Waiting for the 'Muse'
FORT WALTON BEACH - For the last four months, Richard Bauer's sculpture has been rising in a graceful arc of rusted steel from the concrete floor of his workshop.
It towers over Bauer, who most people know as the jeweler at Aurum's Studio in Fort Walton Beach.
Soon, the sculpted arch named "Muse" will tower over students and visitors to the Visual Arts Center at Northwest Florida State College in Niceville.
Bauer was selected from 15 artists in three states to design the college's newest sculpture, which will stand in what used to be a patch of oleander in front of the building.
"I love it," Bauer said of the yearlong sabbatical that has allowed him to sculpt his new work. "It's been a lot of fun. I'm honored."
The project's patron is Dotty Blacker, a Valparaiso woman whose donations helped build the center and pay for the existing sculpture, "Winds of Change."
Bauer's piece is crafted from a type of steel that will rust to a certain extent and then stop, he explained.
His sculpture is abstract. He said it represents beauty and grace and that it is a "sensual, free-flowing, organic piece."
As it nears completion, plans are being made to bring it to the college in September.
Last week, Blacker and art professor Steve Phillips stopped by to check on the progress Bauer has made.
"It is just fantastic," Blacker said. "When it's put up there, it's going to ... "
She paused while searching for the right description. Phillips finished the thought for her.
"Look like it's always been there," he said.