ICE STORM 2009 !!!!!

We got slammed last week with the worst ice storm in living memory, for our region. Over 1.3 million people lost their electric power, and many will be without for weeks. The temperatures have been subfreezing for most of that time. We got our power back after 6 days, but our hearts go out to those still without and the linemen repairing all the downed lines and poles. It's going down to near zero tonight. It's the linemen who have it the toughest, having to work out in these conditions. Meg took over 700 pictures during this event; all the pictures on this posting were taken by her.

Tuesday, January 27 began the event with about an inch and a half of sleet. Then freezing rain fell all through the night adding an inch of clear ice on everything. It was two inches thick in places like Muhlenburg and Grayson Counties. Then we got about two inches of snow on top for Wednesday morning.

Ice coated last years flowers...

...and this years buds.

I'd never seen ice hang in rows of icicles, like it did this time. It's all that extra weight that brought down the power lines and lots of trees.

The first order of business was survival. I was completely unprepared. We got lucky when my neighbor, Steve McMillen, let us have some of his firewood. I'm taking the wheelbarrow over to get a load.

Later that day, Steve brought over about 2 days worth of wood in the loader of his tractor. Then he cleared off some of our driveway. That was super nice and unexpected; we really owe him, big time. That big limb, in the foreground, is where we normally park our car. Meg wanted to go out Tuesday, over the sleet, to do errands. I was at odds with her about going out on the slick roads, but it saved our car. It was too slick to get back up the driveway (lucky, lucky).

On Tuesday, while we were out doing errands, Meg took this picture of our sleet covered road back to our studio.

This is the exact same view, the next day, after the ice and snow fell.Portions of the road back to the studio were unrecognizable. It looked like a deer path winding through the woods, rather than a road that we bring semi's and cranes down.

The woods looked like a war zone. It's been hard on the trees for the last 2 years. First a straight line wind that swiped the region, then a hard freeze late in a spring that burnt the new leaves, the remains of Hurricane Ike last September, and now this.

I thought that I'd seen every form of ice and snow, but the freezing fog on Thursday night was a new one on me. It left everything up at the studio looking fuzzy with a coating of large ice crystals.
But enough about ice! Let's end this posting on a warmer note. We kept warm, cooked and heated water for cleaning, the old fashion way. I was glad to leave the 1800's behind and rejoin the 21st century with the return of power on Monday night. Be sure to check out Meg's blog as she posts some great images.

Cold, Cold, Cold!

It's only been above the freezing point for two days in the last two weeks.

I took advantage of one of those warm days to install the finished sculpture "Reveal" in the sculpture garden.

"Reveal" is Indiana Limestone with Brazilian White Marble inlays. It measures 6'-9" high by 3' by 3' and weighs approximately 2,500 lb. It represents the discovery of hidden beauty - the revealing of inner mysteries. It was inspired by geodes, specifically amethyst 'cathedrals'.

Meg took these photos of enormous ice crystals that formed recently in the grass of our sculpture garden.

Ice Nine

Rocky Horror

Big Cave Hollow

It's been VERY cold most of the week, with temperatures dropping below zero on a couple nights.However, it was warm enough on Monday to get the crane truck started and set the finished Alabama Marble sculpture outside. This is the B side of the marble sculpture "Falling Star". It measures 7 feet 9 inches high by 3 feet by 3 feet, and weighs approximately 1,600 lbs. Today, Meg and I hiked up to Big Cave Hollow in the Yellowbank Wildlife Management Area. We wanted to see if there were any icicles after the big freeze. You can see why it's called Big Cave Hollow. Meg is in the bottom of the photo, for scale. Some of the exposed Sandstone walls of the cliffs were eroded into wild, honeycombed shapes.

Getting into it. It's still possible to find green living things, even in the depth of winter. Meg explores the micro world with her camera. Close to the Edge.

Big Cave Hollow has a variety of overhanging rock ledges. It's one of our favorite places in Yellowbank.

Ice, on the Rocks

BRRRRR!!!!The light snow on Wednesday put an end to working outside for the rest of the week. These 3 stone sculptures are Meg's.

I'd made pretty good progress on Nexus, if you compare the pictures from last Saturday.

This is the front view.

I finished the week inside, working on Oberon. Here's what he looked like by the end of the week.

A New Year & A New Sculpture Project

The weather finally came back up above the freezing mark, and I took advantage of it by starting a new project in a block of stone that was outdoors.

This block of Indiana Limestone measures 5-1/2 feet long (which will become the height) by 3 feet by 1-1/2 feet thick. I've transferred the design onto the block from a scale drawing of the design. I used the diamond blade on the 4 inch grinder to inscribe the lines.

This is the design as inscribed onto the other side. This sculpture is titled "Nexus", which is the connection, or bond, between members of a group. The block is lying on its side and needs to be stood upright. But, I removed waste stone from the outline of the design, to make it lighter and easier to handle. This is the view from the other side.
I've continued to define the main shapes, while it is lying on its side. I stood the roughed out sculpture upright using our crane truck.

This is the view of the front side at the end of the week. If the weather is reasonable, I'll continue work on this project. If it rains or goes subfreezing again, I'll retreat into the studio and continue carving on the big head.

2008 was a fairly decent year for us - I hope that this new year will be as good. This project is an exciting way to start off the year.

Winter Solstice

For the first official day of Winter, the temperature is in the teens with a brisk wind.

I haven't posted anything on this blog recently, because I've been busy polishing this marble "Falling Star". The weather has been too miserable to install the finished piece in the sculpture garden. There isn't room in the studio to stand the piece upright on its base, so there isn't much to see until it goes outside.

This picture was taken 11 years ago, when I was working in the studio in Ekron. This sculpture has been sitting around unfinished all this time. I moved it onto the cart-and-rail system and then into the shop recently.

I'm carving into the monumental scale head, covering the entire form (except for the face) with my signature style intertwining forms. This piece needs a title; I've considered Oberon and Thinking Man (as it looks like he has a lot on his mind). With the cold temperatures and icy conditions outside, it's nice to have something to work on inside the heated studio.

Thanksgiving and a new cousin

I spent this Thanksgiving at my first cousin Kelly Martin's house with most of my Mom's side of the family. He fried up a turkey, and there was quite a spread of food to go with it. His wife delivered a baby 2 days later - Sydney Jean Martin, 7 lb.-3oz. 19". Congratulations!!!

Work resumed on my Alabama Marble "Falling Star". I temporarily pinned the sculpture to the slab preform that will be part of the base. I did this so that I could work both sides and finish most of the carving. I had Meg stand next to it for scale - it will be 8-1/2 feet high when finished. You can see some of the negative spaces that pierce the form.
This is the back side. I'm very happy with the way this piece is turning out. Saturday, I laid the piece down again and moved it inside for polishing. They're calling for snow tomorrow, so I moved the pieces for the base inside, as well. I'm changing the base from the rendition to the right; it's going to be a surprise.
I listed my large hand on ebay Friday night. It is item # 290278931605, check it out!
This is a new sculpture entitled "Yesterday" that will be listed on ebay, starting Monday night.