Communication with Client:
On July 23, 2012, my client ordered a bronze self-made man statue. To be honest, I had never seen this statue before. To me, this self-made man seemed a little strange, and I thought there must be some meaning behind the bronze self-made woman statue. So I asked her about it.
Bobbie Carlyle’s Creation Story:
My client shared the story of Bobbie Carlyle’s bronze self-made man statue “Self-made Man”, which is one of her most successful works. Like many of her works, this sculpture was born out of experiences in her life and the creation process was challenging. Bobbie used six different male models as the model to finally create the image of the “Self-made Man”.
The Difficult Creation Process:
During the creation process, Bobbie’s son provided the facial features of the statue, and various parts of the body were “borrowed” from the features of other men in her life. She first started working on this work in Colorado in 1987, but for various reasons, it was shelved for a year and eventually became a 37-inch bronze sculpture. This monumental version was originally made of clay wrapped in foam, and while it once sat unused, Bobbie works around it every day in her studio.
Perseverance and Persistence:
“When I decided to focus on this sculpture, I had an accident that left me with whiplash and a broken pelvis,” she says. “I don’t need crutches anymore, but I’m still recovering because I’m so devoted to my work.” Her love for the artist led her to want to own a statue of a self-made man.
Gender and Self-reflection:
Since then, I’ve often thought about the history of men and women. I think as humans, we should always reflect on ourselves. Just as the bronze self-made woman statue shows, the female statue also represents the process of women shaping themselves with their hands and tools. Her actions symbolize a universal truth: every woman is creating her own character and carving her own future.
So, for any need for bronze self-made man statues, no matter what size you want, we could customize it for you!