Marylou Butler Freelance Writing and Photography

Serena Bates in SO Rhode Island Magazine

Sculptor Serena Bates says that she learns something from each piece and then moves on. Maybe the greatest lesson she learned was early in her career when she created a 400 lb sculpture of a seal in her basement. “It was like building a boat in your basement” she said laughing, “how do you get it out?” In her case she spent a lot of money on pizza and beer for her husband and his friends each time they had to move it for a show. Luckily, the seal has found a permanent home at the Pleasant View Restaurant in Westerly. Lesson learned. Now she's careful not to build anything bigger than herself unless it is for a commission.

Bates, of Westerly, was accepted to Brown and RISD but as one of three daughters of a widow the money for that path was not there. She first attended business school but soon realized how stifling it would be not to be able to express her creative side. While working, she attended Lyme Academy of Fine Arts and sampled many mediums. During her first sculpting class she thought it was way too much work and stuck to painting. Now she says “Painting, although I enjoy it, always felt like work. I can lose myself in sculpting and I found it is what I was meant to do.” She feels that it is a more natural process for her as she is a 3D thinker.

After graduating she went to work in a foundry in Pawtucket and learned more about mold making, problem solving and “what not to do”. With that experience under her belt Bates set out determined to be the best she can be on each and every piece. Today she creates sculpture in bronze, resin, plaster and even aluminum. She has pieces made of copper salvaged from the roof of an old mill in Noank, CT with every bit of history behind them. Passionate about capturing real life moments and personalities, Bates has produced plaques and busts as memorials, mixed the ashes of deceased pets into their permanent likenesses and had created bronze reliefs of animals from photographs. Along the way she has received numerous awards and is represented by the Courtyard Gallery in Mystic, CT. Her work can also be seen at the Artist's Cooperative Gallery of Westerly.

Learning to make her work a priority was another lesson for Bates. She keeps the books for the family business, Pete's Grocery and Deli, as well as attending to her 13 year old “karate” son. After working from home and close to home, Bates' studio is now located in the Noank Foundry in Ct. That bit of separation allows her to lose herself in the medium that she loves.

For more information visit www.serenabates.com or email the artist at serenabates@verizon.net or call her at 401-932-9775