The world of Stephen Brockelman: Memoir, Arts, Opinion
This may be the definitive sculpture of the 20th century
MARK EASTRIDGE, American || Title: Nonsense (Gas Mask) || Medium: Bronze Sculpture with Green Patina on Granite Base (unsigned) || Size: 24 in. (60.96 cm) tall
I’m not familiar with the artist, Mark Eastridge, but this is one powerful bronze sculpture.
Detail: MARK EASTRIDGE, Gas Mask
At first glance, the power of this piece—its literal depiction of a defensive response to chemical warfare—seems to be its relevance to the wars of the last century.
The greater impact comes from the artist’s use of bronze to illustrate the fragile, unpredictable life of men and women people trying to live behind a mask.
Bronze—brittle and unforgiving—is a perfect medium for this piece. At 21 inches tall, on a granite base, the total piece seems larger than life. Looking closer, the mask’s head-straps seem to be thin, way too flimsy to guarantee any substantial support. The fragile straps seem to hold the mask tentatively at best.
Description: Artist: Mark Eastridge, American | Title: Nonsense (Gas Mask) | Medium: Bronze Sculpture with Green Patina on Granite Base (unsigned) | Size: 24 in. (60.96 cm) tall
Artist or Maker: Mark Eastridge Auction estimate: $7,500 – $9,500
I predict this will sell above the pre-auction estimate. And, I’ll be watching.
As a Sr. Writer at T. Rowe Price, I work with a group of the best copywriters around. We belong to the broader creative team within Enterprise Creative, a part of Corporate Marketing Services.
_____________________________________________
A long and winding road: My path to T. Rowe Price was more twisted than Fidelity’s green line. With scholarship in hand, I left Kansas at 18 to study theatre in New York. When my soap opera paychecks stopped coming from CBS and started coming from the show’s sponsor, Proctor & Gamble, I discovered the power of advertising and switched careers. Over the years I’ve owned an ad agency in San Francisco; worked for Norman Lear on All in the Family, Good Times, Sanford and Son, and the rest of his hit shows; and as a member of Directors Guild of America, I directed Desi Arnaz in his last television appearance— we remained friends until his death. In 1988 I began freelancing full time didn’t look back.
In January 2012 my rep at Boss Group called and said, “I know you don’t want to commute and writing for the financial industry isn’t high on your wish list, but I have a gig with T. Rowe Price in Owings Mills…” I was a contractor for eight months, drank the corporate Kool-Aid, became a TRP associate that August, and today I find myself smiling more often than not.
