Sculptor, Founding Artist

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Sculptor

Dick, an engineer by profession, has been sculpting for over 30 years, in part because of the love of the process and the technical challenges involved.

Over the years, he has gravitated to primarily stone sculpture working with all types of stone from the softer soapstone to the harder granite. In the past, he favored figurative works but has since moved on to include more abstract sculpture, very often mathematical geometries such as the Möbius strip or the torus. Simply stated, it is exciting to carve something beautiful from a rough stone.

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Sculptor, Founding Artist

Julie Neises began sculpting the human figure in 1979 at the Indiana University campus in South Bend under the instruction of Harold “Tuck” Langland.  Preparing for a career in art education, she had never taken a sculpture class before, but she knew right away that she had discovered the medium that would dominate her creative life.

“I really enjoy modeling figures, capturing the nuances of the most delicate ins and outs of the form and the psychological power of a glance or gesture.”

The majority of her work is in bronze, and she considers the work of Rodin and Degas to be her biggest influences. Her current focus is on small woodland creatures many of which are currently endangered. Many of Julie’s pieces have been exhibited in regional shows and competitions, including the National Sculpture Society’s Annual show in New York.

Now retired, Julie had been an art instructor since 1981.  She taught art at every grade level in the Mishawaka public school system in Indiana and was awarded Teacher of the Year in 1997 for Beiger Junior High School. Julie was also the chairperson of the art department at Mishawaka High School for eight years.

A member of the Hoosier Salon, she is also one of the founding members of Fire Arts, a non-profit studio located in South Bend, Indiana, where she is currently working on new pieces. Julie lives in Mishawaka with her husband and a lop-eared rabbit named Bebe, who is yet to be immortalized in bronze like her previous bunny Gromit.

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Sculptor, Founding Artist

Specializing in large public sculpture, small awards, & portraits in bronze.

Tuck is a professional sculptor with a national reputation who works at Fire Arts and mentors its emerging sculptors. He has work in thirteen museums, and his public sculptures are seen across the country. In recent years, he has also been involved with international projects. Tuck’s sculptures for the home and garden are on display at Fire Arts. They include Women of the World – particularly Africans, a variety of dancers, and his new passion, Greek portraits and figures. Tuck is a member of the National Academy and a fellow in the National Sculpture Society.

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Sculptor

My artistic inclinations are to learn from the masters whenever possible.  I admire Achipenko (1887-1964), the Ukrainian artist and sculptor, because of his willingness to depart from the traditional and experiment with different materials.  In general, I would say I prefer sculptures that are abstract and find them more challenging in their rendition than in any carving technique.  Often, the most difficult part of a sculpture is coming up with the right title – a challenge that comes from the evolving nature of a nonrepresentational form.

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Sculptor

“G” is a stone carver. He has been listening to opera while working on a large limestone “Gargoyle” we hope flies one of these days.

He has a degree in philosophy, is working on a second degree in Mechanical Engineering, and works as an EMT.

He started on this piece in a small garage in South Bend. He move it to Fire Arts in June, 2009.