I could say a lot about this painted Frog. I have been making Frogs for over 35 years. You would think I would have painted one by now. But no, this is the absolute first one.
Once upon a time I did actually paint paintings. That was before I began to concentrate on sculpture. Now I am painting as well as sculpting, hence the painted Frog.
This Frog actually took quite awhile to paint. It probably took me longer to paint the Frog than it did to make it. I must have spent at least 30, maybe 40 hours on it, painting and repainting. You can see by all the photos that there is a lot that went into the painting. It is as if there is more than one painting on this Frog. More like, there are several paintings that can be found on this Frog sculpture.
So, no, this is not a piece I would put outdoors. You could do that for a little while. It is made of copper. If you were going to leave it outdoors indefinitely, you would at least want to seal it. I would use wax to do that. You can get wax at your local hardware store, usually used to seal wood furniture, but it works on metal sculpture as well. But, again, this piece is to be enjoyed as much for the painting on it as for the sculpture. Thus, I would keep it inside, maybe on a sun porch with some plants. I would put it on a pedestal so it is up at a height where you can enjoy looking at it.
The painted theme is a combination of things. It is my idea of what life might look like at the most microscopic size possible. It is also inspired by Monet's Water Lilies. I have added touches of other ideas. What those ideas are, your guess is as good as mine.
Height: 21" Width: 20" Depth: 16"
Oil paint on shaped and brazed copper. Made by hand, by me, Beau Smith. January 2024.
Signed and dated.
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