Venus on Wheels

While my client had asked me to sculpt a ‘57 Chevy for him, I had a standing policy not to sculpt that particular car because of what I perceived as extreme overexposure. It was such an iconic car and so reproduced artistically that I didn’t care to add my version to the pile. Also I had started thinking that a big American car should have a big, fat ass attached to it. I was attracted to Buicks from the ’50s at the time and settled on the 1955 model year to be the front part of the piece.

Since I was thinking about sculpting an overweight person, I started looking at the idea of having someone model for me. Through a woman who was caring for my kids during the day, I was acquainted with a single mom who had the body type I was looking for. I discreetly asked her if she would be interested in modeling for me. She was flattered by the request and agreed. Since her house was on my way home from the Atelier, I started stopping at her place and having her pose for me in the evenings.

Chalk it up to my general iconoclastic attitude that I would

Big Ass Buick

create something that was in complete opposition to what my client had requested. He was taken aback by what I had made but accepted it in good grace. Later that year in one of my earliest appearances at the sprawling antique automotive market that happens every fall in Hershey Pennsylvania, I had the new piece on display. A big tall guy was particularly taken by this piece. He kept stroking the rear end. Finally he looked up and said in his fine Texas drawl, “Man, that’s a big ass Buick!”  I almost fell over laughing and decided on the spot that that would be the title. I’ve been calling it that ever since and it’s proven to be one my most popular pieces.

Advertisements