Coppersmith

A Brief History Around Dominick Laruccia, Jr.

In about 1968 I started taking private music lessons on the flute, my instrument. The instructor that I had, Rick Staff, was being mentored by Dominick Laruccia, Jr. Had was a fantastic flute player and at 18 was performing at Carnegie Hall playing the Mozart Flute Concerto in D. Dominick was a participant at the first session of the Music Academy of the West back in the early 1950s.

Later in the fifties, he attended Berkley and graduated with a degree in organic chemistry. Out of college, he went to work at the Borax Corporation, (20 Mule Team Borax).

As a side, he continued to be part of the music scene in Orange County with chamber groups. He had a group called the DoHaBe players, Dominical, David and Buella, fellow musicians.

 

Somewhere around the early 1960s, Dominick resigned from his position at Borax and went into the art business. He found his niche when a person named Bob French introduced him into oxygen-acetylene welding with silver and bronze alloys. 

With that style of constructivism (additive sculpting) he began to create unique pieces using copper, glass, bronze alloys, semi-precious stones, glass, gold wire. 

His pieces were marketed and Gump's in San Francisco, Neiman Marcus in Dallas, America house in NY and galleries in L.A. Palm Springs and La Jolla.

I came on the scene when my flute instructor suggested I work part-time as a sculptor's assistant. I did the repetitive tasks of cutting out components, polishing the sculpted trees and other odd jobs. In the early 70s, Dominick went back to NY and left me to take care of the studio-residence. Of course, like the sorcerer's apprentice, I took up the torch and started welding my own pieces, many of which are still in my collection. My focus as been the sculpted tree-like forms with glass marbles that were a mainstay of Dominick's production.

Over the years I have managed to purchase some of his pieces made from the 60s into the 70s. WOrking for Dominick as like being with a DaVinci sort of genius. I had a Ph.D. style of education in music, art, gardening with a little chemistry thrown in.

I look forward to taking up the torch again and sculpting.

 

 

 

This is a link to my blog relating to my sculpting world.

 

Many thanks

 

https://blog.michaelscateringsb.com/coppersmith/

 

Dominick Laruccia History from Associates

I recall a story Dominick told me about the difference when Pauline water the plants verses an employee. The observation was her method saturated the soil and the employee merely moistened the dirt. I was not aware that Dominick had been hit by a car. On one occasion back in the late 70s, I had a visit and noticed a limp. The story he told was that he had attempted suicide and failed. He was unconscious on the floor of his flat in Queens for several days and the immobility caused nerve damage in one leg.
Some time, about 2003 I attempted to see him and went to his flat in Queens only to find tradesmen their renovating an empty space. As best I could gather from the Puerto Rican neighbor was that he had gone to live with a brother in law. A letter addressed to him in 2006 was returned. In February of 2011, I read an obituary that he passed on January 26, 2011. I did speak to a distant cousin, Victor Laruccia, and he had a few recollections of "il genio."
I did meet his sister and kids once in the early 70s, Palmyra I think was her name. She was visiting the west coast and I helped with transportation. I can imagine that the sister and Dominick had problems. I recall a conversation with him once when he said, I got ride of all the nuts and crazy people in my life, and no one is left. He did have an eccentric personality. I new felt he has a strong NY accent.
I find wisps of his life on the internet such as a patent from Borax that bears his name, a national flute school directory and a reference to a recording in the NY Public Library he made as a young man.

 

From another person:

