Today we’d like to introduce you to Sandy Muckleroy.
Hi Sandy, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Nature has always been my church. Trees have always had a grounding effect on me. My parents were very busy being professional artists when I was growing up, so I found solace playing in the dunes of northwest Indiana and Michigan where trees were my constant companions.
Likewise, I’ve always had a fascination with rocks; what kid doesn’t?! Whether gathering crinoid fossils along the shores of Lake Michigan, Petoskey stones along Grand Traverse Bay, or picking rocks up in the mountains of Colorado—rocks and minerals really lit me up!
I’ve taken these two loves and combined them in my sculpture. My bronze trees mounted on mineral specimens mimic both bonsais as well as those found in nature. My mother did this kind of work and at age 70 turned to me and stated, “I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be able to continue doing this. Would you be interested in carrying on my legacy?” In 2010, at age fifty, I decided to take her up on her offer.
I took a welding class at ACC and made my first bonsai tree sculpture, out of steel, which is what they provide. That piece sold at the West Austin Studio Tour and I was certain this was my path! I began welding more trees, using bronze rods like my mother, and started applying to art shows. Initially, I stayed in Austin doing shows like The Armadillo Christmas Bazaar, Travis Heights Art Trail, West Austin Studio Tour and Art City Austin. After the hiatus of 2020 I started applying to shows within. a 3-hour radius of Austin. Wimberley Arts Fest, Bayou City Arts Festival in Houston and Fiesta Arts Fair in San Antonio. In 2023 I started applying to shows in Michigan, Colorado and even the Balloon Festival Art Show in Albuquerque!
I’m also participating in my first gallery show, at Capizzo Studio Gallery, in my hometown of Saugatuck, Michigan. My brother, Kevin Ross Ball, paints exquisite oil paintings of the dunes. His paintings paired with my trees makes for a pretty spectacular show! Our opening will be July 31st.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The life of an artist is not an easy life, but it is oh, so fulfilling! I’m very lucky to have a great studio space and a wonderful studio partner/mentor, Rita Marie Ross. Her guidance and support when I was just starting out was integral to my growth and success. I also know many artists and musicians in Austin have had to move elsewhere due to the high cost of living and the loss of studio spaces due to urban development.
Some of the struggles of any artist trying to make ends meet these days includes: increasing cost of raw materials, studio rent, art fair booth fees, hotel fees, gas costs and wear and tear on your vehicle. Add to that inclement weather or sometimes setting up your booth beginning at 10:00 pm or 3:00 am because the show is set in a downtown location requiring road closures.
The flip-side to that is all the wonderful people you get to meet, all the adventures you get to have while traveling to and from your shows, and all the inspiring “food of impressions” you get to take in while absorbing another artist’s work!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m so honored to be carrying on my mother, Belva Ball’s, legacy. When I was 5 my parents nearly died in a car accident. When they awoke in the hospital, having survived such a fate and having 4 children under the age of 10 to feed, they declared, “We almost died and we haven’t done with our lives what we really want to do, which is become full-time artists!” A friend had offered to teach them how to weld, using an oxy-acetylene torch. Before long I was accompanying my parents to art shows all across the country in the 1960’s and 1970’s.
When I was forty and Mom was 70, she offered me the opportunity of carrying on creating her bronze trees mounted on mineral specimens. Ten years later, when my kids were older, I took her up on it! These trees are not the usual twisted copper wire trees with jade beads threaded on the branches you see on Instagram. I use heavy bronze rods and weld my trunks, branches and roots which cradle the lovely mineral specimens as their base.
Even though I am carrying on my mother’s legacy I have definitely made it my own. In studying styles of bonsai I found I have a real attraction to the minimalistic style of bonsai called Literati or Bunjin style bonsai. This style is all about the shape of the trunk, usually with many twists and turns, and with very harsh pruning and sparse foliage. Jim Osborne, a bonsai artist, said, “Bunjin is probably the most misunderstood of all the bonsai styles. Actually, it is not really a style at all but more of a feeling. All good bonsai should evoke some feeling in the viewer, and this is especially true with Bunjin.”
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
When I first decided to pursue my career as a sculptor, in 2010, I met my current studio partner, Rita Marie Ross. She has been a huge support to me! Both a jeweler and a sculptor for over forty years, she generously offered guidance and inspiration as I found my footing as an artist. The first time I participated in the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar was because she invited me to share a booth with her. Her confidence in me and gentle nudges to stretch further continue to support my development.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://sandyballmuckleroysculpture.com
- Instagram: sandyballmuckleroy
- Facebook: Sandy Ball Muckleroy
Image Credits
Brenda Ladd Photography
