I've been a little behind on my posts, so I am just now getting to a follow-up entry on the Havana Nights Live Auction & Benefits and my final farewell to my creation, Boaris Frankenswine. It was already a crazy night, rushing home from C2E2 where I was the Blick Art Material's featured artist sculpting live. I will admit, I was a little tense as I knew what was to come, the auction. Being an artist, and spending so much time on my creations (in Boaris Frankenswine's case: 2.5 months), I do have a hard time giving up my work. I put a piece of myself in every work of art that I create, my heart and soul, and blood, sweat, and tears (in a metaphorical sense of course), pushing myself to out-due all the work I've done previous. This was definitely the case with Boaris Frankenswine, as I not only pushed myself to create what I saw in my head, but I went way beyond the expectations of this project completely re-sculpting the Acme pig-form instead of only painting the pig as did the other artists.
Long story short, and a couple drinks later, Boaris was next on the auction block, in fact he was the first of the pigs up for auction! They said that initially Boaris was scheduled to go last, but they decided to put him first to get the ball rolling, get higher bids for the other pigs, and so that the bidders wouldn't hold out on the other pigs to wait for Boaris. It was a smart move as all the pigs' biddings far exceeded the expectations of the event organizers! Boaris started at $500, and kept climbing higher and higher! With each bid, the crowd went wild, until the McKendry family won the bid at $5,500, one of the highest ticket items for the night! It was such a rush and a relief when it was over. Boaris found a great home at the McKendry house, as Mr. McKendry is a collector of pop culture memorabilia, including comic books, so I know that Boaris will be taken care of. Plus, it feels really great knowing that my creation helped raise quite a bit of money for the private
St.Alphonsus/St. Patrick's Grade School in Lemont, IL, and is a contribution that will not only help the current students, but students from generations to come. Definitely a cool growing experience!
Here I am with the proud new parents of Boaris Frankenswine, Mr. and Mrs. McKendry:
Here I am with the organizer of the event and all the piggy-mania, Mrs. Lisa Simone Porter:
Boaris Frankenswine Design, Sculpt, & Paint by J. Anthony Kosar © 2011 J. Anthony Kosar.Sculpted over “Pigs on Parade” Pig Form by Acme Design, Inc.
Studio Photo of Boaris and Kosar by Bear McGivney.
All other photos by Kosart Effects Studios, LLC.
Other pigs © the respective artists.
As mentioned in my previous post, I have been a little behind on my blog entries due to all the projects I've been working on. C2E2: Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo 2011 turned out to be a great show. I was the featured artist at the Blick Art Material's booth, doing a sculpture live all weekend. Blick is one of the sponsors for my classes I am teaching out of my new studio, and was there promoting the classes, generating a lot of interest. As is any convention, it is fun seeing friends and colleagues, as well as meeting fans and making new ones. All weekend, I was working on a sculpted bust of the Hulk based off a concept sketch I did, that still is a work in progress. Soon, once my projects slow down, I will have to come back to him and finish the sculpt. A special thank you to my friend and fellow artist Kevin Sandstrom, the General Manager at Blick in Wheaton, for including me at the event! Here are some of the pictures from the show:
Artist Diosdado "Dodie" Mondero and I at my booth.
