Sunday, June 26, 2016

Virgin Finished and a Couple of Shows

 I'm basically finished with the 8' tall Virgin Mary commission.
 This is another view.  I'll be making arrangements for delivery... after I've lived with it a bit to make sure that I can't make further refinements.
 Saturday, June 26, Meg and I went to Hidden Hill Nursery to see a show of artworks by Caren Cunningham and Al Gorman.  I'd only been there once before about 10 years ago - and I remembered seeing this piece by Amy Brier. (photo Meg White)
 Nearby, they are about to complete the east end bridge. (photo Meg White)
 It's cool to see the work-in-progress.  (photo Meg White)
...and Friday we went to Bedford, Indiana for their annual rock and mineral show.  This was my favorite purchase - a sparkly group of Calcite crystals from Mexico.

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

French Lick, Indiana

Today is my 55th birthday.  Meg and I decided to make a day trip to French Lick, Indiana since I'd never been there before.
 Our first stop was the French Lick Resort and Casino.  But, since we don't gamble, we didn't stay long.
 The foyer is nice with ceramic mosaic floors, Italian marble columns and frescos on the ceiling.
 But the real gem is down the road another mile at the West Baden Springs Hotel.
 The driveways are 100 year old brick roads.  On the left is the station for the train trolley between the 2 hotels (to take guests back and forth to the casino, no doubt).
 When you walk into their atrium, you're blown away!  The 200' dome was the largest in the world when it was built in 1902.
 It also has mosaic floors, but they're real stone - about 2 million pieces.
 There's a secret room 100 feet above, where the roof supports come together.  There are frescos painted inside and you can only access it from ladders on the outside.
 It's hard to get a sense of perspective as the place is huge.  Someone was playing a harp which sounded wonderful with the acoustics of the round, open space.
 They have established gardens that are over 100 years old.  The place has a good 'feel', both inside and outside.
 There are acres of manicured lawns which would make a great place for a sculpture show (hint, hint).
 Spitting turtles - I'm glad that real turtles can't do that.
... and closing this post with a nature picture... a pair of Osprey have taken up residence on a nesting platform at the nearby Patoka Lake.

Sunday, June 5, 2016

Rolling on the Floor

I've spent all week making progress with the Cincinnati Virgin Mary sculpture.  I've rolled her around at least 6 times, in order to get to the side that needs work.
 This is the picture that I posted last Sunday...
 ...and this is how she looks today, 1 week later.
 This is the view of the other side...
 ...and this is the front view.  It's hard to get perspective with the piece lying on the floor.  I'm going to figure some safe way to stand her up for the final thinning. 
 Tomorrow, I plan on refining her hands.
 This is a comparison between the sub-base last weekend and today.  It is now 11-3/4" x 11-3/4".
 I've also made the first of 4 sanding passes and have added the chamfers and bevels.
 This is a view of the halo last Sunday...
 ...and this is the halo today.  It's much better, but it still has to be thinned to the final form.
Then, ending today's updates with the obligatory nature picture.  I've lost my fountain to the cat tails and coons (...but hey...they can have it...)