The Bronze Sculptures of Ann Fleming: Windows to the Essential

I have recently become intrigued with the processes and motivations behind the work of sculptural artist Ann Fleming. The bronze sculptures she creates are so compelling that I thought I'd spend a few minutes exploring this fascinating artist. On Fleming's web site's home page there is an intriguing word written there with a definition. It says, "Essential: constituting the essence of something." This is good stuff! Only a person who considers their own inner workings, and how their work impacts the lives of others, would think to put something like that on her home page. I appreciate that.

When I first thought about why she put that definition in such a prominent place, I wondered if maybe Fleming was asking a fundamental question about the work she does, or betraying a small sense of doubt about the value of her work. Certainly, I wondered, creating a bronze figure must be about more than getting in touch with the essence of something. As I have thought about this, I am confidant that Fleming's work is motivated by wanting to express something all can relate to, something functional, something essential, and that there is no doubt in her about the value of her work. In fact, the grace and confidence she manifests in her art proves that the question is not for herself at all. Rather, it is asked as a way to create an introspection and an insight in the lives of those blessed to participate with her bronze sculptures.

Maybe a brief exploration of what "essential" means might be helpful. It is true that "essential" is "what constitutes the essence of something", but this doesn't quite make the significance of the word as explicit as it could be. To say that something is essential is to say that it is fundamental, or necessary. It is that which could not not be. This philosophic double talk is fun, right? That which could not not be is that which must be. It is something without which a thing could not exist. Enough of that. The point is that what Fleming is asking us to consider is that in her bronze sculptures she is portraying something essential about the human story. We each get to discover what that is for ourselves.

Ann Fleming is no ordinary artist because, for her, telling stories through her bronze sculptures is the function of her work, and not merely a by-product of it. In her own words she describes this perfectly when she says, "My work tells stories. I have tried to capture a kind of innocence or essence, the enchantment of believing in something bigger than ourselves … or the simple joy of just being human. In a way, these pieces are like fairy tales. I draw from the well of my own experiences, of all of our experiences. Sometimes a shape comes to mind and brings with it its own story, but often times a story comes and calls out its own shape."

To experience an Ann Fleming bronze figure is to love it. Because her pieces so skillfully and intuitively capture the essence of some universal truth, we can't help but reach out to touch, feel, and experience these beautiful pieces in a longing effort to understand, and connect with, the essential truths that our own stories and journeys reveal.