Elizabeth Moore - the Sculptor

​I’ve always been a fine artist working in watercolor, graphite and water-based oil paint. After several years of isolation due to the pandemic, I wanted an opportunity to work with other artists in a field outside my comfort zone. In 2021, I enrolled in a Sculpture class taught by Joe Chesla at St. Louis Community College - Meramec. The fall class featured an introduction to materials, tools and techniques for 3-dimensional work. Assignments featured projects using sand, wood and plaster.

“Water Spirit”, carved from a block of laminated yellow pine using an 4.5” angle grinder. The beautiful grains in the wood appear as ripples on the water. The gentle curve of the neck and heart shaped opening in the body represent how I was feeling after the loss of my husband and fellow artist several years ago. After hours of hand sanding and finishing with Danish oil, I was heartbroken to learn one of my younger brothers had passed. In times like this, nature and art can heal the soul.

“Along the Trail”, hand carved from a block of plaster using stone carving tools. As an artist, I have a wonderful opportunity to share my love for the beauty of nature. With this sculpture I chose rounded forms to convey an idea of fruitfulness, harmony and maturity. The etched shapes in the curve represent waves of prairie grass. I spent many hours hand sanding and buffing with white paste wax. Keeping the abstract sculpture of the bison white was important as I wanted it to represent a white buffalo, held sacred by the Lakota as the symbol of abundance and hope for good times to come.

“Tranquility in Copper”, recycled copper and rebar. When copper flashing was removed from my three-story storefront, built in 1896, I saved it to create a sculpture for my garden. In the 2022 spring sculpture class, I learned techniques for cold bending rebar and the art of MIG welding metal to create a heron. After pulling out roofing nails and flattening the flashing with a hammer, I used tin snips to cut the copper into shapes that were riveted around an armature created from 1/2” rebar. Although the nearly six-foot sculpture seems to appear in a state of balance and tranquility rising from a concrete base, it also moves with the wind as if ready to take flight.