It's been too cold to carve stone (if I don't have to), so I've been working on an indoor project.
I bought a few pieces of galvanized drywall lathe and cut them into pieces to make an armature for a full-sized female figure.
I used aluminum fencing wire to keep the pieces from unrolling and to put them together into the form that I wanted.
I've made my own custom mix of concrete to cover the lathe armature. I use 1 cup of Portland to 3 cups of sand. (In this picture, you can see that I'm using "Play Sand"...which is more fun than work sand). I add a couple small splashes of concrete acrylic fortifier to each batch, which is supposed to make it adhere better to added layers. I mix each batch in a heavy rubber feed pan that can be bought at Tractor Supply. I didn't have any luck using trowels or tools to apply the concrete - I had to use my hands (...and I quickly learned to use gloves...). It's exactly like building sand castles - it doesn't want to stick to the armature or itself - it wants to fall off.
This is the progress after 1 week. It's a fairly quick and cheap way to make an outdoor suitable life-size figure. I will add the bowl (under cat) to her lap, apply hair and begin to refine details this next week.
On a more personal note: my college friend and old room mate, Paul Breslin, turned 50 this Christmas. Meg and I went to his birthday party the Friday night after Christmas.
I've also been trying my hand at Temporary Outdoor Public Art. This sculpture is called "Hits the Spot" and is made from Black Oil Sunflower seeds, Cracked Yellow Corn and a large slab of Kentucky River Marble. (White Tailed Deer not included).
These installations have become immensely popular with the viewing public, who line up at the gallery doors - eager to see what I come up with next.
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