Mario Chiodo
Mario Chiodo was selected from among a group of distinguished artists to create the Pat Dando memorial sculpture. Chiodo, a native of Oakland, was born to Italian parents. Frequently taking family trips to Italy, he became entranced and inspired by the art he saw there. He fell in love with the emotional depth and dynamic gestures available through the medium of sculpting and wanted to pursue art on his own.
After being pulled from a traditional middle school, Chiodo flourished at a school for the arts. He has now been sculpting for over 35 years, taking inspiration from the world around him, and working on a variety of projects. His professional sculpting skills have involved him in massive creative endeavors, private or public commissions, and epic monuments such as the sculpture for Pat Dando.
Sincere thanks to Mario Chiodo and his assistant Francine Agapoff for the creation of this beautiful sculpture.
Chiodo is currently the owner and lead sculptor of a professional art and design company that creates high-quality projects for a variety of organizations. His sculpture for the Almaden Library and Community Center was created in 2020 and features Pat Dando sitting on a bench with two children, encased in bronze.
How the Sculpture Was Made
Stage 1: Concept Sketch
In the first stage of the process, Pat Sunseri, a graphic artist from De Mattei Construction, created a rough sketch of how he envisioned the final statue and memorial plaque would look in the Pat Dando Plaza.
Stage 2: Wireframe
In this stage, a wireframe base is created to support the weight of the clay that will be added next.
Stage 3: Clay Model
In this stage, clay is placed and sculpted around the wireframe. During this process, the sculptor carves out all of the fine details that will appear in the final statue.
Stage 4: Bronze Casting
In the final stage, a mold is created from the clay sculpture. This mold is then used to cast the statue in bronze.
