more flooding

This is a Georgia granite sculpture that shows two figures wrapping each other up. It is entitled "Comforting" and measures 19" high by 12" wide by 10" deep. I will 'frost' or give a bush texture to one of the figures to make the composition become more visually dynamic. Granite work is agonizingly slow and burns up diamond blades like crazy.

I'm very eager to move onto the next project, which is to make functional seating out of this 9' long, 15,000 lb. quarry block of Indiana Limestone.

More than a possibility. All this rain has turned the road past my Concordia property into a boat dock. (photo Meg White)

The extra rain has been good for mushrooms. Some neighborhood friends showed me these huge Morel mushrooms that they found.

Most were as big as a beer bottle.

...well...so it goes.

Once upon a time, there was a brave squirrel who walked down a wolf's nose. (This is a very short story...) (photo Don Lawler)

Remembering

I am making memorials.

I made this small "thumbnail" clay sketch at the beginning of last week. It is a sculptural vessel or vase form that shows a couple holding hands and joined at the base with their heads inclined toward each other. It is tentatively titled "Together".

This is the progress on that design by the end of last week. It has a heart-shaped composition and the color of the stone works with the imagery. There is still some work to do before it is finished. It is carved from North Carolina pink granite and measures approximately 16" high by 12" wide by 8" thick. In the back ground is the Georgia grey granite hand that has been in progress for months.

I made this clay model back in the freezing days of January. It is a re-do of an old piece that I gave away as a gift.

I finished this sculpture, based on that clay design, by the end of this week. It is titled "watching over you", carved from Georgia 'Cherokee' white marble and measures 24" high by 11" wide by 5" thick (without the base).

A jet trail with teeth. (photo Meg White)

Citrus ala Dali. (photo Meg White)

Our roof top. (photo Meg White)

Finished Life-sized Limestone Sculpture

This is the original stone maquette that I made in 2006, and gave away as a wedding present.

This is the clay model that I made in January.

This is the finished life-sized version.

This is her front view...

...and this is her left side.

The weather was great today, so we went for a walk down by the Ohio River.

Taking nothing but a picture, and leaving nothing but ...footprints!?!

Check out this doodle by an insect. (photo Meg White)

...and speaking of insects...what's this? (photo Meg White)

Bear gets Approval

I didn't make as much progress this week on my life-size limestone sculpture as I would have liked. The temperatures dropped mid-week, and there was even hail, sleet and snow.

This is the front view of the sculpture...

...and this is her left side.

One of the main events this week was 2 car loads of visitors from Norton Kosair Children's Hospital, who came out to approve Meg's Grizzly Bear sculpture. The temperature had dropped 40 degrees from the day before, which was a bit of a shock, after several days in the 70's and even 80's.

This Tennessee Pink Marble fountain bubbler that I made, found a new home.

In spite of inclement weather, the wildflowers made their first appearance this week. Spring is officially here.

Beware the Ides of March!

With the crane truck finally up and running, I was able to spin this life-size figure around - making it easier to work on her other side.

This is how the figure looks today. This is her left side.

This is her front view.

This is her right side. She is still very thick all over - but that's what carving is all about - thinning and refining.

Exactly 20 years ago this last Tuesday (the Ides of March), this twenty-something year old couple went on their first date. A lot of things have changed in that time - and a lot of things will change, if we get another 20 years.

Super Moon Rising. (photo Meg White)

The flood waters are leaving the fields and returning to the river. (photo Meg White)

The Flood of 2011

We are experiencing an unusually high flood level from the overflowing Ohio River. But first, I'm going to show the progress on my life-size limestone figure.

This was the side view from last Sunday.

This is the same view today.

This is the view from the other side, as it appeared last week.

...and this is the same view this week.

The back was mostly unconsidered - you could still see the original block.

It's starting to take shape. But, now progress is going to get slower.

...and...keeping up the pattern of before-and-after, Here's our lower field on last Nov. 5th, the day that contractors installed the new nest platform.

This is the same view, taken today from our canoe.

Ending today's post on a "Far Out" note...Is this a NASA photo of the moon Europa, as photographed in a recent fly-by? (or is it cobbler batter, sticking to the side of a bowl?) (photo Meg White).

First Friday Gallery Hop

I made a little progress on my life-size limestone figure this week. You can see the design drawn onto the stone preform.

There's been a lot of rain, and this is all that I was able to get done this week.

When it was raining, I worked inside on this stylized marble swan which is for a show of monument sculptures that will be at Kaviar's gallery on Frankfort Ave. in Louisville.

The art galleries in Louisville have concurrent openings on the first Friday of every month. We've been to several, but this was the coolest one that we've seen. We started our gallery hop at the newly opened space in the downtown Bristol. Chris Mozier had a one-man show of his paintings, and this was my favorite.

The installation of interactive sound sculptures at Zephyr Gallery was a real crowd pleaser.

Hidden down this narrow path off Market Street, and up these stairs, is the Tim Faulkner Gallery. Here, you will find the strongest concentration per square foot of local talent in the entire city.

95% of the artwork is 2D, but I wanted to show this plaster by Wyatt Gragg that I really liked. I think that he's on the right path.

Our last stop on the gallery hop was Flame Run glass studio and gallery, where I met fellow Centre College graduate Brook Forrest White Jr. He took the time to show us his plywood mock-up for a monumental glass installation that he will be doing at the Falls Interpretive Center later this summer.