Sculptor Takes Client's Lives and Makes Them Mud
"Mudder of Invention" sculptor Hunter Vaughan immortalizes clients as a fired clay caricature figurine. The fifty year old artist has never had another job other than custom creating figurative representations of his subjects lives, along with an assortment of other made to order ceramic artworks, statues and murals.
(PRWEB) August 5, 2005 -- Fifty year old artist Hunter Vaughan boasts of serving a life sentence....working in clay. The sculptor tells of never having a "job working for the man." The self employed entrepreneur started selling his creations door to door in 1962 at age 8 and has never looked back. Together with his wife of 28 years,Lois,and operating as MagicMud, the duo have climbed their way up the art ladder from craft shows, fairs, and wholesaling until they were running their own Gallery in Toronto's Yorkville area, the "Rodeo Drive of Canada."
The couple spent 15 years in the gallery creating clay sculptures that grew in size and price until they were creating room sized ceramic murals costing up to $15,000. When son Jupiter was born he came straight from hospital to gallery where he spent "his first 5 formative years been weaned on art and retail" says Hunter, the head of this self proclaimed "Mud Tribe." It was in this climate that the Hollywood and Corporate types found them,creating works for the likes of Warren Beatty, Robin Williams,Harvey Fierstein and Yo-Yo Ma to McDonald's, Coca Cola, DeBeers Diamonds and ceramic murals for the Four Seasons Hotel.
But the majority of the ceramic creations remained in less glamorous hands as their specialty, the personalized figurines. "We have taken the ancient art of figurine making common to all cultures around the globe and fused it with our contemporary societal lifestyle" muses Vaughan "portraying the client's lives and traits,occupation, foibles, hobbies,sports and so on into a satirical ceramic snapshot of their being."
Decades of "interviewing" customers about their intended recipient have enabled Hunter to develop a unique ability to ferret out "nuggets of information" regarding the subject of these personalized figurines. "What a great service to offer people" reflects Lois "with our 1800 number, by picking up the phone, simple as ordering a pizza, you can dictate the toppings, that is the personalized aspects of the people in question, consult and be guided by the very artist who will build, bake to 2000 degrees and have delivered to your door your custom made figurine. A hand sized permanent work of art celebrating their life and it's many facets." Client Judy Leznoff of Toronto agrees "This is amazing. I never even had to leave my house!"
Vaughan the "Maestro of Mud" states that they have now been "liberated" from the retail gallery by relocating in cyberspace on the internet at www.magicmud.com. The "teenaged techie" webmaster Jupiter, now 16, downloads the following quote "our website brings us in touch with clients around the globe who can access 100's of pictures of past creations to stimulate an idea or concept of what they may wish to have custom created." On the web is how clients like the Lehman Brothers of New York and auto parts giant Delphi, who recently commissioned 2 four foot high corporate mascots, found the entrepreneurial family.
In this digital age of reproductions and mass produced items "outsourced" to the other side of the globe, MagicMud swims against the current, continuing a centuries old tradition of totally handmaking works of ceramic art, custom made statues reflecting their clients existence.
If contemplating an article get in touch with them for a complementary custom made figurine created to your specifications, experience the Magic of the Mud firsthand.
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