Artist enters international competition

For the last four months, Bigfork artist Sunti Pichetchaiyakul hasn’t gotten much more than four hours of sleep each night.

The reason: Gerald Ford had to look perfect, right down to the eyelashes.

Sunti’s sculpture of the late president will be on display in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids, Mich. for about three weeks starting Sept. 21 as part of the third annual ArtPrize competition.

The contest brings together over 1,500 artists from around the world, representing 42 states and 21 countries. During the event, Grand Rapids is transformed into a massive art gallery, with work on display at several locations — both indoor and outdoor — throughout the city.

With $484,000 to be awarded to the top 25 artists — who are determined by public vote over the course of the exhibit — ArtPrize is a lucrative opportunity for emerging and established artists alike.

Last year, Sunti’s sculpture of a meditating monk, which is currently on display at his gallery in downtown Bigfork, earned him a spot in the top 25.

“His (display) spot was up on the third floor of a building downtown, and had he been in a better venue, I think he definitely would have been in the top 10,” said Sunti’s wife, Erica. “This year his venue will be outdoors in the heart of downtown.”

Sunti’s entry actually includes two separate pieces: an impressionistic bronze sculpture of President Ford, and a life-size, realistic fiberglass-and-resin sculpture of the same man.

The realistic sculpture will be positioned in front of the bronze piece, as if Ford is contemplating his own likeness.

For his second ArtPrize effort, Sunti wanted to select a subject that would resonate with the people of Grand Rapids. To him, Gerald Ford — who spent much of his childhood in the southwest Michigan city — seemed like the perfect choice.

“President Ford is basically the hero of Grand Rapids,” Erica said. “Sunti wanted to create something they (the people of Grand Rapids) could identify, because it really shows his artistic talent.”

Although he knew that finishing both pieces in time for the contest was an ambitious goal, Sunti wanted his entry to show that he is not a one-dimensional artist.

“I wanted to show two styles, so that people can see that I can do both,” Sunti said. “I love doing hyperrealistic (sculptures), but I also love doing impressionistic work.”

His project became even dearer to his heart after former First Lady Betty Ford passed away July 8.

“Betty Ford was really excited about Sunti doing this sculpture,” Erica said. “The (Ford) family wasn’t very happy with the wax sculpture (of President Ford) that Madame Toussauds did because it didn’t really capture his expression. They thought it made him look too angry.”

Sunti spent a long time studying photos of the late president as he came up with the concept for his piece.

“Most photos of President Ford show him smiling a big, toothy grin,” Erica said. “But when you’re creating a fiberglass piece, you have to use an expression that a person could hold for a long time. Otherwise it doesn’t look realistic.”

Sunti’s fiberglass sculpture shows the former president in a relaxed stance, with one knee slightly bent. One arm is folded casually across his chest, and the other holds an old-fashioned tobacco pipe a few inches from his body. His lips are curled into a slight smile, as if to suggest that he is pleased with the bronze sculpture in front of him.

Every detail has been accounted for, from moles and freckles to veins and hairlines.

Sunti has spent hours perfecting small, seemingly inconsequential regions of the sculpture. For example, each strand of hair must be individually tied onto a piece of netting attached to the head.

“Some days, my daughter would sit on my lap and help me,” Sunti said. “She would hold up a hair, and say, ‘Here Daddy, here’s another hair.’”

To the untrained eye, the fiberglass sculpture appears virtually flawless. In Sunti’s mind, however, there are always improvements to be made.

“It’s not completely finished,” Erica said. “When he gets to the show and sees the lighting, he will touch up the face and tweak the hair and eyelashes.”

Whether or not he earns one of the coveted top 10 spots, Sunti is hoping the contest will help generate more interest in his work among members of the national art community.

“Winning would definitely open some doors for us,” Erica said. “Being a new artist in the United States, exposure is really important.”