Corrymeela Sculpture Studio
Venice, FL 34285

 sculptornan@comcast.net

941-486-8416

Nancy’s interest in three-dimensional art began as a youngster on New England beaches building sand sculptures. Her high school art instructor introduced her to terra cotta clay and it was love at first touch. Working in three dimensions is a passion she has pursued diligently since then.

Raising three children and attending college as an adult kept her busy for many years. After earning a Masters Degree in Human Relations and another Masters in Social Work, a 25-year career evolved. Her love of people and clinical training, in conjunction with her creativity, blended well for a successful career as a psychiatric and clinical Social Worker. She eventually opened her own psychotherapy practice in Connecticut in 1995.

Although Nancy has studied with several renowned sculptors over the years she is basically self-taught. Her energy and enthusiasm are evident in both her portrait and animal sculptures. She has taught sculpture to adults and children for many years. She has exhibited throughout New England and Florida, and has received numerous awards for her sculptural pieces.

Moving to Venice, Florida from Connecticut has enabled her to follow her dream of being a professional artist. The warm support of the Venice Art center and the Women's Contemporary Artist group has proven to be an exceptional catalyst for her hopes and dreams.

Nancy teaches sculpture at the Venice Art Center, and in her private studio, “Corrymeela Sculpture Studio’ (Corrymeela means Place of Peace in Gaelic). She is a natural teacher who is eager to share her gift of creating in clay with others. Classes are relaxed and fun with a serious side to learning about this medium. If you are interested in learning sculpture or you are an advanced student come join the adventure and see for yourself.
Commissions are accepted for a portrait bust or your favorite pet or special idea you may have.

You are welcome to visit CORRYMEELA SCULPTURE STUDIO. Please call for an appointment.

WHAT IS SCULPTURE FOR ME?

It is an expression in terracotta clay of my ideas, my loves, and my philosophy. I use plastic form as a writer uses words. My feelings find release in form through the tools and material I use.

To be a sculptor one must like the material used and manual labor. The more I work with the material; the more it becomes my friend. I enjoy working in clay for the ease in which it responds. It is soft. There is no resistance and it will form to my will. It says yes, yes, yes. Ideas can emerge quickly and I can change course if need be by subtracting or adding more material.

Sculpture is a parable in three dimensions, a symbol of a spiritual experience, and a means of conveying truth by concentrating its essence into visible form. Today we call it the interrelation of spatial design, and we look for its quality of volume, light, and shade. It is the reflection of the artist who creates it. Integrity and passion have a way of coming through, if they are the forces that drive the sculptor’s tools. The finished work will vibrate and be felt even it is not understood. The artist is responsible only for creating her work, not for the public who may pass it by and feel nothing.

Sculpture is the creation of three-dimensional form in space. A sculpture is the form you have given to the material, an object to be seen and touched and looked at from all sides and angles. As a unified form it ought to have what I call spiral movement- that continuity suggested by a contour, which disappears, and returns, giving the spectator the sense of its total existence in space.

When I sculpt there is always a mutual relationship, a fluid and rhythmic exchange between the material and myself. When this exchange stops, the piece is finished. When I finally put my tools down, the emotion, which made me begin, is exhausted, and if work is continued the piece may drown in the refinement of overwork.

WHY I LOVE PORTRAIT SCULPTURE!

The human face is so endlessly fascinating, diverse, and so expressive of the most delicate emotional nuances. Every sitter is different, presenting a new and fascinating challenge to me. I want to capture not only the form and detail of the sitter’s face, but also the unique flavor of the sitter’s personality.

I find working from a live model extremely rewarding. The face of the model I am sculpting has so many mysteries concealed under its succession of masks. Talking with the sitter, exchanging ideas and sharing thoughts helps me to essentially “peel” off masks that we all wear, vulnerability is revealed. I do not judge, moralize, or criticize. I cherish the opportunity to map out the geography of the individual face and with gratitude incorporate the individual’s personality in the completed piece.

The same face can change radically with a slight turn of the head or a slight difference in the direction of the light. And as the sitter’s mood changes, the emotional content of the portrait changes too. Thus, the expressive possibilities of portraiture are so great that modeling the human head can become an obsession, one of life’s most delightful obsessions. It is very exciting watching a real human being come to life in clay. For the artist who’s fascinated by people, the human face is the ultimate subject.

No artist is a born master; she is born only with the soul of an artist. The role of the artist has always been to express her beliefs and her feelings about life and to elevate humankind by demonstrating man’s creative aspirations. She expresses what she dreams as well as what she sees.

The pleasures that can be derived from sculpture are enormous. I hope through this article I can introduce others to the joy and pleasure that I have received in a lifetime of modeling in clay.

Understanding and appreciation of art will not come suddenly or even rapidly, but by gradual stages of self-education. With acquired knowledge and certainty of perception comes a sense of awakening of the mind. It is a joyous and stimulating experience, raising the level of your own intelligence like discovering treasures hidden in a fog.

I am grateful to have the opportunity to share my gift with you today and hope you will have a better understanding and appreciation of how a “Portrait Bust in Terra Cotta Clay” is created.

NAMASTE,

Nancy Heart