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A Match Made in Heaven: Two Local Artists Team-Up for a Welded Sculpture

By Dylan Marsh
EAGLE TIMES STAFF
CLAREMONT — Ernie Montenegro and Jo Ann Clifford recently collaborated on a metal sculpture at the Claremont Makerspace. The commission came after a Maine resident contacted Montenegro about a sculpture that his wife had made roughly 30 years ago. The original sculpture was made from tomato baskets and vegetation, and it stood roughly six feet tall. After years of exposure to the elements, the owners thought it was time for something new.

A Claremont resident, Montenegro is an award-winning metal sculptor, whose pieces have been shown in galleries in New York, Boston, and Santa Fe. When Clifford met Montenegro, he had just begun a residency at Claremont Makerspace. Clifford came to Makerspace after retiring from River Valley Community College as a lifelong educator in the Allied Health field. After retiring, Clifford sought out the, soon to open, Makerspace as an opportunity to connect with her community, and she volunteered to help make tables before they opened.

“I had met Ernie during his residency, and I had started doing some woodworking and multimedia art. He was always great to talk to and so encouraging about trying new things,” said Clifford of meeting Montenegro for the first time.

A notable bronze sculptor, Montenegro did not have much experience with welding. He contacted Clifford, who had not only taken several classes with Makerspace welding, but also had crafted a number of beautiful pieces, and asked if she would be interested in aiding him with creating the piece. Prior to classes at Makerspace, Clifford had not welded, nor particularly touched anything with voltage. But after what she says were 1,000 youtube videos, and a year of more frustrations than accomplishments, through perseverance she was able to become as adept as welding as she is today.

“I jumped at the opportunity to work with a professional artist in the field. I wanted to learn everything I could from him,” Clifford said of working with Montenegro.

They began with building the armature, or framework of the woman, and Montenegro sculpted the head. He provided direction of the shape as they made progress, while Clifford welded the body into shape. The original piece had an ethereal floating quality that the duo wanted to capture, so they began welding wire cable to make her skirt. Then once all that had been accomplished, they began the arduous task of welding on each individual leaf. The leaves were crafted and painted by the pair using a jeweler’s technique.

“After seven weeks of work, we were not only done but had become really great friends. She would suggest things and sometimes I would take them and sometimes I wouldn’t, but I can certainly say that I learned alot from her. I wouldn’t have been able to do this without her help,” Montenegro said.

The ‘Lady of The Realm’ is now boxed up and is waiting to be shipped to Maine where it will stand in its garden. The recipients have seen photos of the sculpture and look forward to it coming home. Speaking of home, Montenegro will be spending the summer at home, “working on things I’ve been meaning to get done.” As for Clifford, she continues to work on art projects and educating members at the Claremont MakerSpace, where she encourages anyone of any age to come down and give it a shot.

“Just try it. I think you just have to find the little ounce of courage; you’ll find the support here. Start small and you’ll find the skill and passion. I’ve taken a lot of classes here and something stuck, who would have guessed metal stuck. Just find an ounce of courage and try something new,” Clifford had to say of anyone thinking about joining.

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