81 Irving Place GremlinI have an older impression mold of this adorable little sculpture which is on a still standing apartment building at 81 Irving Place at 19th Street in Manhattan. The building was designed by the well known Architect George F. Pelham in 1929. Pelham was the architect of literally hundreds of different buildings in NYC spanning decades. 717 East 9th Street ( http://www.urbansculptures.com/buildingphotos/Plate-36-b.html ) was designed by Pelham in 1898. This little Gnome-like fellow or gremlin forms a capital crowning a spiraled column between the windows on the ground floor near the sidewalk. As was customary practice, likely Pelham at the very least provided sketches if not detailed drawings of the designs to the artists at the terra cotta company where all the originals were made.
At least one commercial firm has made partial impressions of this piece many years ago and casts out of plaster, the casts I've seen around in catalogues were always bumpy, warped looking and distorted, and only included the very minimum face part of the piece as they were cut down. My cast-stone version of this is much nicer, and deeper- which includes more details and a backing block. The backing block forms a nice flat background surface to show the 3-D sculpture off better. The additions and changes were done by Randall and these portions are copyrighted.
 Cast shown in the Red Terra Cotta finish.
Designs by Randall
The clay models shown in my various work in progress photos are not reproduced and molded off of existing antique pieces.
These hand sculpted models are created from scratch by Randall in water based clay, and typically take an average of 20-30 hours to set up, layout and sculpt each master model. When the clay models are finished, they are permanently captured with silicone mold compounds which can pick up even a fingerprint and faithfully transfer it to a cast made in it. From the molds, interior cast-stone as well as concrete sculptures are made available for clients to purchase. Existing savaged pieces are limited to what happens to be for sale at high prices, often damaged, rarely found in pairs and being typically large in scale (meant to be seen from the street from 5 floors below) they are difficult to display in today's smaller homes and apartments. Instead of making molds of these pieces, Randall creates new original models based on authentic 19th century and early 20th century Victorian, Art Deco and Louis Sullivan style architectural sculptures. While I do have a small number of older designs directly molded from antique pieces, these are being phased out over time as I create my own original models.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE:
Designs in the Urban Sculptures Collection are
copyright, this includes reproductions of
antique pieces upon which I made certain modifications, alterations or
changes- the changes are copyright. I do not sell molds, nor casts for
others to replicate. I reserve
the right to decline sales to anyone.
Original clay models by Randall (and casts made from them) all carry my impressed model numbers, paw-print logo, date of creation,
signature casting number date are inscribed by hand on the
back of every cast.
General information applicable to all of my sculptures
My standard cast-stone is for INTERIOR OR UNDER A COVERED PORCH ONLY! Out in the garden they might last 4 or 5 years, maybe longer before showing weather damage.
If you are looking for something for the garden or to build into a wall, I offer concrete as a special order item which takes approx 3 weeks. Not all pieces are available in concrete. All of my sculptures have a heavy wire embedded on the back to hang them on the wall.
FINISHES AVAILABLE
I offer several different finishes. The suggested default finish for each is shown in the ordering menu for each sculpture.
They vary from piece to piece, and actual colors displayed on your monitor will vary as well. The samples below now include the 2 available concrete stains.
SHIPPING
I use FEDEX ground service for all shipments in the lower 48 states. I do not ship outside the USA. Pallet shipping via truck is also available for larger quantities.
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These are $58.00 plus $19 shipping for the interior casts MEASUREMENTS: 13-3/4" X 7-3/4" X 4-3/4" A photo of more of one of the windows showing how this sculpture was used.
Photos of the original sculpture and window surround are © and used with permission, photo credits and thanks go to my friends at www.nyc-architecture.com for taking these custom photos with a digital camera for me at my request one evening, thanks Tom! Use this button to order an interior cast stone.
EXTERIOR CONCRETE $70 + $22 ship
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