A sculptor and medallic artist, Leonda Finke expresses psychic states through gesture. Says Finke of the human figure: “There I find constantly changing forms [and] a wealth of formal vocabulary [that] is a vehicle for expressing the basic emotions that shape our lives.”
Almost always solitary, her sculptures–no matter how small–have a monumental aspect derived from powerful, classic poses. She has said that she began sculpting women not only because female models are much more common, but also because she rebelled against the sensual, sexualized women sculpted by male artists. Finke’s expressive surfaces capture the process of modeling, and are the result of a long additive and subtractive process working direct in plaster, which is then cast in bronze.
Originally from New York City, Finke now lives on Long Island. She has won numerous awards over the past 70 years, and her sculpture is in many museums worldwide, including Brookgreen Gardens. Finke was recently Guest Sculptor at Chesterwood, the Daniel Chester French museum and estate in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, and appears in this online interview:
Pictured: Woman in a Hammock, bronze
A working sculptor 