I have a Laruccia wire sculpture, given to me by my dear friend, Pauline French. I think Pauline and DL may have been friends. Pauline and her husband, Robert, owned a retail nursery somewhere in Orange County, where the 55 freeway now runs. Robert was a sculptor, Pauline an artist. They were a totally unusual, fascinating couple! Robert insisted that they change their lives every 7 years. They were managers of The Players Club, owned by Preston Sturges, on Sunset in Hollywood. Robert built PS a yacht during that time. Huntington Hartford bought their home, which Pauline had designed, for a mistress. They opened a cafe on the Left Bank in Paris. I have some of Pauline's cookbooks from that period; also her complete collection of Cordon Bleu copper cookware from the cafe. Robert had been an Olympic diver, Pauline worker for Disney when they met. Pauline had been one of the models for Disney's Snow White. Her voice sounded exactly like Snow White's! Robert had showings of his scultures. I have a photo of Robert with Vincent Price, with the large piece VP bought. Pauline was a prolific artist The walls of her home were covered with paintings. She painted whatever struck her fancy at the time. Her last painting was of a pink upholstered chair! And it was beautiful! Unfortunately, when she died, she left all Robert's sculptures and her paintings to her brother; Pauline and Robert had no children. I live in the house she designed after Robert died. She gave it to me and my husband, whom she thought of as her son. She died around 1990. I still miss her. She was , by far, the most intelligent, interesting person I have ever met.

Randy Blackman Brookins

 

I read some of your blog with great interest and much nostalgia.

I was a lab technician at U.S.Borax from 1958 through 1960 when I returned to school. Although I didn't assist Dominic (that's how he spelled his name then, actually it was Dominico Giovanni Phillipi Larrucia) we had many lively, educational, funny and philosophical discussions. He was a very fascinating individual. Unfortunately, much maligned too.

I did keep in touch while I still lived in Orange County (until 1963). He was dabbling with metal art then while at USBRC and then at Douglas Space.

I think he felt unaccepted in the science community and found the art world more friendly.

In 1965 I called him because I saw a large piece he made earlier, called "Winged Victory", as office decoration in a Rock Hudson movie titled "A Very Special Favor"

The last time I spoke with him was in early 2010. It was a melancholy conversation reviving lots of memories. A year later there was no answer, the number was gone...and so was he.

He was indeed a very talented man and I am grateful for the short time we spent together.

Ed Reynolds

Copper Fountain from Laruccia

Some time ago, I was contacted by an individual about a fountain done by Dominick Laruccia. The piece is some 30" tall so it is one of the larger sculptures by Dominick that I have seen.

It appears to have a sort of tick-tock design to empty the cones. There is some damage and wear but I could affect repairs. I would expect the pump not to work due to wear and tear. The metal is copper with a bronze-like allow used to braise the pieces together. The patina was applied with an acid wash developed by Dominick. He was a trained organic chemist and developed his own formulas.

Hopefully, the piece still exists and I can recontact the owner.

Enjoy the photos

 

 

Michael Hutchings

Coppersmith

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dominick Laruccia, Jr. Sculptures and Photo Archives

 

 

Geometric Copper Sculpture 1963

Geode by Dominick Laruccia Jr. Copper Modernist Sculpture

A few months back I found a sculpture listed on a web site called 1stdibs. A gallery dealer called PCH Modern had a piece listed as a "Bertoia Style Sculpture." I know the work of Harry Bertoia and understand how the piece wold be likened to one of his sculptures. Typically, he did not sign his work and the style is unique with a certain level of craftsmanship that it is easy to make that assumption.

In looking at the photographs on the web site, I was struck on how similar the piece was to the sculpting style of Dominick Laruccia, Jr. Dominick has been referenced in earlier posts on this blog. Last December while going through some of my photo archives, I was stunned to find an old black and white photo of the same piece. Later I ran across a negative I have from Laruccia and discovered that I had a negative of the photo that he took when the piece was sculpted back in 1965. It was a most remarkable turn of events that the piece turned up on the internet and I had the original negative. I knew that I had to have the sculpture. I am delighted to add this one of a kind piece to the collection and share it with the art world.

My initial offer to purchase garnered no response. Listed at $2100, I felt that the asking price was too high given that Laruccia is a relative unknown compared to Harry Bartoia. Yesterday, I was in the City of Carson on other business and took a chance and went by the PCH Modern gallery. It was located in an industrial area and was closed. My call to the owner was returned later and I was able to view the piece. I discovered that there was damage to one of the "wings" and the whole piece was bent. Since I am able to repair the piece, I made an offer. The price was higher that I would have preferred but I felt that I should have the piece. It is unique and the providence of having the photo was a compelling argument to get the piece.

