taking from the entire community’s ability to learn through art, and changing the comfort zone of people who would like to participate,” Vara said.

Vara said police are investigating and hope raising awareness of the theft will lead to information on the sculpture’s whereabouts. She is offering a reward for the sculpture’s return or information that could lead to its return.

While Vara said she is hopeful for the sculpture’s return, she plans to create a new sculpture, to replace the Halfmoon, but will have to wait until she finds appropriate materials.

Henry Hudson explored the river in 1609, and the state is celebrating the exploration this year with events in communities along the river. The exhibit runs through October in three parks in Kingston, including Town Rotary Park, where Vara’s sculpture was located.

12 Annual N. Bennington Art Park

Opening Reception 4-8pm

Rt67 at the Post Office North BenningtonVT.  More than 20 artist showing Sculpture out doors. The train station gallery will be open.

Funding for this show made possible by; N. Bennington, Bennington College,  McGovern Masonry, David Aldrich, Whiteman’s Feed store, Kevin’s, and all the artist.

 He stands 10 feet tall, with a body of iron beams and welded scrap metal. His face is a bicycle wheel, with nuts and bolts are riveted to his hat and various water-faucet handles serving as shirt-buttons.

 ”Henry Hudson and the Half Moon,” a sculpture that looms at the water’s edge in Kingston’s Rotary Park.

Gallagher, 25, is the curator of the 2009 Kingston Sculpture Biennial exhibition, and she called the sculpture, created by miChelle Vara, “powerful yet whimsical.”

“With the quadricentennial, it’s such a great centerpiece,” Gallagher said, referring to the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s voyage up the river that bears his name.

The theme of this year’s biennial, the ninth, is “Go Green and Keep the Hudson Clean.” It focuses on work that pays homage to the Hudson River’s impact and uses natural or recycled materials.

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