Bradley and MacDonald hold sculpt-off

MONTEREY, Calif. -- When sculptor Paige Bradley announced last fall that she was moving her studio space from Monterey, Calif. to Carmel Valley, Calif., her longtime friend and mentor Richard MacDonald wouldn't let her leave without challenging her to a sculpt-off.

In October, during a sculpting workshop, MacDonald and Bradley faced off in a sculpting dual. The workshop participants became spectators as the two sculptors began crafting 24-inch figures in clay from a model. After two and a half hours of intense concentration, the competitors finished their sculptures and the contest with a high-five.

"It is wonderful that two people can have this kind of connection," Bradley said. "It is very rare. We almost made sculpting a sport today."

Bradley met MacDonald in 1994 when, as an aspiring artist, she began her apprenticeship in his Carmel, Calif.-based Richard MacDonald Studios--a huge gallery and foundry space that he runs his business out of. "I came to him with little or no technical knowledge," said Bradley. "In fact, I called his office twice a day for a month until I got an interview. When we finally met, he asked me what I could possibly do to help him and his company. Finally, after convincing him I could sweep floors, he hired me for half a day as long as I promised not to touch anything." Within a year she was head of his mold department.

By 1997, Bradley was studying at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art in Philadelphia and had work in several galleries across the nation. In 1999, she moved her studio space into MacDonald's 27,000-square-foot building in order to facilitate her production. In September 2003, Bradley opened a new studio space in Carmel Valley, Calif. Her work is currently in 23 galleries around the country. Her new pieces will be unveiled at Artexpo New York.

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