The sculpture is made from copper shot, copper rods and a braising alloy. It stands 13.5 inches high and about 7.5 inches wide. There is a natural patination along with the flame patination of the copper surface. Three boomerang-shaped wings support a hollow sphere made from copper shot. There is an opening on the sphere that gives a geode sort of look, hence the name. The base is also of copper shot. The legs of the boomerangs are somewhat fragile as they are only 1/8 inch diameter and the geode sphere has some heft as it is a fair amount of copper. The damage is in three ares, one wing is detached, one when has a slight wavy bend and the whole upper portion has tilted, as if it had been dropped. Of note is that the piece is unsigned and does not have the typical copper name plate underneath. I have no doubt though that it is a Laruccia.

I have since repaired the piece and restored it to original condition.

 

 

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Another Laruccia Tree

 

Laruccia Sculpted Copper Tree

 

Recently I was emailed by a person who owns one of Laruccia's copper trees. Here is my reply to the owner.

Thank you for sharing the photos of the Laruccia sculpted copper tree. This was made between 1969-1972 at his studio in Orange, CA. I have estimated that some 400 plus trees were made between 1965-1972. I would have been the one to polish and put the finish on the piece. It is an interesting design with off base roots and a trunk that dips down to the copper base.

The base is made from copper cable formed into a ring, filled with copper beads and braised with a bronze like allow. The tree trunk is made from a larger copper cable, braised, The roots are free formed in mid-air using the bronze like allow. The cups that hols the glass balls are punched out of copper sheet, hand formed and braised onto the wires then painted with two coats of paint. The glass is then glued on top of the painted cups.

It appears that a few of the roots have their tips broken, not uncommon. The branches would have been shaped in a more symmetrical manner and over time they are distorted by handling.

Sometimes the glass falls off and can be repaired by using epoxy glue. Fading happens to the colors especially if they are left in direct light.

 

I have some 20 variations from laruccia on the sculpted tree as well as other pieces. His style was diverse and he was a technical master of the craft. I have some pieces done in 1963 that are still in great shape and should last well over 100 years, as he predicted.

 

Michael Hutchings

 

Thank you for sharing your piece.

 

Laruccia Copper-Gold Wound Sculpture

I was recently contacted by a person that owns a Laruccia copper sculpture. It is a great example of the wire-wound copper pieces Laruccia made in the mid 1960s. The gold-plated wire winding are in great shape, which is not usually the case. It appears to be made of copper tubing and set on a rare wood base. Dominick hand finished his own wooden bases and used woods like ebony, rosewood and zebra woods. They were finished on a belt sander with successively finer abrasives. The metal work was done using a bronze like, phosphorus alloy.

Here is her email.

"I have a Laruccia wire sculpture, given to me by my dear friend, Pauline French. I think Pauline and DL may have been friends. Pauline and her husband, Robert, owned a retail nursery  somewhere in Orange County, where the 55 freeway now runs. Robert was a sculptor, Pauline an artist. They were a totally unusual, fascinating couple! Robert insisted that they change their lives every 7 years. They were managers of The Players Club, owned by Preston Sturges, on Sunset in Hollywood. Robert built PS a yacht during that time. Huntington Hartford bought their home, which Pauline had designed, for a mistress. They opened a cafe on the Left Bank in Paris. I have some of Pauline's cookbooks from that period; also her complete collection of Cordon Bleu copper cookware from the cafe. Robert had been an Olympic diver, Pauline worker for Disney when they met. Pauline had been one of the models for Disney's Snow White. Her voice sounded exactly like Snow White's! Robert had showings of his sculptures. I have a photo of Robert with Vincent Price, with the large piece VP bought. Pauline was a prolific artist The walls of her home were covered with paintings. She painted whatever struck her fancy at the time. Her last painting was of a pink upholstered chair! And it was beautiful! Unfortunately, when she died, she left all Robert's sculptures and her paintings to her brother; Pauline and Robert had no children. I live in the house she designed after Robert died. She gave it to me and my husband, whom she thought of as her son. She died around 1990. I still miss her. She was , by far, the most intelligent, interesting person I have ever met."

