Olivia Bettie Page Statue

[Hobbyist]

I strongly believe the statue will turn out great eventually.

Olivia knows Betty Page way better than any other artists out there.

[Divo]

Originally Posted by nearmint

Compare and contrast...

Too soon to make a fuss, but still don't understand what all the frights are all about?

As is, Bettie already has way more "soul/allure" than anything Frankie, which was a watered-down, safe kiddy pop release anyway. As Bettie image is matured/refined, I'm sure the results will blow our minds.

This is a work which is much more mature/grown-up in it's approach, I suggest we leave Olivia alone & let her complete the work. As she envisions it, uninterrupted.

I dig the direction, just cut this chick loose, & some slack.

[nearmint]

Originally Posted by Divo

I suggest we leave Olivia alone & let her complete the work. As she envisions it, uninterrupted.

She's the one releasing these teases. Of course, people are going to discuss them.

[pdenham]

If she's the one releasing the render images, I'd suspect that's because she is proud of the work (and rightly so, IMO). Not necessarily because she's unsure about something and looking for feedback.

to support what Divo posted, I ran across this passage from Page's 2008 obit in the L.A. Times

Originally Posted by Olivia de Berardinis

"I'll always paint Bettie Page," De Berardinis said Thursday night . "But truth be told, it took me years to understand what I was looking at in the old photographs of her. Now I get it. There was a passion play unfolding in her mind. What some see as a bad-girl image was in fact a certain sensual freedom and play-acting - it was part of the fun of being a woman."

You don't need Gordon Ramsay to cook you a can of ravioli. If all you want is a generalized, idealized, sexy BP figure, any sculptor who has done a pretty, sexy female could find some photos and knock it out.
You don't need Olivia for that.

I'd be willing to bet ($5) if this was printed out, as is right now, and Kat painted it up, and we could see it from different angles and under different lighting, that the people who find it off-putting now as a render would walk away with a different opinion of it.
Maybe not enough for them to order it, but i doubt the resistance to it would be nearly as strong as it is now.

I still think a lot of the glossy highlight and mid tone shading in the hair is making it as much of an eye sore as anything in the features. The hair is busy, loud, and artificial looking in this state, which makes the image overall more of an effort for the brain to process. The teeth in the mouth being individually demarcated with high contrast black lines may also be introducing too much information in that area, making it appear unattractive.

I had an initial "yikes" reaction the first time I saw it, too.
The more I look at it though, the more acclimated I am, and the more I appreciate what she is doing here (and yes, ukshaun, the eye shape and size could be tweaked to be more accurate, though I doubt that in itself would modulate anyone's initial opinions of it).

[nearmint]

Originally Posted by pdenham

If she's the one releasing the render images, I'd suspect that's because she is proud of the work (and rightly so, IMO). Not necessarily because she's unsure about something and looking for feedback.

I wasn't suggesting that she's looking for feedback. I was responding to the idea that we should shut up and let her do her thing. If she's going to release teases, people are going to talk about them.

[pdenham]

Originally Posted by nearmint

I wasn't suggesting that she's looking for feedback. I was responding to the idea that we should shut up and let her do her thing. If she's going to release teases, people are going to talk about them.

You haven't. Others in this thread have. Not only as an invitation to supply their feedback, but as their duty to inform her of what "we" want to see- as well as not see.

[Atlantisatdawn]

statue collectors are now spending a lot of money on these pieces, I consider feedback important,
most people have became very selective in what they buy due to the higher prices, and a statue with a less than great portrait is a deal breaker for me

Originally Posted by nearmint

I wasn't suggesting that she's looking for feedback. I was responding to the idea that we should shut up and let her do her thing. If she's going to release teases, people are going to talk about them.

[SDguy]

Originally Posted by Atlantisatdawn

statue collectors are now spending a lot of money on these pieces, I consider feedback important,
most people have became very selective in what they buy due to the higher prices, and a statue with a less than great portrait is a deal breaker for me

Sure, if you know sculpting and anatomy and the difference between 2D and 3D AND can separate your personal opinions/wants from subjective critique. Good luck on all that happening often. If public comments/critiques are anything like most statue "reviewers" online, then it's usually worthless.

[Atlantisatdawn]

Originally Posted by SDguy

Sure, if you know sculpting and anatomy and the difference between 2D and 3D AND can separate your personal opinions/wants from subjective critique. Good luck on all that happening often. If public comments/critiques are anything like most statue "reviewers" online, then it's usually worthless.

I agree, some people are irrational, I try to be fair, all these artist are light years beyond my capabilities, but if I think something looks off, I'll say so, I do imagine that with Olivia being such a great artist, the final product will turn out great

[SDguy]

Originally Posted by Atlantisatdawn

I agree, some people are irrational, I try to be fair, all these artist are light years beyond my capabilities, but if I think something looks off, I'll say so, I do imagine that with Olivia being such a great artist, the final product will turn out great

Yeah, don't get me wrong, I love the armchair AD discussions we all have here, and I do it too.