Alice Calhoun

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Ace Of Spades Garden Art/ Copper Curls Sculpture Gallery

"Magic, Mystery, Romance, & Dance, that is what my joyful copper sculpture is all about. 4 Price Ranges based on size and Complexity. Watch the You Tube Video (Above) to Learn More About Me & My Artwork.To Rewatch Video, Click title "Virtual CopperCurlsArtShow" title bar."

Artist Statement Alice Calhoun The whirling movement of dance, the take-your-breath-away beauty of color-filled gardens, the glow and colorability of copper, the magic of myth — all these inspire my sculpture. Imagine a small girl in a pale green silk tutu with green ribbons in her hair whirling and dancing through a misty Southern garden filled with wisteria and azaleas. The light...

► Read More About Alice

... filters through the ancient oaks and gleams on her copper curls as she imagines she is a faerie princess dancing for the Queen of Faerieland. This was me at age six and is still the inner dancer of my dreams the source of my inspiration. I am driven to convey the wonder of this seminal memory and the profound delight I experience in every dance and theatrical performance I see through the dancers and fanciful figures I create from copper and the stories that bring them to life.

I studied literature and art and have a PhD in literature. My dissertation was on the role of the artist in a world filled with confusing paradigms; it was called "Religious Roles and Adaptable Myths in the Films of Ingmar Bergman, the Paintings of Francis Bacon, and the Novels of John Hawkes." I also worked in the corporate world for about 10 years. When I started my business a number of years ago, I decided that it must include everything I love: painting, dance, theater, sculpture, myth & legend, gardens, films, literature, and story-telling.
Each piece begins by my doing a gesture drawing at a dance performance. These are very fast drawings (done in this instance in the dark). When I return to my studio and work on a more detailed drawing, focusing especially on the hands, feet, and musculature.. Then I draw the figure on a sheet of copper, cut it out by hand, and turn all the edges to give it greater strength. Then I attach the connectors for stakes and the picture hangers to the back using an acetylene torch. Then all the oxidation produced by the fire has to
be cleaned off. Then I begin to color it using acids, oxides and enamels. The painting with oil-based enamels has become much more detailed since a did a plein aire painting trip in Italy several years ago. Finally, the sculpture is coated with a clear outdoor finish that will withstand the weather.

No booth shot provided

2000
• Merit Award, Cantigny Art Fair, Amdur Productions

1998-2008
• Featured Artist in many Show Gardens, Cincinnati Flower Show

2001
• Merit Award, Naperville Art League, Naperville, IL

2003
• Award of Excellence, 2nd Place, Botanical Art, Pennsylvania
Horticultural Society
• Featured Artist, Philadelphia Flower Show Central Garden
“Flowering Dreams of the Night,” Garden Designed by
Jamie Rothstein

2006
• Featured Artist, Philadelphia Flower Show Central Garden “World of
Whimsy,” Garden Designed by Jamie Rothstein
2005
• Featured Artist, Northwest Flower Show Central Garden, Garden
Designed by Kim Rooney
2008
• Featured Artist, Bloom, Phoenix Park, Dublin, Ireland
“Awaken the Magic, Show Garden Designed by Sheena Vernon,
Gold Medal
2009
* Award of Excellence, 2nd Place, Garden Accessories, Pennsylvania
Horticultural Society

2010
* Award of Excellence, 2nd Place, Garden Accessories, Pennsylvania
Horticultural Society

2011
* Patron’s Award, Two Rivers Art Fair, Metro Arts Alliance, Des Moines,
Iowa

2012
* Award of Excellence, Best Botanical Use, Chicago Botanic Garden
Art Festival, Amdur Productions

2013
* Featured Artist, Bloom, Phoenix Park, Dublin, Ireland
Faerie Garden designed by Harmony Gardens, Dublin, IE
* Best Booth, Snake Alley Art Fair, Burlington, IA

2000-2014
* Patron’s Awards, College Hill Art Festival, Cedar Falls, IA

2013-2018
* Featured Artist, Philadelphia Flower Show, Camden Children’s
Garden Exhibit

2017
* Founder’s Award, College Hill Art Festival, Cedar Falls, IA,

2019
* Featured Artist, Northwest Flower & Garden Show, Exhibit of
Susan Browne Landscape Design and Fancy Plants
* Featured Artist, Philadelphia Flower Show, Mark Cook Landscaping
Exhibit

2020
* Featured Artist, Northwest Flower & Garden Show, Plantswoman
Design’s Exhibit "Where the Wild Things Grow"
* Featured Artist, Philadelphia Flower Show, Pennsylvania Horticultural
Society Home Gardening Display