ARTIST'S STATEMENT
In the mid-eighties Walter Lape turned from carving woodcut prints to three-dimensional design, sculpting the human figure. He works primarily from live models and his work ranges from small torso fragments, wall hanging, busts, to life-size statues and fountains. Most pieces are formed from a special blend of clays and fired into stoneware. At cone four (2100 degrees) with a slow reduction, about four days, the result is as hard as stone, hence its name. An iron oxide patina can be applied before firing to make a permanent bronze-like finish suitable for outdoor display. Or a bronze patina is applied for a softer look. The ceramic pieces are bisqued; then a glaze is applied before the final firing. All are original, one-of-a-kind unless otherwise stated. He may make a mold of the piece to create in plaster or bronze in a limited edition. He has been working with Campbell P&I Foundry, W. Rutland, VT.
Lape has worked with the human figure for twenty years and continues to be fascinated with the individual and the unique variations in every person. Trying to capture the movement of an individual is his challenge and his motivation. By tampering with the interplay between form and movement, he varies his style depending on the emphases of the piece.
In 2004 he took a class at the Bottle Museum in Balston Spa, NY and has been working fusing and slumping glass into abstract and figurative forms.
He lives with his partner in the Adirondack Mountains.
