Portrait of the Artist’s Father by Arthur Gould 2006 (9’3″ x 6′ x 6’6″) approx. 850 lbs.
My grandfather Sam Gould was a product photographer and filmmaker who also produced novelty self portraits. One portrait in particular represented him as a clown imitating a jack-in-the-box toy.
My father, Arthur Gould is an artist and musician. After years of functional ceramics work he undertook a massive sculpture of his father in homage to the portrait that had hung on the wall of the family home. The resulting piece fuses the original image with Arthur’s love of the cello (note the head gear) and the aesthetics of samurai armor. It was hand formed in plasticine clay and then cast in architectural grade fiberglass resin with a powdered bronze and iron surface patina. It can withstand outdoor exposure, but the coloration will alter if not sealed periodically.
Arthur majored in ceramics and sculpture at the Kansas City Art Institute from 1967 -1972 (My brother and I both went there too!) and taught ceramics at Hamlin University in Saint Paul MN 1969 – 1972.
