Metamorphosis 2011

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Metamorphosis 2011

Tuesday, 04 January 2011 13:01

metamorphosis-dmusial If the ghost of artist Vincent van Gogh came looking for his missing ear, he�d be delighted to find the one fashioned by sculptor Dave Musial for the Art League of Hilton Head�s Golden Ear Award.� Van Gogh, who sliced off his lobe in a fit of madness (or, as yet another story goes, got part of it hacked off in a dust-up with his friend Gauguin) is the inspiration for the Art League�s First Prize in its annual Members� Show.

The show, titled Metamorphosis 2011: New Space, New Art, New Zing! features the work of more than 100 of the League�s artists and encompasses paintings, photography, mixed media, sculpture, basketry, woodturning, ceramics, and� jewelry. The exhibition, which runs from January 4-29, Monday � Saturday, 10 am � 4pm, will inaugurate the League�s new location at the Walter Greer Gallery at the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina.

The Art League came up with the unusual award to celebrate the artist�s lust for life.� �The Golden Ear is the symbol of an artist�s passion, innovation and dedication to his or her work,� says Ted Jordan, a painting and drawing instructor at the Art League of Hilton Head�s Art Academy.� �Van Gogh�s drawings filled with his unique ways of making marks was a springboard to his painting.�

�I sculpted the Golden Ear as van Gogh might have painted it,� says Musial who is renowned for his quirky sculptures and humorous slice of life paintings of Hilton Head icons like Harold�s Diner and Captain Woody�s.�� Indeed, one can see the swirly lines of �A Starry Night� in Musial�s whimsical lobe.� �I had fun with it,� he declares.� First he hand-built an armature of galvanized wire and then covered it with a plastic-like clay made by Polyform which he then cooked in the oven.� �The amount of time it�s in heat is critical,� says the local sculptor, �� too much and the piece becomes brittle.

One of the puzzles Musial had to wrestle with was: which of van Gogh�s ears was it?� That, along with the origins of the �missing� ear, he discovered, is mired in controversy.�� The Impressionist painter�s self-portrait shows the right ear (the one Musial chose to portray,) swathed in bandages. �Other sources insist it was the left.� Whatever the truth, one League artist will get to take home Musial�s whimsical golden take on the appendage.� Second and third place winners will garner silver and bronze ears also fashioned by the sculptor.

Musial�s passion for art began with the Katzenjammer Kids in the funnies section of the newspaper.� �Musial got an up-close-and-personal look at the strip at his father�s drawing board where the antics of Hans and Franz sprung to life.� (In 1956 Joe Musial, Dave Musial�s father, had taken over the popular comic strip which had been created for the Hearst newspapers in 1897 by Rudolph Dirks.) A perk of his father�s fame was meeting famous sports figures like baseball player Stan Musial � no relation to the artist � and celebrities like Rudy Valle and composer Richard Rodgers.

In that heady atmosphere, art came easy, says Musial.� �But my father always wanted me to be better.�� A fine arts degree from Indiana, graduate studies at Princeton, and the opportunity to study under sculptor Joe Brown help him develop his craft.� Brown�s sculptures of boxers set the standard and Musial learned to work in three-dimensions making figures that reflect on the sport.

He soon embarked on a career in advertising at Leo Burnett in Chicago where as Art Director/Executive Producer he went on to win prestigious Clio awards as well as a Golden Lion in Cannes.� Today Musail works in a variety of media� oils, pen and ink, pastels, sculpture, mixed media�pencil, pen and ink.

Musial�s Golden Ear and his mini-silver and bronze ears will be given out during the Champagne opening reception for the Art League�s Metamorphosis show on Saturday January 8 from 5-7PM. Call for details 843-681-5060 or visit�the Art League website�www.artleaguehhi.org