Ever feel like your life as an artist is the lunatic version of a reality TV show? Yeah, us too. You’re floating gently down the stream of creativity enjoying the view… then the  the current sucks you under and you’re paddling for your life.

Often times when I’m faced with boring, repetitive, production sorts of jobs like dressing waxes or chasing bronzes, I play a mental game with myself, pretending I’m a contestant on a game show -“The challenge, Team Poole, is to get this task completed in the next four hours, but don’t forget you’ll also be judged on the quality of your work. If you win, your prize is some free time to do the creative work you love.” It seems to make the unpleasant work pass more agreeably and I enjoy the problem solving involved in creating more efficient and effective ways of doing things we’ve done for years.

The last three weeks though…oy! More game show overwhelm than usual. The initial challenge was completing 200 – 300 Talisman waxes for the foundry that was coming to pick them up May 1. We’d produced all the waxes and were on our way to having them prepped. No problem – we got this. We had three weeks to get them done. We’d even arranged to fly a helper out from LA to work on this and other art projects in the queue for shows later this year. We actually felt pretty good as our production was ahead of schedule. I even felt I had time to create several versions of “the Frog Prince” – a sculpture I’m doing for the “Legendary” show at the Mazza Museum this summer – so I could choose which I liked best for the exhibition. I got these shipped out for a rush casting just before the crazy really got going.

These are three frog variations based on the fairy tale, The Frog Prince. They are waxes that will be cast into bronze for the final sculpture. The blue lines between the toes of the frog in the middle are part of the casting process and will not be present in the final. This middle version will sit on a golden metal ball, which I didn’t have at the time of the picture. The crown variations are sterling silver and the cups are antique silver.

Now the “game show” gets interesting. A person we’d met at a studio tour last year contacted us about doing a 24 inch custom bronze sculpture. We were inspired by his vision, energy, attitude and ideas for a community event he was heading up later this year. The sculpture was to be a commemoration of a local hero who’d passed away when he was young, as well as the centerpiece in the reinvention of a local golf tournament, bringing attention to Santa Fe and invigorating interest in young people’s participation. We were in. Knowing that the casting schedule can be some time out for this size of work, I contacted the foundry to ask when they’d need the finished clay sculpture to get it in the production schedule and have it completed by August. “Realistically, two weeks ago,” she said. Ruh Roh. Good foundries invariably already have many projects on the docket and yours needs to take its place in line behind those already in process. Having worked with this foundry on numerous projects, I said, “Okay, but really, when is the absolute latest we could get the sculpture to you to get it done in time?” “May 1 – no kidding.” Alright then. As with any commission project, we had to work out the details of the contract and receive the first payment to begin. In this case though, we broke our rules and actually started setting up the armature beforehand as we knew the schedule would be tight. By the time we received the go ahead, we had two weeks to complete the clay sculpture. No problem – we got this. But more was about to be added to the to do queue.

We often do artist intensives at our studio. In these sessions, we work specifically on the skills someone wants to develop in sculpting or casting. Usually these are arranged directly through us, but periodically a booking will be set up by a creative experience organization we work with. I’d had a conversation with the organization about a couple of inquiries they’d received, but hadn’t heard anything concrete beyond the initial contact. I had recommended dates that would have been prior to the deadline push we knew was coming. However, as things worked out, the only dates that worked for the client were the day after our helper was arriving and smack dab at the height of the two weeks we had to complete projects 1 and 2.  I’d had a phone conversation with the client and she was so enthusiastic, positive and inspired, I loved her from the first. There were also some extenuating circumstances she was dealing with that made it impossible for me to say no. “So, Team Poole, Kristine is going to be unavailable to work on either of your first two assignments for five hours a day for four days because she’s going to be teaching. But your challenge is to still get everything done.” There are two of us. No problem – we got this.

Working together on a hollow-built, water-based clay torso with my student, at the Lee Price opening at EVOKE Contemporary, learning to program a kiln firing, Pizza!

We managed everything by staying calm and focused. There were a number of parts of the golf sculpture where we couldn’t both be working on it at the same time. If I was sculpting fingernails, Colin couldn’t be wiggling the sculpture working on another part. When he was doing the clothing folds, he needed the freedom to rotate the sculpture frequently as he worked around the body. Colin got up early – around 5 – and worked on the golfer while I was sleeping. We took turns training our helper on the waxes when she came in the morning to get her set up for the day.

While Colin worked with her, I worked on the golfer. Colin worked on the golfer while I was teaching. We worked together in the evening and when he went to sleep, I took on the late shift. We also removed the sculpture’s head so I could work on it while he focused on the body, maximizing our available time. The client, a golfing expert himself, came to the studio several times each week to give feedback on the pose, weight, gesture, expression and hand positions. Accuracy was important.

