Bernard Pfriem died in New York, March 1996. He had been ill for years, but his great joie de vivre always shone, even in January 1996 when I last visited him. He was a great mentor to me, despite the puzzling aspects of his communication and his personality. Or perhaps these enhanced his mentor role, difficulties prodded deeper thinking and an understanding that one can continue to learn only when one’s own backbone is sturdy.

There was some discussion of me doing a plaque, a bas-relief portrait of Bernard in stone for the school. Somehow that didn’t seem meaningful enough to me, it would be too incidental, like an item checked off a to-do list. Instead, I embarked on a portrait bust of Bernard, fully in the round.

Study Pfriem After JC Couval Photo Mixed

Pfriem Clay

Pfriem Plaster Paint Patina

Pfriem With Totems

Statement About The Portrait

Expo

Expo

Expo