What a great story. My reply...

I recall a story Dominick told me about the difference when Pauline water the plants verses an employee. The observation was her method saturated the soil and the employee merely moistened the dirt. I was not aware that Dominick had been hit by a car. On one occasion back in the late 70s, I had a visit and noticed a limp. The story he told was that he had attempted suicide and failed. He was unconscious on the floor of his flat in Queens for several days and the immobility caused nerve damage in one leg.

Some time, about 2003 I attempted to see him and went to his flat in Queens only to find tradesmen their renovating an empty space. As best I could gather from the Puerto Rican neighbor was that he had gone to live with a brother in law. A letter addressed to him in 2006 was returned. In February of 2011, I read an obituary that he passed on January 26, 2011. I did speak to a distant cousin, Victor Laruccia, and he had a few recollections of "il genio."

I did meet his sister and kids once in the early 70s, Palmyra I think was her name. She was visiting the west coast and I helped with transportation. I can imagine that the sister and Dominick had problems. I recall a conversation with him once when he said, I got ride of all the nuts and crazy people in my life, and no one is left. He did have an eccentric personality. I new felt he has a strong NY accent.

I find wisps of his life on the internet such as a patent from Borax that bears his name, a national flute school directory and a reference to a recording in the NY Public Library he made as a young man.

 

Sculpture by Dominick Laruccia - Fanciful Wizard

I was recently contacted by a gentleman in Mission, Kansas, about a Laruccia sculpture that he had inherited  from a friend. His story is below. What interested me was that it was a character piece with a depiction of a fanciful creature in an odd pose. Mostly, the sculpted trees are the pieces brought to my attention. John Pierson, the owner of the piece, call it a "bird on a wire." He said that it had racial connotations. More on that topic below.

The piece is a charming sculpture with a cone shaped figure sitting on a telephone pole and stands 12 inches high. The figure has the left hand touching the mouth with the index finer and the right hand open and at one point holding something. The right arm has a slight dimple where the elbow would be and it may have been more upright when first made. This would make sense as the figure appears to be pondering some deep thought.

It is made from copper on a rare wood base. The telephone pole is made from 3/8 inch copper rod with the body made from sheet copper, copper wire, copper chain and copper braising alloy. The body and hat are small hand-formed cones. The head was made from two copper discs that were first rounded in a dapping die then probably pinched to form ovals. The eyes were made of copper beads. The legs and feet are copper roofing nails that had the edges folder underneath.

Restored Wizzard on a Wire

All in all, a cleaver, fanciful sculpture. What is missing are two objects that were glued to the right hand and the end of the tassel attached to the cone hat. They were most likely small, clear glass marbles as indicated by the residual epoxy cement on the piece. This leads me to rename the piece "Wizard on a Wire." I am delighted to add this to my collection of Laruccia works. I am happy to comment on any Laruccia sculptures you may have and I would be delighted to discus purchase as well. chef2@aol.com

 

Michael Hutchings

Coppersmith

P.S. The sculpture has residual glue points on the extended hand and tassel which I replaced. The arm also was bent and the extended position restored.

 Notes and History

 From John Pierson

“Hi  I met John "Grover" Krummel in the mid 90s.  We found we had a lot in common i.e. same cars owned in the 60s when we were young, politics etc. When he got out of the navy he had been trained in communications and computers. Upon his return to civilian life and with his knowledge of computers he got a job with AT&T. He must have been good at it because he rose in AT&T to become a senior computer-software engineer for AT&T. This job transferred him all over the country from the bay area to Louisiana to Kansas City, Chicago etc. His marriage fell apart because of all the moves. After the divorce he came to Kansas City because he liked the area. This is where I met him. He had two sons who blamed him for the divorce so (there was) little contact. He had diabetes and it was severe to where he was loosing his eyesight. One morning he called me and said he felt terrible and going to hospital. He was there  15 minutes and had a massive heart attack. Unknown to me he made me his living will decider. After a week of talking to doctors I had them pull the plug and he was gone in 10 seconds. His sons told me all they wanted was the bank books and since I was his friend I could have all his possessions. In going through his things I came across what I call “the bird on a wire” which I thought/think is a neat little item so I kept it. Now you have it and I am glad it is in a good place to be enjoyed as it should be and I am sure "Grover" is also.” From John Pierson

