Derby's "Brick Man"set for HGTV

The film crew set up in Richard's basement studio, where they stripped the walls down and set up the camera tripods, Lights, monitors and sound equipment in the small 12' x 20' foot sculpture studio that was already setup with an assortment of workbenches and table saws making things a little too close for comfort...at least when it came to sculpting.  The producers set up a make-shift brick wall from Richard's stock pile of raw materials.  Behind the temporary structure sat Richard, who after a bit of television magic was to pop out and say "Hi, I'm Richard DiCarlo, welcome to my studio in the basement of my home  in Derby Connecticut!  I sculpt things out of bricks!"  

Then the stage was set for a long afternoon of filming Richard create one of his incredible brick sculptures. 

Richard says: " It was rather difficult working with a couple of cameras pointing at you. One of them was right over my shoulder at all times while a second swung about me like a giant mosquito, trying to get the best angle on this and that. They had a microphone wired in my shirt with a reciever in the back of my pants.  I couldn't make any sudden moves or else the sound man would cut the scene because it sounded like hurricane when my shirt rustled the sensitive microphone. With my first swing of the mallot against the chisel, I sent a piece of brick hurtling into the air that bounced off the far wall and struck one of the cameramen in the eye. After that it was pretty much smooth sailing with the exception of a slip of a razor sharp wood chisel and my pet cat, Shadow wanting to get in his cameo appearance.  We were lucky to get almost everything shot in one or two takes with the exception of my closing line which was a simple ..."And that's how I create my Mythological Kitty"  It took me about ten takes to get it right."  The  entire shoot lasted over six hours.

Richard, is known throughout the Art world as the "Brick Man", He carves these wonderful sculptures in brick entirely by hand, no mechanical devices! He's been creating these pieces known as "Urban Fossils since 1989. The concept was discovered while helping a friend at a gallery down in New York's SOHO art district. They were using old bricks to form a make-shift pedestal for a large artwork so it can be seen in a display window.  A group of foreign tourists came by and wanted to buy the plain bricks as souvenirs.  Not wanting to pass up a sale, they obliged. Richard offered to clean off the mortar from the old brick with a hammer and an old screwdriver. It was then that he discovered that he can carve into them.  His idea did not hit him until he asked one of the tourists "Why they wanted to buy old bricks?"   His reply was: "They wanted to take a piece of New York home with them."  They went right to work creating wonderful brick statues they dubbed "Urban Fossils"  The first images featured New York city icons such as the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State building, before long they were a hit.  Special edition "Fossils' were presented on Broadway to actors and actresses upon leaving their theatrical runs so that they too could take a piece of New York home with them. They appeared on television segments and in several magazines over the years. 17 years later Richard is creating them right here in Derby.  Experience has allowed him to employ some new skills, such as the introducing certain pottery techniques to obtain desired effects and sculpt more intricate designs and images.  Richard can even sculpt portraits!  The sky is the limit for what he can carve into them.  Richard recently sold his 1,350^th sculpture to date. 

 

You can learn more about Richard and his Artwork by clicking on the link below: 

theurbanfossilbrickwerks.blogspot.com

 

HGTV also drove around the city and filmed a montage of Derby highlights in addition to Richard's demonstration for the show. The Mythological Kitty will be the subject piece for the program which will air sometime in June of 2007. We will be sure to let you know when the exact date and time is announced.