Lewis & Clark Site Map

TONI WIRTS, Sculptor

GALLERY

ABOUT THE ARTIST

How I Became and Artist
My story is the story of a small town girl that came to work in the big city of St. Louis, Missouri in the mid 60's. My first employer, an owner of a food-advertising agency, paid for my first airplane ride for a job interview. I became apprenticed to learn to paint red meat on a platter. Another job, I learned the art of painting shoes. Each new job I had gave me more experience and better pay. I took commercial art classes at Washington University at night. I did a lot of paste-up production and finally did layout. Computer artists now do most of the skills I learned by hand.

In 1968 I enrolled in my first night sculpture class at Washington University. As fate would have it, the last night of the class; I met a young man in a different art class that became my future husband, Ronald Wirts. We were married and had two children. When the children were school age, mom went back to school to study art with a concentration in sculpture. Ron became a potter and photographer. His support both financially and emotionally have continued to be my greatest asset. Ron and I share a sky lit clay studio we built in the back of our house.

Artist as Communicator
I discovered at a very early age the intensity of pain or joy if one is a highly sensitive person. I also discovered my imaginary world was a lot more exciting than the real world. I see myself as the little adult who became a child, and my imagination continues to be my close dependable friend. The art that I create is my way of communicating what I want to say and what I value. Much of my art represents historical symbols or role models, and other prehistoric icons from our past that I believe need to be preserved and revered.

In my work I always search for the core of everything. I have a need to respond to the complexity of problems in the world that we humans have created like environmental pollution and destruction. Just as the mentally ill individual seeks a psychotherapist to plunge into the personality core and reach the liberating depths of existence; my art is an expression of my desire to tap into the human collective unconsciousness and awaken the dormant mind to become enlightened. The art that I create is like the mind of a Shaman. It reaches out to heal. So as I recreate prehistory, with a variety of themes, and become connected with my own inner voice, I remind the world about the building blocks of civilization; the heros and role models such as Jefferson, Franklin, Truman, Einstein, and those noble nameless bones of our ancestral past of which I give a face.

Why I chose Sculpture
I have the need to touch and model. My hands and fingers are my favorite tools. The tactile experience of modeling clay is like a union with the earth. Sculpture is the art form that requires the most problem solving thus the most challenging medium. When a piece of sculpture is finished it can continue to be a tactile experience for the viewer. The viewer can reach out and caress the rough or smooth surface of the form in space, thus the communication from the artist continues. To summarize why I create sculpture is it touches my soul.

Education
I studied art in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri. As a student I was the recipient of three art scholarships, two for the study of sculpture. While living in St. Louis, I earned a BA from Webster University in 1980 and an MA from Fontbonne College in 1983. My studies concentration was in human anatomy and the portrait head and figure. At Fontbonne I was the Teaching Assistant to Sculptor Professor Rudy Torrini. Torrini studied with Mestrovic who studied with Rodin. The classic approach to a chain of mentoring, I believe gave strength to my work I would not otherwise have. This I highly valued and distanced myself from trendy abstract art professors. Other sculptors that I admire, know anatomy, have absolute control of their medium and exert the element of power in their work by emphasis and design. A few of these great artists are Michelangelo, Epstein, Hoffman, Noguchi and Moore.

Preferred Mediums
Natural clay, polymer clay, and wax are my favorite modeling mediums. I finish my work using numerous processes depending on the piece and purpose. My pieces are pit fired, kiln fired, cold cast and bronze cast.

Educator
As an educator I have taught sculpture courses for Laumeier Sculpture Park, Webster University Masters in Teaching, University of Missouri St. Louis, St. Louis Community College, Lindenwood College, Craft Alliance, St. Louis Art Museum and many other private and public schools in the St. Louis area.

Career Direction
Since 1983 I have worked as a free-lance sculptor along with teaching. Some of my commissioned work is life-size portraiture. I also create prehistoric art replicas and pit fired pottery. Other work is on permanent display at several museums and in use for educational purposes in a number of universities.

In 1995 I consulted with two professors of Anatomy and Anthropology from Washington University School of Medicine in the creation of a series of miniature fossil hominid reconstructions. The professors advised the anatomical rendering of the skull shapes. This let me into a new direction of miniature portraiture. I have come to realize the great educational advantage miniature portraits have due to their portability and affordability.

Since 1995 I have had on exhibition or sold pieces to museum shops such as the Gilcrease in Tulsa, OK, Cahokia, IL, St. Louis Science Center, and the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park. Most recently I signed a contract with the Jefferson National Parks Association to create four miniature portraits to commemorate the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial. The miniature portraits of Thomas Jefferson, Meriwether Lewis, and William Clark were all painted by Charles Willson Peale in the 1800's. Although others have depicted sculpted portraits of Jefferson, none appear to have used the painted portrait by Charles Willson Peale as a primary reference. Peale was my primary reference for these three portraits.

Picking "the right" Moment in Time
To represent Lewis and Clark in miniature individual portraits it was import to depict them as young adults. The story of the Journey of the Corps of Discovery took place when these two men where young and had a vision; thus "the right" moment in time as picked to correspond to the approximate age they looked close in time with the journey.

Avoiding Mistakes
To avoid mistakes on a sculpted portrait, one needs to consult with a historian or other authority that is familiar with the time period. To create a credible fossil hominid reconstruction, I consulted with what I considered the appropriate authority, a professor of Anatomy and Anthropology. To create portraits of Lewis and Clark, I consulted with the designated historian. The historian provided important factual information about the costume and hairstyle of the historical period. The artist has a responsibility to recreate a historic work of art as accurately as possible for posterity. Usually this does not keep the artist from interpretation of the personal facial expression of the subject, or his/her own style of rendering the design. Those artists that find striving for historical accuracy to be restrictive and without enough "artistic license," probably need to find another avenue for their abilities.

Words of Wisdom
My word of wisdom for the aspiring artist is to get some kind of practical education that will help you make a living for yourself that you can combine with your studies in fine art. this might be something like learning commercial printing, computer art, museum-related work, or art teacher's certification. Otherwise you, a young artist, could spend years of schooling in the areas of your heart's desire only to get out of school and find yourself to be living in poverty.

As you make a decision for your life's purpose remember the words of Edward Everett Hale: "I am only one...but still I am one. I cannot do everything...but still I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can." Your art is your voice.