The web had other references to the origine "bird on a wire" such as:

"Bird on the Wire" is one of Leonard Cohen's signature songs. It was recorded 26 September 1968 in Nashville and included on his 1969 album Songs from a Room. A May 1968 recording produced by David Crosby, entitled "Like a Bird", was added to the 2007 remastered CD from Wikipedia Quote from Leonard Cohen,  Leonard Cohen  At a certain point, I bumped into Suzanne Vaillancourt [?], who was the wife of a friend of mine, they were a stunning couple around Montreal at the time, physically stunning, both of them, a handsome man and woman, everyone was in love with Suzanne Vaillancourt, and every woman was in love with Armand Vaillancourt. But there was no... well, there was thought, but there was no possibility, one would not allow oneself to think of toiling at the seduction of Armand Vaillancourt's wife. First of all he was a friend, and second of all as a couple they were inviolate, you just didn't intrude into that kind of shared glory that they manifested. I bumped into her one evening, and she invited me down to her place near the river. She had a loft, at a time when lofts were... the word wasn't used. She had a space in a warehouse down there, and she invited me down, and I went with her, and she served me Constant Comment tea, which has little bits of oranges in it. And the boats were going by, and I touched her perfect body with my mind, because there was no other opportunity. There was no other way that you could touch her perfect body under those circumstances. So she provided the name in the song. Bird on the Wire So either (a) the bird and the drunk are already free and he wants to be like them or (b) that they are both looking for freedom just like he is. So for (b) 'bird on the wire' is just a bird on a telephone line. A bird who is free to do as it pleases. It can take off and land as it feels. Or (c) 'bird on the wire' is as CatJones suggested, a trapped bird. People use birdlime made from holly to stick birds feet to whatever they happen to land on. From http://boards.straightdope.com

 

 

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P.O.P. Copper Sculpture

 

P.O.P. (Pile of Pipes)

Here is an "in studio" photo of a piece just completed. It is my larges piece to date and stands about 24 inches tall. Most of the materials is re-purposed scrap copper from my local metal recycling facility. The piece is composed of mostly copper pipes. I used a large sledge hammer and the anvil my father gave me to crimp the pipe into sections and cut them into various lengths. I finished the top with a solid copper sphere. The base was made from plumbing fittings, copper wire, sheet and copper shot. It is designed as a garden piece and I may accelerate the patination by applying chemicals to produce a verdigris affect. 

The inspiration came from the works of Claire Falkenstein who was a noted sculptor from the early 1900 through about 1995. Claire  was an American sculptor, painter, print maker, jewelry designer, and teacher, most renowned for her often large-scale abstract metal and glass public sculptures.  She made a series of pieces employing copper pipe and glass. 

 

Michael Hutchings

Coppersmith

Evolution of a Sculpted Copper Tree

Last year I sculpted a large copper tree, 12" in height and about 8 pounds. While the piece was fine, something about the proportions seemed wrong. One thing about copper is that it is amenable to revisions. I have used pliers to bend red hot metal into shape much like a glass blower works molten glass, repaired root structures, removed whole pieces from a base and changed marble sizes.

In this case, the branches were too long and became a dominant visual focus. The solution was to shorten the branches by 2-3 inches and add back the marble fruit. I used the change to also redo the color scheme to an olive tree look which was the model for the tree. The copper "rock" that the tree is mounted upon was made by melting down scrap copper into a solid copper nugget. The whole idea was to have a bonsia style of a tortured tree. This piece is available for purchase. 805-568-1896

Michael Hutchings

Coppersmith

 

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