102 SIDELINES JUNE 2013
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
Bronze Sculptures Comes To Life
By Amy Herzog
Sitting in a class on portrait and fgure sculpting at a local night
school, Kathleen M. Friedenberg experienced her “aha” moment.
After years of experimenting with different mediums she fnally
found the one that felt right.
“For many years my medium of choice was water-color, then I
tried oils, but as soon as I picked up sculpture clay I was hooked,
and haven’t looked back,” said Kathleen.
For Kathleen it’s all about detail for her work. She is as hands
on as any sculptor can be, completing each step of the sculpting
and casting process herself. As a former veterinarian she brings
her expert knowledge of anatomy, both human and equine, to her
work - pairing it with creative posing and composition to create a
piece that looks like it could be alive.
“With such a background, I feel correct anatomy is paramount.
Moreover the mood, movement and interaction of the subjects
must be appropriate to the situation depicted. This does not in any
way minimize the importance of good, interesting composition,”
says Kathleen. “If it isn’t alive I’ve failed!”
Once a clear idea has been formulated she begins to build an
armature, or wire skeleton, screwed to a board and supported by
plumbing pipe. Once the skeleton is complete she begins to add
Opening Meet
e
the clay anatomically, essentially muscle by muscle, working in as
much fne detail as she can. Once she has a complete model she
then sends it to a nearby foundry for casting.
Kathleen utilizes the Lost Wax method of casting, which is a
complicated, multi-stage industrial process in which the sculpture
has to be re-worked twice.
“I do all my own re-fnishing, both in the wax, and later in
the bronze, being in easy reach of a good foundry, and fnding
it essential in maintaining the quality of the fnal sculpture,” said
Kathleen.
When viewing Kathleen’s work it is like walking into the scene
happening in a pasture or ring. Wild horses spar with one another
in one piece; another has a foal scratching its nose. These pieces
are not only life-like, but they convey the emotion and the “scene”
to the viewer. One work features a horse cantering around a pas-
ture with its head ducked down between its front legs, it says the
animal is feeling good and working off some excess energy just by
the pose and fne details. The composition and posing is so life-
like and realistic viewers can’t help but pause and go, “I’ve seen
my horse do that.”
Kathleen is represented by: Vander Moore Designs, of Ten-
nessee; Anderson Galleries of Long Island, New York; The Art-
ful Framer in Paoli, Pennsylvania; The Sportsman’s Gallery, now
moving to Charleston, South Carolina and she shows with Terry
Lindsey in Saratoga, New York during August. To learn more
about Kathleen, visit her website at www.bronzealive.com.
About the writer: Amy Herzog is a freelance writer and photographer who has
been riding hunter/jumper’s since second grade. She has a BA in Communication
from DeSales University in Center Valley, Pennsylvania.
The Way a
Lady Rides
The Farrier