Local sculptor awarded state arts commission project

 
By Jerry Libstaff, Special to KP News

 
Key Peninsula’s preeminent sculptor, John Jewell, is in the process of creating a new bronze sculpture as part of a program supported by the Washington State Arts Commission. The piece will be placed at the new Mountainside Middle School near Spokane in August, and formally dedicated there in September.

John Jewell with his model, Kyle Self, and the statue’s iron armature.  Photo by Jerry Libstaff

Prior to exploring the arts professionally, Jewell was an educator for more than 30 years. His career was filled with wonderful experiences. He says, “One of my favorites was being a middle school vice principal.  I really enjoyed that age group.” Jewell and his wife, Andrea, attended a pottery class in the 1980s where he became deeply inspired while working with clay. He eventually attended sculpture and painting workshops to develop his passion and incorporate an understanding of classical figurative art.

In 2001, Jewell took first place at the Western Washington state fair for a life-size bronze of two children titled “Balancing the Books.” He donated the sculpture to the Key Center Library, where it graces the entrance. More of his works can be seen locally: “Sharing” is at the entrance of Cirque Park in University Place, and three monumental sculptures are at the entrance to Fort Lewis. These include Capt. Meriwether Lewis, his dog, Seaman, and Sgt. John Ordway, all part of the 1803 Corps of Discovery. Jewell’s sculptures are also found across the United States in several museums and offices of major corporations.

Jewell’s current project calls for an exuberant student jumping with joy. He asked his daughter, local teacher Laura Stafki, to suggest someone who would fit the requirement. Stafki suggested Key Peninsula Middle School student Kyle Self, who was hired to model for the larger-than-life bronze sculpture.

Jewell’s  first step was to take more than 200 photos of Kyle running and jumping. He and Kyle’s father then critiqued the photos and chose an appropriate pose. From the photo, Jewell sculpted a “rough draft.” The small sculpture, known as a maquette, became the model for the full-sized piece.

The next step was to fashion a full-size armature, something akin to a skeleton, from iron. John Beaton, a welder at Peninsula Iron Works on Key Peninsula Highway, welded the pieces together and bent the steel to correspond to Kyle’s stance.  Jewell says, “The armature must be strong to hold weight of the clay. My unique design allows me to remove the arms, hands, or head in the armature to work more easily on them individually.”

Currently, Jewell is adding clay to the armature and sculpting details to resemble Kyle’s figure. When the clay sculpture is complete, The Bronze Works Foundry in Tacoma will work with Jewell to replicate it into a bronze sculpture using a lost wax process. The foundry process usually takes three or four months.

For his part, Kyle Self seemed to enjoy learning about the sculpting process and devoted an extreme amount of energy in his role as a model.

“Kyle Self has been a significant contributor to this project,” Jewell says. “He portrays the perfect representative of a middle school student. He’s interested in school and life; he likes sports; he enjoys growing in knowledge and he really cares about his fellow students. He’s positive and upbeat.”

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