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Baptism of Christ
Background
Rip was first approached by the Patron of this project to create a site-specific sculpture depicting Christ being baptized by John. The Patron’s wish was to have an artwork that could also be used as a baptismal font. The work also had to be realistic and include elements directly related to scripture and to the biblical descriptions of Christ’s baptism.
The client was concerned about the specific project timeline, as it had to fit within the overall remodel plan for the Epiphany Catholic Church.
Approach
Rip and his Artist Team approached the project with deep research into the history behind Jesus’ baptism. This research enabled Caswell to incorporate details such as an olive branch, cloth and sandals, camel skin and actual rocks from the Jordan River into the final piece.
As in all of his figurative work, Rip studied and used a live model for each of the two figures. He sculpted the anatomy of each before adding the layers of clothing.
Results
The project was completed on time, within one year from start and within budget. The client was very pleased with the final artwork and plans on working with Rip Caswell on future projects.