Artist in the Spotlight: Sean Cygan
Senior Sean Cygan shows off a few of his most impressive sculptures.
As you probably know by now, ACP students are some of the most well-rounded folks you will meet. One of these young men is Sean Cygan, one the greatest artists ACP has seen. Monday afternoon, Sean gave me a tour of the impressive portfolio he has been building throughout his time in high school.
The Boat
The sinking boat was the first creation of Sean’s high school career, back in his freshman year. It is also the only glazed piece he has created.
“It was supposed to be a water fountain, where the water spout would shoot out the giant hole in the side to get more of an effect of it sinking… we’ll see when it’s completely finished.” Sean is also working on a lighthouse to accompany the boat, and plans to insert a working light into the lighthouse.
The Bridge
“I like doing objects in motion, so I wanted to do the concept of a bridge in the process of collapsing,” said Sean. “I wanted to portray almost a chaotic, destructive element.” This is one of the most impressive art pieces I have seen at the school, as it truly looks like a wooden bridge in collapse. The attention to detail is outstanding in the wood and the water ripples, while clever usage of wire makes the bridge appear to be right in the middle of its destruction.
Nezha
Nezha is one of two characters that Sean has created from his own world, which I think is awesome. I’ll allow him to explain:
“His story is that he takes place in a post-apocolyptic area, where there are separate factions waging war across the shattered remains of Earth. This guy is a lone wolf, and gains the powers of ice, becoming an ice warrior with some soldier elements. He fights for himself, not really for anyone else’s cause.”
I found the thin, fragile look of the cape and ice to be remarkable. When I asked how he created this effect, Sean replied that “I took slabs of clay, and, on one end, pushed my thumb down and pressed it against the table. When I lifted it up, it gave it that thin, sheet-like effect.”
Atheos
The second character I was shown was created at the end of last year, and is named Atheos. Sean has big plans to add onto the already wonderful sculpture.
“There’s going to be a second piece to go with this one of a second character, so that they’ll be locked in battle. Another interesting point about this is that the back is open; what I want to do is put an incense candle in there, and the smoke will come out the eyes and chest to look like energy or power. Hopefully it works, I haven’t tried it yet.”
You will also notice that the character is standing on only 4 strands of wire, giving Atheos an appearance of floating.
Lobster
The lobster was Sean’s first piece of this school year and is a very lighthearted, fun project. His task was to make a bust, but he went a very unconventional route with a crustacean instead of a human. I asked if I could take the little fella home as a pet, but Sean wouldn’t let me 🙁
Sean would like to credit Mrs. McKelvey for helping him to develop his skills in junior high and early high school days, and Miss Krom for allowing him to branch out and “make challenging, sometimes crazy things.” Mr. Cygan plans to continue his art in college and become a graphic designer for movies and/or video games.
