The Evolution of a Design

I'm trying to bring this blog closer-to-caught-up while slow-cooking a rack of ribs on this Sunday afternoon... 

 Last year, I split off a 4,000 lb. piece from the end of the Daydreamer Bench.  Here's a video that shows the block being split from the original 10,000 lb. stone:
https://youtu.be/cGkFF0DPBl8
Here's a video showing the block being stood up - after I'd cut the bottom flat:
https://youtu.be/hgEwP2kIi7Q

 The original idea was to make a companion piece to the other 4,000 lb. scrap that started out as "The Throne of Truth" - which evolved into "Determination". (See the post below this one).

 This design was to be "The Throne of Measure" - where someone could sit and decide whether their glass was...half full... or half empty...

 After changing the Throne of Truth to Determination, I tried to create designs that would be a companion piece for that new direction.

 I made a scale clay model called "Persistence".

 I felt pretty strong about the new design and drew it onto the block of stone.  I even scored lines where I would make major cuts with the hydraulic chain saw.

 I also started to make cuts to release scrap material - but, it felt wrong and I quickly stopped.  This is an example of "Cut Once, Think Twice". (hmmm...)

 I made this small sculpture, called Ring Seed, in Georgia Pink Marble last winter.  One morning, while staring at the rocks with my cup of coffee, I decided that it was a great candidate for a design in that stone,  if I flipped it to open upward.

 I made this scale clay model to work out how I wanted to proceed.  This is called "Circle Seed".  This concept is an echo of the sentiment behind Joni Mitchell's song "The Circle Game" - it's about Life.

 I decided to make a scale drawing to tighten up the details.

 After living with that last design, I wanted to see if it could be more powerful if the inside was made of spiraling glyphs.  I was worried that the other design might be.... too busy?

 The idea behind the new design was how Life is cyclical in nature.  So, I tried making rippled textures in the inner part to represent how people and events leave their marks on us.  A line from a Genesis song titled "Ripples" sticks in my mind, "Ripples never come back - Gone to the other side..."  Life is change - like ripples on a pond.  There's the beginning... and the inevitable end.

This is an example of how convoluted the path can be in the creation of a major work of Art.  Where we start is not necessarily where we end.  Sometimes, it's easy and obvious - other times, it's a hard, drawn-out labor.

Here's the scale drawing that I made with dimensions in order to lay out the basic design (without details) into the stone.  Now, I'm ready to show the dusty part of the work; more changes can happen at any point...

"Determination" functional stone sculpture

I've been remiss about posting updates on this blog.  I wish that I had a good excuse....

 About a year ago, I made this scale drawing for a functional sculpture titled "Truth".  It was inspired by the design for a compass as I see Truth as the direction to steer by...

 It was to be carved from the 4,000 lb. scrap that came off the end of "Magic Carpet Bench".  If you look closely, you can see the design drawn on the side with a red china marker.
Here's a link to a video when we moved the 4,000 lb. block into the shade and stood it upright:
https://youtu.be/IN1_hevDpbQ
and here's a video when I used a chainsaw to cut the notch from the block:
https://youtu.be/RrOodjnZGcc

 One day last winter, I made this clay model for a sprout seat called "Determination" that fit perfectly into the pre-formed block for "Truth".  In my enthusiasm for the new design, I'm afraid that I carved the whole thing without taking hardly any progress pictures.  (I need to stop being lazy about documenting the sculptures in progress. )

 Here's the finished piece.  This is the exact image that is hanging on the wall of the Owensboro Museum of Fine Art in their RiverArtes III exhibition.

 Here's an alternate view...

 ...and walking around the piece.

I finished that sculpture about the 1st of June (?!)  … about the same time that I took this picture of the 1st baby raccoon to visit the studio this year.

River Fiddle Bench

I've found myself doing a lot of other "stuff" besides working in the studio... yet... I've got something to show for my time...

 Mid-April, I created a bunch of new designs.  My favorite was adapted to fit a 10,000 lb. stone that was already sitting on the rail cart.

 Originally, I thought that I was going to make a dragon bench.  But, the model looked too much like something that you'd see in China.  Once I saw how perfect the new design fit the stone, it was "full speed ahead!"

 I started cutting the outline around the fiddle head where it came close to the edge of the block.  Then I cut a deep notch to release the big piece of scrap on the top.

 I drilled holes from both sides and put in feathers and wedges.  Here's a short video showing me popping that piece free:
https://youtu.be/guue5HyC2Cw

 That scrap piece weighed over a ton.  Here's a short video where I used a pry bar to flip it off the sculpture:
https://youtu.be/iPzLdEhv8QU

 Then, I used the hydraulic chainsaw to cut off the bottom corners.  They'll become small sculptures next winter.

