Conducting Metal

Perspectives from The Artist's Road

Red Wolf Bronze by J. Hulsey

If you are ever feeling a bit stale in your art, we recommend that you leave your comfort zone by trying something new. Nothing gets creative juices flowing better than trying to tackle a new artistic pursuit. Ideas which bubble up while working in a different medium often wind up stimulating new ideas when we return to our old familiar medium. Nothing is better for our art than being uncertain of where we are headed and uneasy with that fact! When we are questioning, we often find new answers. When we explore, we often find new country. However, working through discomfort is often not a pleasant experience—it is just plain hard work. It’s much easier to stay with what we know how to do well.

Today I was again working outside my normal comfort zone of painting. I was at a local art bronze foundry finishing up a small bronze Red Wolf which I had created on commission this last winter. While I have become familiar with …