Despite the fatigue of this sort of schedule, there is something exhilarating about times of such concentration. The efficiency of decision making, the necessity of confidence in making marks, the focus in the conversation – it is an elevated experience.

This is the clay sculpture that will be molded and cast into bronze. It is based on the legacy of Marty Sanchez, a Santa Fe icon who was known for his short game. The sculpture shows him in the midst of his signature shot.

The Marty Sanchez client giving feedback on the left. On the right, Demi working on waxes, Sonia working on hands and Colin working on the golfer. Everyone laughing…

But this wasn’t the end of the frenzy. The foundry where we needed to drop off the sculpture is a seven hour drive. Anytime we make that drive to Colorado, we try to coordinate several errands on the journey. This case was no exception. Our plan was to get up at 3 am, leave early so we’d arrive at the foundry by midday. Enough time to touch up any issues that might happen to the sculpture in transit and take our final finishing passes on the details. Stop by the sculpture supply store and then drive a bit further north to visit our friend, sculptor Randy Hand. He had offered some ProPanels and display shelves to us that he no longer needed that would be great for some of our shows. We jammed the goodies into our truck, got to tour his studio, see some of his works in person that we’d only seen in “Spectrum: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art” and catch up a little. Then drive a bit south and crash for the night.

Colin and Randy Hand with his “Monsters Under the Bed” sculpture.

The next day, up early again, we went back to the foundry to complete a few things, then drove the hour to Denver. We picked up a bunch of materials for resin casting, one of our new adventures for the conventions and then headed to Trinidad, which is on the border of Colorado and New Mexico. Did I mention we needed to be at the “Character in Context” opening at the A.R. Mitchell Museum from 5 – 8 that night? Despite our early start, as we waded through the traffic in the grand cities of Colorado, it first became clear that we were going to arrive just in time, then a bit late, and then, to my chagrin, I realized we would be a fair bit more than “fashionably late.” Our options were to go to the opening as we were – in our not-so-opening-friendly travel clothes, check in at the hotel and arrive even later, or change on the side of the road. Option three it is. I can only imagine the spectacle of us standing in the weeds, Colin trying to keep his tux out of the dust and me trying to look even a bit graceful, using the truck windows as mirrors. But, we did manage to arrive in time to enjoy the opening. The show is terrific – you can read a bit about a few works in the show in Sarah Finnigan’s article here: https://www.muddycolors.com/2025/04/creative-process-character-in-context/  and certainly, if you find yourself anywhere near Trinidad, CO, the work in this show is exceptional.

Character in Context at the A.R. Mitchell Museum opening night and artist talks

The next morning we were able to catch up with friends and then we were part of the artist talks at the museum. Each artist in attendance got to say a few words about their pieces – it was really intriguing to hear the divergent work/ thought/ concept processes used in creating the works. Colin and I joined several other artists in presenting demos. We talked about sketching in clay and invited attendees to play with us. Then, clean up, goodbyes, and the final three hour drive home.

Artist demos and playing with clay

In the aftermath, I was, of course, pleased that we got everything done. More importantly, our clients were pleased too. They felt we’d understood what they wanted and were able to deliver that. The golfer statue client and the committee were delighted with the Marty Sanchez sculpture. He said the weight, gesture and expression were perfectly what he had envisioned. He felt it captured a moment in the game of golf that every golfer will immediately connect to. My intensive student told me she’d learned more in the four days at our studio than in any of the multi-week classes she’d taken previously. Probably in part due to all the activity going on in the studio. She said that she appreciated seeing our work flow and that, though we were busy, we always took time to prepare healthy meals, and managed to carve out a few moments when we could to enjoy life. One thing I was very happy about was that she said she realized after the fact how crunched for time we were but that she’d never felt any of that stress in our interactions. This matters because for us, our interactions with people are always the most important thing.

I was proud of us that we, for the most part, kept our sleeping and eating on track – not straying into pounding junk foods for the quick lift or staying up all night. (Not that there’s any junk food in the house anyway – that helps.) We did let our workouts fall by the wayside, which wasn’t ideal, but all things considered, we did well. One could say the lesson here is to learn to say no, but in this case, there was not one project I would have been willing to say no to. They all mattered. And, we were able to spend time with dear friends, share creativity and laughs with a lot of delightful people. In times where there’s little work on the horizon, enjoy the time to focus on your own personal creativity. In times when you’re swamped, embrace the crazy and remember to laugh in the absurdity. As we frequently remind each other, these are all good problems to have. Be present for and enjoy the time with the people around you. Be grateful for these times where we’re healthy and able to put in a good day creating for ourselves and others.