North Light Studios

Several years ago Mike created Outside the Circle, which you can read about on a previous blog. Around the same time, he created this statue: Immortality Part of the story is mine. Shortly before Mike created this piece, I had my first miscarriage. What they say is true: you never understand how difficult it is until you go through one yourself. I remember talking to Mike about the sacrifices that so many women make. We give up our bodies for years at a time. Our bodies sometimes fail us. Our minds suffer when things don't go as planned. Emotions are high, and so are the stakes. This statue, aptly named "Immortality," is the embodiment of those sacrifices. Not only do women bear children, but we don't bear children. We adopt and we foster care, and we babysit our nieces and nephews. We lose sleep. We toss and turn. We worry. We lose our marbles. Sometimes, women can look down at themselves and see only stretchmarks. We a wreck of the person we used to

It's finished! Isn't it always nice when you can say something like that? With all the work that went into this relief, Mike is ready for vacation. Even the casting process put him through a physical and emotional ride. The work that goes into creating something, from concept to finished product, is amazingly strenuous and impressive. When I try the process myself I tend to give up, so I have a tremendous respect for artists in general. Last night we went to the opening of the Fall Show at the Springville Museum of Art. There were a LOT of people there. I think they ran out of cups for water. But it was a nice evening, with beautiful art, and great people. Mike has received continuous awards in this show for the last...seven years? Eight, maybe? This is how you know that he works hard and puts a lot of himself into his pieces. Not only is he good, but he uses his talents and knowledge for good. He creates pieces that convey messages about important qualities and eleme

Though my post is a little late, cut me some slack. It's raining and gorgeous outside, and we've been enjoying it. Might sound crazy, but I am so glad this summer is over.  Tomorrow we head to Baer Bronze to check the metal. Before that, Mike had to go out there to check the wax:  Mostly, this blog is going to be in photos. Because the photos are awesome and speak for themselves. When I look at this wax, I'm not sure what the purpose is. Here's what I know: Mike's pieces are cast using the Lost Wax method, which means the piece is cast in wax first, remolded, and then when the bronze is poured the wax is burned away. Hence, the lost wax method.  This is an amazing shot. What I like about this broken wax piece is the detail you can see. This is pretty much what the bronze will look like. You know, minus the attachments on the bottom.  There are some of the pieces that had to be removed and cast separately. The wolf is one of my favorite figures from thi

I know it's been a month since I last posted. Wondering what we're doing? Wonder no more! It's hot, the kids are back in school, and it's project-finishing time. Today I'm going to post some photos (and maybe videos) of the casting process for Mike's last project. When Mike gets to the end of a project, he can literally feel the exhaustion settle in, so for this project he spent time documenting the process. Baer Bronze examines the piece for casting The piece above has already been "tampered with," as I like to call it. Really it's just been cut up and pulled apart to make the casting process easier. Mike usually doesn't like this part, taking a knife or a saw and slicing into all his hard work. But it's worth it in the end. Figure that needed to be "dismembered" Here comes the blue stuff. This pretty blue goo is what makes the rubber mold. They mix it from powder and paint it on the clay. The foundry makes sure to

Have you ever taken the time to observe people around you? Normally, I'm pretty oblivious. But sometimes, I like to sit in my camp chair at the park and do some people watching. If you're an artist, being observant is essential. Mike is an extremely observant person. He can see details in humans; the differences in their expressions, the way they hold themselves, the tone of their voices. I have another question. Have you ever been outside the circle? The inflections of this statement are many. This could mean feeling left out of a group. It could mean watching a group who is excluding someone as someone on the outside looking in. Who is outside the circle? You as the viewer? Or the girl who is being used as a pedestal for the other girls?  Outside the Circle, by Michael Aaron Hall Mike's response to the inspiration and reasoning of the statue is this:  I created Outside the Circle because I wanted to examine the topic of exclusion. At some point in our live

The National Sculpture Society has an excellent events coordinator. And about fifty other people that work with them to put on a great conference. The Sculpture Celebration Conference of 2017 was no different. If you've been following, you've already heard about the first half of the conference. New York, a town bursting with energy, life, taxis, and pollution, set the stage for a great weekend at the Park Central Hotel. Awards Ceremony, NSS Sculpture Conference After we ate dinner, we all patiently anticipated the awards ceremony. Kind of weird, since we knew who the recipients were. But I was twisting my hair the whole time. The list of award winners included expert artists with impressive work, and Mike was the recipient of the Alex J. Ettl Award, for his notable body of work. Awards Presentation, NSS Sculpture Conference; Alex J Ettl Grant The award was presented by the President and Vice-President of the NSS, Michel Langlais and Amy Kann. Both of them were lo

When I first heard the term "jet lag" years ago, I had never been on a plane and I had also recently finished watching "West Side Story," so in my head, I'm picturing dance-fighting gangsters with leg problems. The flight to New York wasn't bad; only four hours. But I was so exhausted every night of the National Sculpture Society Celebration conference that I would crash on my soft bed with giant pillows and dream until morning. Mike would wake up energized and ready to go each morning, and I would drag myself out of that comfy bed and pray that breakfast would make me feel just as energized. Carnegie Hall, kiddie-corner from Park Central Hotel. Yay breakfast! Friday morning we found a cute coffee shop that served giant muffins, creamy oatmeal, and fresh-squeezed orange juice. The best part? It was right next to the hotel (which is also kiddie-corner from Carnegie Hall. Awesome!). After scarfing down this deliciousness I did feel better, and I follo

This past weekend we had the privilege of attending the National Sculpture Society Sculpture Celebration Conference. The highlight of the event for Michael was the awards dinner Saturday night, as he received the Alex J. Ettl Grant and was honored for the caliber of his body of work as a sculptor. Each day we were there we met new people, from artists to business gurus. The bond was that everyone there had a love and passion for sculpture. View from Trump Tower The first day - Thursday - we attended the opening reception in Trump Tower, where Michael was able to reconnect with friends as well as meet people he'd been communicating with through email. The view from the flat was breathtaking, and the art collection was awe-inspiring. It's always refreshing to meet people with the same passions as you. I took the initiative to step out of my comfort zone for this event, and went up to a couple we had been introduced to earlier and asked them where they were from. We were