Kirby's Fremont

Darryl Smith, An Authentic Fremont Artist

By Kirby Lindsay

Jimi Hendrix eternally serenades passersby on Broadway.

It took a month before I found the answer. Jimi is on Broadway, wailing on his guitar before the offices of AEI Music. Darryl Smith created this life-like bronze statue at his studio in the Fremont Fine Arts Foundry.

Entering Darryl's studio recently I noticed the towering 7-foot clay angel on her 3-foot pedestal but found myself distracted by a small, rough clay tableau of two soldiers tucked in a corner. One warrior supports his injured comrade while a mule hangs its head behind them.

It is the model of a memorial to three Japanese-American brothers who served in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team during World War II rather than be interred back home in the US. Of the brothers, one died in Italy, one returned shell-shocked and one earned a chest full of medals. The third brother's friend, Norio Mitsuoka, asked Darryl to create the sculpture.

Neither a location nor funding has been found for this work, yet Darryl continues to give his time to it.

When I finally did turn to the angel, her lovely face awed me. And I was confused because she too was made of clay. I understood Darryl made bronze sculptures, like Sedako the "crane girl," who stands at the northwest on-ramp to the University Bridge. Instead, his small studio contains numerous clay figures.

Darryl Smith and the angel.

Darryl explained the clay angel is the sculpture, before the bronze is poured. "Bronze sculpting" is a lengthy process that begins with the creation of a steel armature as close to the shape of the finished sculpture as possible. The steel frame is covered in Styrofoam and carved into the rough shape. The angel's wings were also shaped with chicken wire. This figure is then covered with clay. In many ways, Darryl admits, he is a clay sculptor. It is here that he gives life to the figure.

"Well-heeled artists would do the clay work, then send it out to a foundry to have others work the bronze," he explained. Once perfect, the clay sculpture is cut up. Darryl showed me pictures of his John Lennon sculpture chopped into pieces. He agreed it is a painful sight.

Molds are made of the pieces. Each arm and leg is covered in rubber or fiberglass. The molds are lined with wax, sometimes several times. The cool wax is examined and may have thin spots or bubbles that require another pouring. This wax is the sculpture, as it will look, so it must be flawless. The wax is then covered with fireproof ceramic inside and out. The ceramic mold is heated until the wax melts and pours out, creating a cavity into which the bronze will be poured.

By this point in the description alone, I was exhausted, and the sculpture wasn't done. In the foundry, Darryl pours the bronze. Each piece is created hollow because bronze shrinks as it cools. A solid bronze sculpture of Elvis Presley would be very heavy, and it would resemble a troll once cooled.

Darryl Smith's sculpture of John Lennon.

The bronze is sandblasted to remove residue and oils after the ceramic molds are broken. Some day, as a well-heeled artist, "I would like to have someone else do the sandblasting," Darryl admitted. The pieces are welded together, then sandblasted again to erase seams and scorching caused by welding. Then they are given a patina, color, to bring out the beauty of the bronze. The entire process for a life-size statue takes about one year.

AEI Music has been "a great patron" to Darryl. They have commissioned sculptures of Elvis, John Lennon, Bill Haley, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry and Eric Clapton for their offices. Jimi Hendrix was placed on the sidewalk of Seattle as a gift to his hometown.

We enjoy him. He has suffered very little vandalism. Headbands, cigarettes and other accessories occasionally enhance his image. When Darryl arrived once to clean up the statues, he noticed two beer bottles placed between Jimi's knees--one unopened and one opened with a single sip missing.

Darryl is his own worst critic. "Chances are you are going to get better," he assures himself as works leave his studio. Usually a year later he goes back and says, "Oh, that's all right." Even after doing such a large body of work, Darryl does not see himself as an established artist. He still has to search for work, which is difficult. "I'm a studio lizard," he explained, and much happier working on sculpture than selling it. His web site, www.dsoriginals.com, was designed to give prospective clients easy access to a copy of his resume. The angel is his first Internet commission, from The House of Hope, a church in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Fremont is blessed with many talented artists, like Darryl, and many pieces of art. This author, for one, hopes some day to see one of Darryl's works permanently located within the neighborhood we call home.

Kirby Lindsay has worked at Fremont Dock Company for 21 years in the same location and hopes, as their offices move one block north, she won't get lost going to work next week. If you have questions about Fremont, you may write her c/o The Seattle Press or e-mail to fremont@oz.net.

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