The Gib Singleton Newsletter

The Gib Singleton Newsletter
“I’m not decorating somebody’s living room. I’m not decorating somebody’s garden. I’m decorating somebody’s heart.”
Aces and Eights
One of Gib’s most popular new pieces
is “Aces and Eights”, depicting the moment on the afternoon of August 2, 1876
before “Wild Bill” Hickok was gunned
down in Deadwood, Dakota Territory.
We asked Gib for the back story, and
here’s what he said.
pulp novels, there was some consensus
that he had killed three dozen men with
his Colt Navy pistols. (One of which he’s
holding in Gib’s sculpture.)
Like all legends, this one has some mystery to it, including what Hickok’s hand
actually was. There is general consensus,
Gib says, that he held two black aces and
Without any historical certainty, various
people have offered various explanations.
At the trial of Hickok’s killer, “Broken
Nose Jack” McCall, it was reported to
be the Jack of Diamonds. A contemporary newspaper account claimed it was
the Nine of Diamonds, but the Town of
Deadwood argues for the Five of Diamonds. Ripley’s Believe it or
Not claims it was the Queen
of Clubs. Director John Ford
made the fifth card of a “dead
man’s hand” the Queen of
Hearts in his movie, Stagecoach, starring John Wayne.
Cecil Adams of “The Straight
Dope” claims it was the Deuce
of Spades.
Deadwood was a rough
and tumble frontier town,
Gib says, populated mostly by “miners, gamblers,
gunmen and whores.” It
wasn’t even supposed to
exist, because the land on
which it was built had been
granted to the local tribes.
There is similar uncertainty
But in 1874, George Armabout McCall’s motive for
strong Custer led an Army
the murder. He claimed it
expedition into the Black
was because Hickok had
Hills and discovered gold.
killed his brother while servThe resulting rush brought
ing as Marshall of Abilene,
thousands of gold seekKansas. Others claim he was
ers and opportunists, and
insulted by Hickok’s offer
Deadwood was founded.
(The US ultimately re- “Aces and Eights” by Gib Singleton (Photo by Kevin Brady/Courtesy of the Private Collection of Tia) of charity after McCall had
neged on the Treaty, and ownership of two black eights – known ever after as been wiped out in a poker game. Gib
the Black Hills is disputed to this day. the “Dead Man’s Hand” – but his final has another perspective.
The Lakota and Cheyenne repaid Custer card is a mystery.
“The guy that shot him, as I understand
for his part in the whole affair at the
it, was the son of a woman Hickok was
Little Big Horn just five weeks before “Nobody knows what the fifth card fooling around with,” Gib says.” The kid
was,” Gib says. “He had four up and one didn’t like that and said, ‘I’m gonna kill
Hickok’s murder.)
Hickok was a legendary figure. By the down.” In fact, if they were playing Five you’, and Hickok laughed it off. Then
time of his death at age 39, he was fa- Card Draw, that down card may even the kid was walking down the sidewalk
mous as a scout, gunfighter and lawman. have been a discard, Gib says. “But I and saw him sitting with his back against
While many of his exploits were embel- personally think he had a full house. My the window and shot him.”
lished (or even made up) by authors of guess is he had an extra eight.”
(continued on back)
This hollow wax copy of the original is then removed from the mold and
“chased” – smoothed and dressed to remove mold marks.
Next, the wax copy is “sprued” with a
tree-like structure of wax to create pathways for the molten bronze to flow into the
mold. This is critical because if there are
not enough pathways for the liquid bronze
to reach all areas of the mold quickly, it
can “freeze up” and create voids.
Pouring Bronze (Photo courtesy Masterpiece Publishing)
A Bit About Bronze
“Bronze is an amazing material,” Gib
says. Over the last five millennia, it’s
been made into tools, weapons, building
materials, jewelry, musical instruments,
ship fittings and, of course, art.
The sprued wax copy is dipped into a
silica slurry, then into a bed of crystal
silica to create a “ceramic” shell. This
is allowed to dry and the process is repeated until a sufficient thickness has
been achieved.
The shell is then “burned out” to remove
all the wax. Once the shell is cooled, it is
tested with water for cracks or leaks.
In this first article in a series about bronze,
we want to answer what is probably the
most common question Gib and gallery
staff hear from patrons – “Where’s my
Singleton sculpture?”
Next, the shell is heated to remove all
moisture, which can turn to steam during
a pour and blow the shell apart. Then it’s
packed in sand for support to receive the
heavy, molten metal.
The answer is, somewhere in a long,
complicated and expensive production
process. Here’s a very brief overview of
that process, and why it may take several
months to receive your bronze after it has
been ordered.
During this process, the bronze has been
heated to 1,800 to 2,600 degrees F. Gib’s
pieces are typically poured at the hot
end of the spectrum because they have
so much texture that the bronze needs to
flow and fill every negative space without cooling.
Once Gib has finished his sculpture in
wax, it goes to the foundry, where the
first step is usually cutting it into pieces.
Because of the level of detail and complexity in Gib’s work, it’s impossible to
pour most of his sculptures as a single
piece. His “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse”, for example, was cut into 15
parts and required 28 separate molds.
Next, the molds are made by repeatedly
dipping each part in a latex mixture to
produce an accurate “negative”. The
piece and its latex shell are then encased
in plaster or fiberglass to create a rigid
outer shell.
Once the molds are done and the original pieces released, molten wax is
poured into them as they’re rotated and
tilted so uniform coverage is achieved
on the inner walls.
The bronze is then carefully but quickly
poured into the shell.
Once the bronze has cooled, the shell
is hammered, chiseled and sandblasted
away. The sprues are cut off, along with
any screws, “gates” or other features
needed just for the pour.
The pieces are welded together into a
single sculpture, then chased, which may
include smoothing, polishing, and adding texture.
The final step is adding the patinas, or
color tones, which we’ll explore in detail
in future issues.
The piece is then waxed to protect it
against moisture, pollutants and UV radiation, and delivered.
(Aces and Eights - continued from front)
“Aces and Eights” by Gib Singleton (Photo by Kevin Brady/Courtesy of the Private Collection of Tia)
Whatever the reason for the murder,
Gib says the moral of the story is clear.
“Hickok never sat with his back to the
window,” Gib says. “He made a mistake,
man. That’s the lesson. You got a lot of
people looking for you, don’t turn your
back.”
Current Exhibits
The best opportunity to see a large number of Gib’s works is at the SingletonBiss Museum of Fine Art or Galerie
Zuger, both in Santa Fe, New Mexico,
where several dozen pieces are always
on display.
Some 30 of Gib’s religious sculptures
are currently on display at the Museum
of Biblical Art in Dallas, Texas, including a small suite of his 14 Stations of the
Cross. A lifesize suite of the 14 Stations
will be installed at MBA over the next
few months.
A dozen of Gib’s sculptures are opening the end of January at the Museum
of Contemporary Art at the Ozark, Hot
Springs, Arkansas,
If any of our readers have suggestions of
possible sites for museum exhibitions or
long-term loans of Gib’s bronzes, please
let us know by email at [email protected] or contact your Singleton sales
representative.
The Gib Singleton Newsletter
Vo1. 1 • Issue 2
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