Page 92 - Famous

BOB FREIMARK

Lives and works in Morgan Hill, CA USA
ht tp://bobfreimark.com

FIGURA SUSPENDIDA: When I left Argentina I had this idea that I had to sites came up. That was pretty
complement my exhibition with some sculpture that evoked the horror that impressive. Not knowing any
had gripped the country for over a decade. I eventually visualized a bound of them off-hand, I started
woman, with a hook thrust through her heart - I felt that this aptly portrayed down this lengthy list, hoping
the long suffering of the Argentine people and their helplessness when their to see something that would
vicious military turned against them. attract my interest. Suddenly I
I churned this over in my mind many times, and never felt thoroughly ready saw it: George Dunajski, living
to portray it until I was once again in South America, as a guest of the Museo almost next door, in Los Gatos.
Guayasamin in Quito. There I was finally able to make a watercolor drawing Dunaj, I recognized, meant
as my initial plan of attack. Danube, and that rang a bell.
That fall, my wife and I visited close friends in the Czech Republic, who were I called him up, and he invited
the managers of Hrad Helfstyn, the second largest castle in the world. It was me over, and told me to bring
a thrilling experience, and one of the highlights that remained indelibly in my my sketch. I immediately drew
mind was the opportunity to meet the head iron monger at the castle -a man to size the large iron hook I had been dreaming about for three years, and
in charge of all the many iron works necessary to maintain a castle. He was took it to him.
known as the best blacksmith in the world. I decided that when I got home, I When I got to his impressive studio, I walked in, and the first thing I asked him
would arrange to have him fashion that hook. was, where did he learn the iron forging skills.
As I began preparing mentally to make the piece, which I would name “Well, he explained, it’s probably a place you never heard of, but I was working
“Figura Suspendida,” I began to run into mental problems. First of all, I real- in a large castle near the Polish border.”
ized that it might be “Are you talking about Hrad Helfstyn?:, I interrupted. “How in the world would
almost impossible you know about Hrad Helfstyn?: he inquired, and then I told him the whole
to get such a work story. I knew that he was my man.
through customs, He looked my sketch over, asked a few questions, and he said he’d have it
what with the pres- ready the next day. I was sort of amazed. The long and the short of it is, George
ent terrorist situa- Dunajski had my hook ready for me a day later, exactly AS I HAD IMAGINED
tion. I might explain IT. You can’t ask for anything better than that.
that as I visualized The next day I started on a three dimensional version of “Figura Suspendida.”
it, this hook was First, I got a real Manila hemp line to thread through the hook and suspend
extremely large the sculpture. Around this hook I began to fashion the figure. I started with a
and rough, and PVC pipe arrangement as a sort of skeleton, and around this I began to stretch
came to a murder- plumbing tape, strips of torn canvas, and additional sections of plastic pipe in
ously sharp point. various dimensions. After I achieved the desired size, I tightly finished it off
So, as I sat at the with torn strips of canvas soaked in plaster, to give it a feeling of death, as a
computer leafing mummy does.
through all this, About this period of time, my friend Juan Lujan, from Chimetka College up
it occurred to me in Salem, Oregon, came for a visit, and helped me finish it up, since I had
that maybe some- dislocated my shoulder. I decided I should have to finish it off with a fixative,
body in California to prevent the plaster rubbing off. Another friend, Pancho Rodriguez and his
could do the job wife, Marge, came over when we had finally hung it in the studio. I asked him
-at least almost as what he thought about it. He said, “We both gasped when we saw it.” That
well. I punched in was the impression I had intended. I made my point.
“iron forge”, and 90
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CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS