Traditional Sculpture
Sculpture and House Signs
Sculpture is an ancient art form, dating far back before man walked upright on the earth. Tool-using primitives were the first to work stones into shapes that resembled the world they knew. Sculpture has blossomed into numerous different techniques and styles, but remains one of the art world's most flexible and widely known disciplines.
Modern sculpture, outside of the arts, has become more of a function of design. While a professional sculptor in the Renaissance era simply had to choose the right moment to unveil his production to the "world", now the modern sculptor is employed to work with color theory, shapes, and abstract thinking in order to improve the allure of what might be an otherwise ordinary household item.
The Modern Renaissance
Such is the case with house signs. House signs are decorative plaques for displaying one's address, street name, and/or family name. They're becoming popular with young homeowners and retired or wealthy people whose main joy in life is making sure their surroundings are pristine.
House number plaques might be crafted from foam, wood, plastic, or even stone. Any of these could be considered sculpture, especially if the effect is one similar to bas-relief, where a three-dimensional picture is portrayed on a flat background.
Different Methods of Sculpting House Signs
Of all the materials available to the sculptor, wood and stone are most often chosen for house signs. Stone house number signs are not often 'sculpted' in the strictest sense; in most cases, lettering or numerals are engraved on the surface of the stone using a specialized printer - but some manufacturers swear by the old-fashioned chisel and mallet method. Hand-carved stone house signs are quite expensive, but they're also very impressive.
Wooden house signs come closer to the ideals of traditional sculpting, as they often require more hands-on work than stone house signs. There are three kinds of wooden house signs: those that are 'printed' and delivered to the customer as 'custom-made wooden house signs'; those that are 'printed' and then hand-carved or worked by a craftsman for detail and authenticity; and those that are hand-crafted from the start by a dedicated sculptor or carver. Of these, house signs are most often of the first variety. The second type of house signs is typically a bit more expensive, but well worth it for the quality. Finally, the third category of house signs craftsmanship is quite rare in this day and age, and highly valuable, often pricing itself out of the market for most consumers.
Sculpture comes into play on home signs in the form of bas-relief graphics, such as three-dimensional dog breed profiles, or clusters of grapes and ivy. House signs are rapidly falling away from the definition of traditional sculpting, but there are some artists and businesspeople who struggle to keep house signs firmly rooted in a foundation of art. Rather than provide a cheap product for a low price, these manufacturers create customized and valuable pieces for their customers, house signs that speak volumes about the homeowner; and, hopefully, such manufacturers will continue to exist through the technology boom, proving that human artistry is still greater than programmatic efficiency and perfection.