ARTIST GAINS INSPIRATION FROM SPIRIT.

Byline: Victoria Giraud Special to the Daily News

When De L'Esprie was deciding on an artistic pseudonym about two years ago, the sculptor searched for a moniker that was spiritual, yet reflected her individualism. A native French Canadian from Montreal, she chose De L'Esprie, which means ``from the spirit.''

``I feel the Lord has really blessed me with this gift,'' she said of her artistic talent. ``I prayed that God would give me what it took and put me on the right path with teachers and clients.''

Judging from the enthusiastic response to her ``Joy to Life'' sculpture on display at The Promenade at Westlake mall, which opened earlier this month, she has been led in the right direction. The sculpture, within a fountain, depicts the joyful smiling figure of a mother holding her infant son while she flies a kite. Two other sons and their dog scamper gaily after her while the father, a separate sculpture, watches the happy family scene from a nearby bench.

Esprie - that's her nickname - said that mall developer Rick Caruso wanted a sculpture that promoted the family.

``I came up with the idea of a happy, laughing family. I saw the full picture in my mind. The father on the bench was after that.''

She laughed when she recalled Caruso's visits to her studio to check on her progress. ``Boy, that looks great. That looks fantastic!'' he would tell her. ``Are you on schedule?''

The multifaceted sculpture took almost a year to complete. Just transferring the original drawing to a clay model took six months. Bronze casting - 100 molds were needed for the figures - took four months.

Sculpture is a demanding vocation, especially since Esprie suffers from rheumatoid arthritis. ``I battle it every day, but my work takes me out of myself,'' she said.

To sculpt the many large pieces she had done - the Chumash Indian at the Janss Marketplace and Gene Autry with his horse, Champion, at the Autry Western Heritage Museum, for instance - Esprie starts with a skeletal structure of steel. Over that, she layers the muscle structure of the figure, then works with the final details of clothing, hair and eyes. To obtain the true-to-life features of her sculpture, Esprie has worked with cadavers as well as live models, and also consults anatomy books.

Artistic talent runs in Esprie's Canadian family: her mother is a painter and her sister also sculpts. As a child of 5, Esprie loved small spaces. She could be found under her bed, painting miniatures along the baseboards, or in her closet, painting.

Growing up near the Canawaga Indian reservation, she had an early fascination with Indian culture. ``I would kayak to their side of the river for clay on the riverbank,'' Esprie said. ``I started to sculpt old people and children. I'm intrigued by different cultures. It makes the world more colorful.''

Esprie moved to California in 1980 to finish her college degree at California State University, Northridge. She majored in special education and business because she thought her artistic talents wouldn't earn her a living - although the sale of her artwork was paying her tuition and expenses. After graduation, she reconsidered her career.

``It paid for my books,'' she said. ``I decided to take it more seriously.''

Over the years, she has sculpted a vast array of subjects including American Indians, Western figures, wild animals, ballerinas, mythical figures and angels.

As her reputation grew, Esprie's sculptures have been collected and commissioned by the rich and famous. Sylvester Stallone had her sculpt him as Rocky for Planet Hollywood, and Michael Wayne, son of actor John Wayne, commissioned her to do a bust of the famous American Indian warrior Crazy Horse. Randy Travis, Charlton Heston and Jimmy Stewart own pieces of her work, and Burt Reynolds has taken lessons from her.

Esprie likes to share her talent, teaching in her studio. ``I'd like to start a class teaching paraplegics, people confined to a wheelchair but who have full use of their hands. It would be an opportunity for someone who'd like to learn.''

She also has a vision of a sculpture she'd like to do for the city of Los Angeles, if she received financial backing. She would depict five to seven people - each from a different culture and each with one angel wing - embracing. Her vision was inspired by an Italian poem, the essence of which says, ``We are all like angels with one wing. We can fly only by embracing each other.''

Esprie said she is becoming more spiritual and emotional as the years pass, and these qualities show in her work. ``You understand feelings more, the more you work on yourself,'' she said.

CAPTION(S):

Photo

Photo: Sculptor De L'Esprie sits in front of her work ``Joy to Life,'' which is on display in the fountain at The Promenade at Westlake mall.

Jeremy Greene/Special to the Daily News