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4- The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday September 2, 2006 www.oakvillebeaver.com Sculptor keeps pushing herself to new artistic levels Continued from page 3 protective clothing, other welding equipment and a mask to protect her from breathing in toxins. The open, bonded sand mold is created by mixing sand with resins and binders until it's "hard like concrete," she said. Horvath then drips molten bronze from a ladle into the mold, which is supported in a wooden frame and hoisted and tilted with the help of four or five foundry workers. She does this several times, "carefully splashing each layer," she says, "to create a lace-like effect" until a desired look and thickness is reached. "I have to work quickly because the longer each layer is allowed to cool the more it shrinks and comes away from the sand mold," she explained. "I can't stop because I've got to get in there and get the next layer on." Overlapping the bronze takes between 10 to 20 minutes, and it's a dangerous process. "It gets very hot when you're working with the bronze, my gloves sometimes smolder," she said. Her series of eight, life-sized bronze sculpBut even though she's "smoking and on tures of different parts of the human body is fire" at that point, Horvath says that's her called Genesis, and is currently showing in favourite part of the process. Toronto and Oakville. "It's so exciting because "It's so exciting because There's a good chance that element of surprise is that element of surprise she's the only Canadian artist there. You never know is there. You never know creating open sand cast what's going to happen what's going to happen bronze sculptures, and one because you're working because you're working of just a handful of North backwards, everything is Americans. backwards, everything is happening underneath." "It's not familiar yet," she After the bronze forms happening underneath." said, adding that's one of the completely, it's raised out of reasons she enjoys it so the mold to cool and power- Artist Gabrielle Horvath much. washed to remove sedi"This is new, it's very ment. exciting and I love it. It's probably the most Each work is unique and when a mold is freeing thing I've ever experienced as an used once, it can't be used again. artist." "It's great because I'm creating a one-of a Her original sculptures in clay, plaster and kind every time," she said. "I have control of acrylics have been exhibited in numerous solo splashing the bronze, which is really what cre- and group shows in Toronto and in New York, ates it." where she lived before moving to Oakville four Horvath also adds colour ­ reds, browns, years ago. golds and oranges ­ to her pieces. "As an artist, you've got to keep pushing and pushing and pushing," she said of her new bronze sculpture endeavours. "I've always liked to challenge myself." Horvath is creating a second series of open sand cast bronze sculptures, again depicting the human form. "I'm going to focus on a more dramatic positioning and emotion," she said. "I'll actually be utilizing more of the natural splashes. It will be more erratic." While Horvath admits each piece takes "so much time, has so many steps and is so much physical labour," it's one of her loves. "At my age, I should be going to Disney World with the grandkids, but I'm in the foundry," she said, smiling. To contact Gabrielle Horvath, call 905-4641314 or visit http://www.arttao.com/Gabrielle.html Her work will be on display at Abbozzo Gallery, 179 Lakeshore Rd. E., until mid September. -- Krissie Rutherford can be contacted at krutherford@oakvillebeaver.com Tentative deal for student services personnel A tentative settlement has been reached between the Halton District School Board and its Professional Student Services Personnel (PSSP) represented by the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF), Halton. Continuing negotiations culminated in an agreement reached Monday. Details of the tentative, four-year deal between the professional staff and the school board are to remain confidential until ratification by both parties. The Halton District School Board approved the contract at a special board meeting Wednesday night, while the PSSP bargaining unit will hold its ratification meeting on Sept. 6. "We are pleased to have come to a mutually-beneficial agreement with the PSSP group which will ultimately serve the needs of our system and our students," said Dawn Beckett-Morton, executive director of human resources for the Halton District School Board. PSSP President, Willi Steinke, stated, "We believe our membership will see this agreement as one that starts to address the issues of compensation and contracting out. Both issues had been identified by the membership as priorities for this round of negotiations." The Halton Professional Student Services Personnel employee group represents approximately 65 staff who work directly with students in the roles of psychological education consultants, speech language pathologists, social workers and child and youth counsellors. Get Your Wheels in Motion t he Fun J oin out Ask Ab arties yP Birthda Dog Guides need foster families Fostering a future Dog Guide for Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides is a fun and loving experience that can make a difference in the lives of Canadians with disabilities. Puppies live with their foster families until they are about one year of age before beginning their training as Dog Guides in one of three programs: Canine Vision Canada, Special Skills of Dogs Canada and Hearing Ear Dogs of Canada. If you are interested in the fostering experience, please call the Puppy Program at Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides at 905-842-2891 or visit www.dogguides.com. 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