Here's an extra special treat: an article on William Charles Rotsler from the Tuesday, May 17, 1955 Oxnard Press-Courier reporting on Bill Rotsler's creation of a bronze sculpture for the Beverly Hillon
Hotel in Los Angeles. (a tip of the hat to the William Rostler site for the original article)
By Stan Mandel
In
the sun-drenched. Santa Rosa Valley, six miles cast of Camarillo, a youthful
artist this week will complete a decorative sculpture piece in metal which will
adorn the entranceway to a plush Beverly Hills hotel scheduled to open this
summer. To William Rolster it will be the "biggest thing" he's done
in his live years of sculpture work, and he's "proud of it."
The
sculpture piece, consisting of three "ancient-type" towers
constructed of bronze will be placed in an eight-inch deep circular pool near
the entrance of the Beverly Hillon Hotel at Wilshire and Santa Monica Boulevards.
The
hostelry, another addition to the world-wide Conrad Hilton chain, was
originally scheduled to open June 3. Delays are expected to postpone the gala opening
until later in the summer.
Big Project
One
tower will he 25 feet high, a
second will reach skyward for 21 feel. Both will be composed of four giant "balls" of stripped bronze pieces. A third tower of one such "bail"
will be 14 feet
high.
The
three towers will be placed
close together within the
32-foot pool to form a colorful fountain.
Six-Inch
pipe will run up the center of the towers carrying water to the top of each,
allowing it to flow down the brass plated sides. A pumping system installed
beneath the pool will circulate the water.
Colored
tiles will cover the bottom of the pool and colored lights, operated by
electronic dimmers, will be placed inside of the towers to present a continuously
changing lighting effect through the flowing water.
YOUTHFUL ARTIST, William Bolster, holds model for his sculptured bronze fountain piece which will adorn the entranceway to the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Bills. The three towers will be placed in a circular pool. One tower will be 25 feet high, second 21 feet high, and the third 14 feet high.
$15,000 Job
Construction
of the pool and fountain will cost the hotel owners $45,000 including the pumping
system, lighting and finishing touches. Rotsler will receive $6,500 for his
part of the display.
The
28-year-old artist began work on the project some six months ago at his
father's 200-acre walnut and citrus Rancho Santa Rosa in the valley.
The
youth's workshop in a large corrugated building which is used by his father, Charles
Rotsler, as a storage shed during harvest season. When not busily engaged in
sculpturing, young Rotsler doubles as foreman on the ranch,
Rotsler's
art background dates back to 1950 when he completed 3 1/2 years of study at the
Los Angeles County Art Institute. Before that he had attended Ventura College
for a year studying some art. He graduated from Oxnard Union High School in 1944.
Little Sculpturing
"The
funny thing about my art education," Rotsler commented, "is that I
never studied any sculpturing. It was always some other phase of art.
"I
started doing sculpture work five years ago," he said, "but its been
only during the past three years that I've been earning most of my income from
it."
Beginning
with sculptures in both wire and metal, Rotsler now specializes solely in metal
work.
Most
of his past work has been metal wall murals. Only few have been in wire. He
also has several smaller fountains to his credit. His work adorns facades in Chicago, New York,
Florida and in the Los Angeles area.
His
work was all done at the Ventura County ranch. He will ship the parts to the site with full instructions
for assembly.
SURROUDNED by Giant Bronze "Balls" to be used In the construction of a sculptured fountain, is William Rotsler, artist of Santa Rosa Valley. Behind him is a storage shed used as his workshop on his father's walnut and citrus ranch,
How They're Made
In
constructing the giant "balls" for the towers Rotsler began with
smooth sheets of one-eighth-inch thick bronze. The sheets were then cut into
strips about six inches wide and tapered at the ends where they were welded
together to form the "balls."
Roister
then used hot torches to "puddle" the bronze to build up the surface
to form an illusion of depth. Heat applied to the top side of the strips melted
the bronze and splattered the metal to produce a rough surface pattern.
He
expected to complete the project this week and send it down to Los Angeles by
truck. It will take a week to
assemble it there.
Rotsler
noted that he spends an average of seven hours a day at his sculpture work.
Assisting him with the project is a friend, John Irving of Los Angeles.
Living with Rotsler at the ranch is his wife, Abney,
who is an artist in her own right. Using the professional name of Abney
Stevenson, she has done dancing and singing in the movies. They have a
six-month-old daughter, Lisa,
Also preparing artwork for the hotel is Bernard
Rosenthal, creator of the recently completed controversial statue at the Los.
Angeles Police Building. He is preparing a sculptured 11-foot wide star-type
piece for the hotel's lobby. He has visited Rotsler at the ranch on numerous
occasions to confer with him on the fountain.
Read 5 Time Hugo Winner William Rotsler's Patron Of The Arts ($2.99 - Free on Amazon Unlimited) and The Far Frontier ($2.99)