 I moved the piece into the shade of the studio with a fan on me.  Last year, I worked on the Buffalo completely outside; the heat didn't bother me at all - not the same this year, for some reason...

 I wheeled the sculpture outside, power washed it and took some pictures....

.

How to serve Raccoon...
St. Francis style...

"Harmony" installed in White River State Park

April 12 was the 3rd day in a row dealing with cranes and heavy sculptures.  It was just too much of a good thing - emphasis on "too much"

 We started our journey crossing the Ohio River...

 ...and ended it on the White River.

 It was about the best day of the year so far - warm and breezy.  The site has an awesome view of downtown Indianapolis.

 Meg's always looking for interesting "interactions" through the camera viewfinder...

 Dereck Sheroan from JBB Inc. of Hardinsburg, KY had delivered the sculpture to the site on the old West Washington Street bridge.  Here's a video that Meg took of it being unloaded and posted on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/Ql6dBNKjkmg

 I re-rigged the piece to stand it up.  There are 2 videos on YouTube that show it being stood up, Here's one:
https://youtu.be/wsK3m0BH5UE
... and here's the other:
https://youtu.be/Lw7aLlPFptM

 Joe Denning (yellow shirt) of White River State Park helped with the installation.  Here's a video of that:
https://youtu.be/1Pi9neU7GaU

 We fussed with it until I was happy with the orientation.

 I'm talking to Dale Enochs, a stone sculptor from Bloomington who had installed his sculpture on the bridge that morning.  Joe's talking to a photographer from a local paper.

After the installation, Joe Denning took us for a ride in their electric carts to see the wall between the White River State Park and the Indianapolis Zoo.  It's made of hundreds of monumental quarry blocks of Indiana Limestone.
Here's video of that:
https://youtu.be/SLX5g0peS2w
and here's a video of part of the sculptures along the bridge:
https://youtu.be/Jord0E_TGV4

Meg, Dereck and myself had a big meal and then made the 4 hour trek home.  It was 3 very long and stressful days - and yes, I'm taking a long weekend off before I go back at it.
(all photos and videos Meg White)

2 cranes and a Birthday

The day after scheduling a crane for delivering my Bubble Bench, I had 2 cranes scheduled to get "Harmony" out of the sculpture garden and ready to deliver to Indianapolis.  It was conflicting schedules and crazy weather that made for back-to-back crane lifts - and this day landed on Meg's Birthday.  She normally spends it with her twin, but I was happy that she hung out for the lifts.  

 I had to hire a 60 ton crane from Padgett to reach out across the sloppy wet ground and lift the sculpture.  We made some "landscaping" changes... what you don't see is the 8 inches of hardwood pads that are pushed into the mud and had to be pried out at the end.

 I like this fanciful picture of Meg's that implies we're going to hook into the hook shape on the sculpture.

 There is over 100 years of experience lifting heavy things, if you add up me and the 2 crane operators.  Yet, I went with "Birthday Girl's" plan for dealing with the 5,400 lb. sculpture.

 We lifted it off the concrete pad, turned it 90 degrees and set it onto boards with 2 layers of 'softeners'.

 We used the smaller crane to hold the sculpture, while I re-rigged the main straps to lower the piece to the ground.

 Then, we re-rigged again...

...and set it onto the smaller crane.  After Mike from Padgett had finished his part and left, I power washed the sculpture and got it ready for it's trip to Indianapolis the next day.
(all photos Meg White).

Bubble Bench Delivered and Installed

The weather finally cooperated to let me install my functional sculpture, "Bubble Bench".  (It had snowed here just a few days before!)

 Dereck Sheroan from JBB Inc. showed up with their 23 ton crane truck to take the bench to a private residence in Louisville, Kentucky on Tuesday April 10.  Meg took a video of it being loaded and I uploaded it to YouTube
https://youtu.be/QIKFaiQ3QYU

 Way up there through the tree limbs is 2,400 lbs. of weeks and weeks of labor finding its way to the hard-to-reach site.  Nothing is easy.

 I was happy for the help at this end.  Many hands make light work.

 This may just be a temporary site for the piece....

 In the meantime, people can enjoy the piece where it is.

 I had a chance to check out how the landscaping was maturing around a functional sculpture of mine that had been commissioned a few years ago.  Everything is looking great!

I liked this picture that Meg took while at the site.
(all photos Meg White)