THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 15, 1995 TAG: 9501130072
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E8 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: TERESA ANNAS
LENGTH: Long : 129 lines
SIMON BOLIVAR on horseback is a far cry from Pegasus, the mythical winged horse. Still, an equestrian statue of South America's legendary liberator is expected to fly soon.
On Friday, the statue will be unveiled during the premiere of Thea Musgrave's new opera, ``Simon Bolivar,'' at Harrison Opera House in Norfolk.
At evening's end, the mammoth piece will ``fly in'' - theater lingo for being lowered via wires onto the stage from a fly loft, which also houses lights, painted scrims and other set components.
Last week, the Bolivar statue was hanging from that high place backstage at the opera house. That's 800 pounds of steel and polyurethane foam, dangling precariously over the heads of delicate sopranos.
At 21 feet, the statue is far taller than anything on view at The Chrysler Museum.
``From what I understand, it flies in for about 90 seconds,'' said Nancy Knott, the Seattle scenic artist who came here to sculpt the form.
``It's a symbolic, conquering hero moment. Those final 90 seconds of `Oooo, it's opera!' Then, the curtain comes down.''
For that one big moment, Knott endured three weeks of hard carving with a heavy electric saw. If you sneezed twice, you could miss it.
``That's pretty normal for us,'' said Robert Minnick, the opera's shop manager. ``We put several months' work into a set that's only seen five times.''
Prior to Knott's arrival, Minnick spent three weeks welding the statue's steel armature. He designed it to break down into five pieces, so it can be easily trucked as the production travels.
``It's a very expensive impact piece,'' he said. ``But it'll make the point, I'm sure.''
On Monday, Knott stood on the stage and stared up at the horse's hooves, which was about all she could see at that angle. Though 26 feet wide, the statue was only 3 feet thick. From the audience's perspective, the form looks three-dimensional.
The visual wizardry is due to clever trompe l'oeil, or fool-the-eye effects. The shape of the head, for instance, makes it look like the creature has its head turned upstage. Also, in her painting of the faux stone statue, Knott deepened the space through shading.
``I haven't seen it on stage yet,'' said Knott, who had just returned to Norfolk. She worked on the piece here from late November through mid-December.
As prescribed by set designer John Conklin, the statue is based on one that stands in Plaza Bolivar in Caracas, Venezuela. Very loosely based, that is.
She was given a poor photocopy of a picture of the statue from which to work. ``Like a Xerox of a Xerox of one view of the sculpture. Also, a local person had sculpted a small model of it.''
Other than that, zilcho. Knott earned a master's degree in scenic arts from Brandeis University in 1989, but was never trained in sculpture.
``This is the largest thing I've ever done,'' she said, bug-eyed behind gold-rimmed glasses. Knott is a petite 5-foot-2 in jeans and work boots. ``Working on it, I felt about 3 feet tall.''
While spraying the polyurethane foam onto Minnick's steel form, then carving and grinding the dried foam, Knott looked more like a mountain climber on a steep slope. At times, to reach the more recessed parts of the form, she stood on the railing of the motorized scissor lift. From that precarious position, she would lean out and carve with the 15-pound electric saw.
Spraying on the foam created a complete mess. Knott looked like she was in the midst of a tsunami of sea foam. Once dry, the foam took on the consistency of dense sponge, a substance somewhat resistant to grinding and carving.
Her main tool was a tiger saw with an 18-inch blade. ``Like a huge turkey carver,'' she said. ``That, and a disc grinder, both of which weigh about 15 pounds. It was very physical work.''
As the foam dust flew, Knott protected herself from the toxic substance with throwaway paper overalls, a hair bandana, face shield and a full respirator.
Sculpting was slow. She might spend an entire day sanding down the horse's haunches, another day on the tail.
``It was like carving through carpeting. You'd be trying to sand it, and it would kind of mush down then spring back,'' she said.
More expensive foams would have been easier to carve, she said, but would have cost as much as $8,000. This foam was priced at less than one-quarter of that amount.
``It took longer, but it worked.''
Knott didn't come back to work on the horse, which she completed in December. ``I actually came here to carve a big neoclassical urn,'' she said.
The urn is among set pieces ordered by Miami City Opera. About half the opera shop's output is commissioned by other theaters, Minnick said. The extra work allows the crew a year-round salary.
Knott never knows what she's going to be doing next. Objects she has designed, sculpted, constructed or painted have been seen on CBS' ``Northern Exposure,'' and in movies ranging from the 1993 Charlie Sheen release ``The Chase'' to the IMAX film ``To Be An Astronaut.'' On stage, her credits include Houston Grand Opera and Actor's Theater of Louisville. Next stop? ``Houston Livestock and Rodeo Show.''
Last year, Knott sculpted several life-sized cows for that show. This week, ``I'll be expanding the herd.'' Holsteins.
She glanced up at her recently completed horse and said, matter-of-factly. ``Seems to be a livestock kind of year for me.''
Knott's an artist in her own right. So much so that she felt OK about adding her own touch to Bolivar's visage. ``A TV guy came in to watch me work in December, and he told me Elvis performed here.
``I just had to work it in.''
Those long sideburns on liberating Simon? Pure Elvis. If his hips start swiveling, somebody tell the soprano to run.
``Simon Bolivar'' opens Friday at 8 p.m. at Harrison Opera House. Performances continue Jan. 22, 29 at 2:30 p.m., Jan. 25 at 7:30 p.m., and Jan. 27 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $12.50 to $63. Call 623-1223.
The Chrysler Museum and Virginia Opera have teamed up to heighten Simon Bolivar fever, and spread it across a busy thoroughfare. The two institutions, after all, are neighbors.
In commemoration of Musgrave's opera, a tour of American and European paintings from the 18th and 19th centuries has been devised. The art is considered to tie in because it embodies ``the ideals of freedom for those artists and the societies in which they lived - ideals that guided Bolivar himself in his quest for South American independence,'' according to press material.
The free, public tours are scheduled for Sundays at 1:15 p.m. (today, Jan. 22 and 29) and on Wednesdays at 1 p.m. through Jan. 25. Call 622-ARTS or 664-6200. ILLUSTRATION: Photos
VIRGINIA OPERA
The work by Nancy Knott and Robert Minnick is ready for the opening
of ``Bolivar.''
TAMARA VONINSKI/Staff
Scenic artist Nancy Knott endured three weeks of hard carving with a
heavy electric saw.
by CNB