Pictured is a piece of marble culled from the same Tuscan quarry Michelangelo used for his masterpiece statue of David around the year 1500 . located on the coast of northern Tuscany near the foothills of the Italian Alps , boasts some of the finest marble available in the world .
“ It is the best type of marble in the world ,” she said . “ What makes it unique is it is compact and you can get a lot of detail . It is easier to carve and it also has the most light . It ’ s like little crystals so when the light shines on it , it looks like the light is coming from inside .” It ’ s why Michelangelo and many other famous sculptors have chosen to work with marble from the area . Comas said she has worked in a studio in Pietrasanta for years and was lucky to be able to find a suitable piece of marble to work with .
“ The pieces are ( usually ) so small ,” she said . “ They haven ’ t seen a piece that size in 30 years . But I got a call and they came up with the piece .”
While most people think sculptors dive into their work with hammer and chisel to carve a sculpture out of the rock , the process is a lot more intricate and time consuming than that .
Comas said the preparations for carving the masterpiece involved the creation of four clay models , the first of which was a 1-foot version she made in her studio in Fort Lauderdale . “ I took that 1-foot sculpture to Italy and enlarged it to 2 feet ,” she said . A 4-foot version followed and then an 8-foot version , which served as the model for the marble piece .
“ I actually made four sculptures ,” Comas said . From there , the laborious process of transferring the clay model to marble began .
Unlike some sculptors , Comas said she follows the classical method of carving , rather than using a robot . “ I spent 10 years learning how to transfer into marble with the old system ,” she said .
In addition to carving the marble piece that will be on display in the U . S . Capitol , Comas created a bronze statue that will become a centerpiece of the Riverfront Esplanade Park project on Beach Street in Daytona Beach .
“ The bronze is going to have more texture than the marble because it will be outside and catch the light better . It ’ s going to be beautiful to see it outside in the park ,” she said . “ It ’ s a whole different process and also it will look different . They are both unique in their own ways .”
Bronze statue to display at Riverfront Esplanade Park in Daytona Beach
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