American Gothic Refreshed - Father

"American Gothic Refreshed - Farmer"

"American Gothic Refreshed -Father" is one of a pair of related sculptures as described below.

There is something to be said about the symmetry of the two pieces making up "American Gothic Refreshed" despite the polar opposition of the shapes of their most prominent components; the wood globes and rectangles that represent the “heads” and “hearts” of the sculptures. 

When I began construction of the pieces, I was reminded of the farmer and his daughter depicted in Grant Wood’s iconic painting “American Gothic”. Although they are both expressionless, there is an underlying texture to their faces that I imagined mirrored in the grain of the wood of the “head” components. When I examined the painting, I noted the smooth and more rounded features of the daughter’s face seemed less emphatic than the more rectangular and weathered face of the impassive farmer. The polished globe and rough cut rectangle used as "heads" lent themselves well to those comparisons. Yet, I chose the opposite shape and representative colors for the “heart” of each piece to represent the shared, albeit stolid, affection each possessed for each other hidden beneath their apron and overalls. The Gothic style arched window of the farmhouse in the painting, which inspired the name, is evident in the antique bases of the sculptures.

“American Gothic Refreshed - Farmer” and “American Gothic Refreshed - Daughter” were constructed using the two halves of an antique wood foundry mold as the bases. The hand-made, lathe shaped globe was likely a product of a high school wood shop project. The antique, rough cut rectangle is made from old growth pine and probably found a myriad of uses in a farmer’s barn or workshop over the years. The hand hammered and flame painted copper plates were fabricated from reclaimed roofing copper. The pieces were painted with airbrushed transparent acrylics finished with satin clear coat.