Greyfriar's Bobby
William Brodie
(1815-81)
The son of a Banff shipmaster, and brother of sculptor Alexander Brodie, he worked as a plumber in Aberdeen before moving to Edinburgh in 1847 to study sculpture at the Trustee's School of Design, c. 1851-3, then studied in Rome under Laurence MacDonald. Returning to Edinburgh, he established a successful practice specialising in portrait busts, public monuments and architectural sculpture.
For Glasgow, he executed the statue of Thomas Graham, George Square (1871-2); a marble statue of John Graham Gilbert, Kelvingrove Art Gallery (1870); and the statue of the Young Scholar on the former Buchanan Institute, Greenhead Street (1873).
In 1872, he carved a statue of St. Andrew for the City of Glasgow Assurance Company, 28-36 Renfield Street, as a companion to G E Ewing 's St. Mungo, but these were lost in 1929 when the building was demolished.
In 1875, he was one of three sculptors invited to submit designs for Glasgow's David Livingstone Monument (for George Square). Although unsuccessful, his model is now displayed at the David Livingstone Centre, Blantyre.His funerary monuments in the city include the John Graham Gilbert Monument, designed by Charles Heath Wilson and David Thomson, Necropolis (c. 1863); the bronze relief portrait of Rev. Duncan Macfarlan, Necropolis (1860); and the 71st Highland Light Infantry Memorial, Glasgow Cathedral (1863).
He also provided Edinburgh's cemeteries with some of their finest monuments and portrait reliefs and busts. These include the Classical mausoleum in Dean Cemetery for James Buchanan, the founder of the Buchanan Institution in Glasgow, for which Brodie carved the statue of the Young Scholar. For the mausoleum he produced a colossal bronze bust and a bronze door with a relief of a female mourner. Other works nearby are the monuments to the engineer Robert William Thomson, with a portrait medallion (1873), and the fine monument to the painter Sam Bough, which also features a huge portrait madallion (1878).
Amongst his other commissions for public sculpture are: the statue of Prince Albert, Perth (1864); the statue of Amy Robsart on the Scott Monument, Edinburgh (1881) and Greyfriars Bobby, Edinburgh (1872).
Exhibiting work at the RA , RSA and RGIFA , from 1847, including a bust of Queen Victoria for Balmoral (1868), he was elected ARSA , 1857, RA , 1859, and served as Secretary of the Scottish Academy, 1876-81.
Brodie died in Edinburgh on 30 October, 1881, and was buried in the city's Dean Cemetery.
San Diego's Bum
Jessica McCain
Jessica McCain
If variety is the spice of life, then Jessica McCain is a satisfied artist. The subjects that appeal to her are a broad range from still life to landscape to figures. Variety is not only apparent in the subjects she paints, but also in her technique. She is also equally adept at sculpting, and has done quite a few monumental size bronzes, some are in public art collections.
To look at one of Jessica McCains` paintings one can see a wintery painting that looks cold and desolate, sunshine that seems to burn hot, figures lonely, proud or shy are somehow mysteriously conveyed. Surface magic is done with the brush to manipulate color, edges, texture, line and shapes. These visual elements that create a dialogue between themselves is basically trickery with paint.
"For me, art is a personal communication between the artist and the viewer. Sometimes the message is badly transmitted; but then there are those moments when art is glorious in theme or composition or both, leading to something beyond the painting itself. The real essence of a painting is not the subject matter, my paintings are not about exact portrayal of detail. I use exaggeration where appropriate and take a lot of license. Intuition plays a big part in my paintings, I have learned to trust this, and recognize it`s significance, for often it is this intuition that is chasing that elusive mood that is essential for a successful painting. I have learned that technical skill must be mastered to transfer your aesthetic to canvas, but it is the emotion and intuition that go in to it that make the painting art."Born in California, raised in Alaska, art has occupied McCain for most of her life. She was taught sculpting and painting by her father, and continued education at the Art Students League, Old Lyme Academy, and has ongoing lessons at the Scottsdale School of art. Education is an ongoing thing, and drawing classes are still part of her routine. Today she lives in Tucson Arizona and paints in her studio beside her home. When the summers are too hot, she takes off for California, for a milder climate.
