About the Sale
Darlis Lamb was a sculptor of still lives and landscapes. She created in bronze what is usually done in two-dimensional methods. One of her still lives, French Lesson 4, five individual pears, won the ...view moreMedal of Honor at the 1998 Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club Show. Her Zen landscape series share themes of simplicity and serenity and suggest a long journey through life.
Born in Nebraska, she lived her adult life in both Nebraska and Colorado. Her studio was in Englewood, Colorado, where she conducted art workshops. She had an M.A. in Fine Arts and was a colleague member of The National Sculpture Society of New York City and a member of the Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club.
Equipped with a master’s degree in fine arts and a background in costume design, printmaking, and painting, Darlis Lamb approaches sculpture with the whimsy and sensitivity of a well-rounded artist. Consequently, her elegant bronze figures, still lifes, and nature pieces represent form and design in the classic sense, but they also transcend their literal representations. “When artists get a story in their mind, the whole piece is inspired,” notes Lamb. For one sculpture, she arranged an ensemble of tiny pears as models. “To some, maybe they’re just a bunch of pears, but to me, they are a choir. It’s all about imagination.”
Bitten by the sculpture bug after taking a series of ceramics courses, Lamb pursued the discipline with fervor, studying with retired orthopedic surgeon and sculptor Wilfred Stedman and with Mexican sculptor Francisco Zúñiga, who advised: “Create what you are from.” The Englewood, CO, artist applies that principle to this day. “All of my sculptures are facets of myself,” she says.
Staying true to her imaginative side, Lamb puts a spin on the traditional still life in pieces like STILL LIFE WITH BIRDS, a bronze featuring two birds pecking at plum parts on the ground. “They have attitude,” says Lamb, who tries to add expression to her nature pieces, anthropomorphizing them. “People will have their own interpretations, and for me, that completes a sculpture.”
While her work can be described as realistic, much of it approaches superrealism (also known as photorealism), so detailed and complete that the viewer catches a complete sense of the original model. Take a pear from one of her French Lessons series. Indeed, one gallery visitor did try to take the pear, thinking (before she picked it up) that it was a real piece of fruit. Yet Lamb’s intent is not to fool the viewer. Instead she brings to her work a story that may be true or imagined, a weaving of perceptions and feelings that she experiences. She then hopes the viewer creates a story of his own. Her series Bonds in Nature: Birds and Animals highlights her approach. She says, “Almost always, when I am inspired to sculpt a bird or an animal, it is the result of a connection made in some way that creates a bond between myself and a beautiful creature of nature. “Butterscotch (a sculpture of a plump rabbit) was the result of having been caretaker for this pudgy, tame and lovable animal for three and a half weeks, while he modeled for a class I taught at St. Mary’s Academy in Denver. . .For every sculpture, there is a story.” Or consider the piece that features chocolate-dipped strawberries, a brush, and a pot of chocolate. Although rendered in bronze with a patina, the components look yummy enough to eat. Lamb says, “People like strawberries and chocolate, and I wanted to use the brush, too.” She imagined a scenario: someone preparing the dessert for a picnic with the underlying stone as a table, or a family’s children interrupted for refreshments while they were painting.
Special Instructions
Avant Garde Estate Sales is Honored to present the Estate of Renowned Bronze Sculptor and Artist Darlis Lamb. Darlis' sculptures are recognized for their elegant form, classical expression, and sensitive design. Her sculptures ...view moreare represented in several prestigious public collections and gardens including the Benson Sculpture Park where she has three installations including, The Greek, The Greek's Wife and The View in bas relief. Darlis was the first to complete 25 years of participation in The Sculpture in the Park Show and the third woman to have an installation at the park. Darlis won numerous international, national, and regional awards identifying her as one of the country's most accomplished sculptors. We are representing the remainder of Darlis' personal collection. Many of the pieces are the Foundry Proof's, Artist Proofs, One of a Kind Originals, and many of her first run pieces from her prolific series, in her collections. There are also sketch books and documentation of how her creative process came to fruition. Lamb also created Oil Paintings, Charcoal and Pencil Sketches. She was a supporter of local Artists and she also had many pieces of art that she traded and purchased from other talented Artists as well. It is not very often you find a collection of this magnitude and this is an amazing opportunity to add style and sophistication to your own personal collection. Her legacy will live on through her sculpture and the countless lives she touched.
𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝 - The bronzes are heavy and will need to be Crated. Please contact Keith Binzer at Navis Pack & Ship of Denver & Boulder
email for pricing at: co1028@gonavis.com
Please prearrange shipping prior to bidding. 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐢𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬.
Please plan on picking up your items on the day and time specified for buyer pickup. If you are unable to pick up your items on the designated day, please contact us prior to bidding to confirm if another pickup time is available. If you do not make prior arrangements you may have to forfeit your items. Should you purchase furniture and forfeit or no show, there will be a $100.00 charge for removal added to your credit card to remove your items by a third party.
Winning Bidders will be required to bring help to move heavy or large items such as monumental and large bronzes. Packing materials will be the responsibility of the buyer.
If you are unable to move your items there will be a $50.00 per staff per item charge. Items over 100 pounds could be up to 200.00 for moving charges.
If you are unsure about an item please contact us at (970) 825-4700 as we are happy to answer any questions you may have.
All items purchased from our sales are sold as-is and where-is. All sales are final. We attempt to list any damage, wear or repairs to the items we list through our descriptions and photographs. There may be additional issues or wear to the item you are purchasing. Please view the pictures, review the descriptions, and call or text us with any questions you may have if you are unsure of the item condition. Avant Garde specializes in Antique and Vintage items so there will be wear consistent with age. Due to the unique nature of our items, a majority of our items are one of a kind so we are unable to offer returns, credits or exchanges.
Lots under $20 that are not picked up during the designated pickup time are automatically forfeited. Lots over $20 will be given the option for an alternate pickup decided by the auction manager for a fee. (This must be arranged before pickup ends) Larger items such as furniture or breakable items may not apply.
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