richards poey

   

APASSIONATA

Edition Size: Open
Material: Bronze on Maple
Size: 22"h x 14-3/4"w x 13-1/2"d

We had been watching her play the bass at all the summer concerts. Not only was she the only female bass player, but she played with such intensity and passion that you knew she really loved music and the depth the bass added to the orchestra's sound.

One Friday night concert my wife and I decided to take our seats early so we could read the program descriptions. Suddenly that young lady sat down in front of us, turned around, introduced herself and thanked us for supporting the Orchestra. We told her we were both artists. She seemed interested and we talked until she had to take her place on stage. She was charming.

The next morning I looked her up on the Internet and was surprised that someone so young could have such an impressive resume. I then took the brash step of sending her an email and thanked her for taking the time to talk to us. I then took another brash step and asked if I could sculpt her playing. She said not at this time, but left the door open with a "maybe later." She even suggested that the next time we came to the concert, we should come up to the stage and re-introduce ourselves. And that's how it started. The three of us (and later her husband) became friends.

In January I emailed her some concept drawings of my proposed sculpture. Finally in March she seemed intrigued and agreed to let me sculpt her. My first step was to create the bass's outline with a ribbon of wax. But it had to be the right size for the body I was modeling. This took three tries! Attire was another problem. I only had photos of her in jeans, sweaters and scarfs, but the piece called for her dressed formally for a concert. More tries. Finally, I had to get the bass positioned correctly and the hands and bow realistically positioned in action. After numerous attempts, she finally said, "You got it."

All through the creative process I thought the name of the piece should suggest passion. Somehow "passionata" came to mind, so I asked her if this was a musical term. She replied, it's APASSIONATA, after Beethoven's 23rd Piano Sonata. And that name stuck.


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