Molly Sanger Carpenter – Artist Statement
“The Parade”
A distant sound rings through the warm salty air. Laughter, applause and whistles grow near. What’s that? Why, it’s a parade like no other, a celebration of summer; a raucous, joyous cacophony of color. Do you dare to join them? Here is the place to shed your troubles and dance, to march and indeed to sing in honor of life and family and friends and so many memories together.
I turn to whimsy in troubled times. The last couple of years have been very difficult, yet there is always delight to find in the world, in color and in creation. Each of these artworks begins as a bit of clay and is created entirely by my hands, step by step. From the many layers of casting and patina, to each painting and mosaic, every bit of the process is made with joy.
My first step in the process is the modeling of the frame in clay. From there I make a mold so that I may make a casting (once the mold has cured- 30 days) of strong, hollow, reinforced gypsum hydrocal. Once this casting has cured I “chase” (remove imperfections) and patina the frame with a proprietary ten-layer process. I then directly paint onto the prepared surface the subject of the art. Once the painting is complete I choose the materials for the mosaic and apply them, followed with grout which I seal, when it too has fully cured. Each piece is wired, backed with felt and ready to hang.