Happy Memorial Day!

It feels like summer...and time to turn on the air conditioner.

 I finished a fountain that I call "Been There and Done That".  A textured organic form explores the confines of the polished vessel, makes its rounds and flows on - I see this as an allegory for Experience (...and thus the title...).

 It is carved from Indiana Limestone and measures 36" x 30" x 16"H and weighs about 300 lbs.

 I will soon post this with a price on my "For Sale" blog (link in the right-hand column).

 Other news, I had an art collector make the trip down from Michigan this week to pick up the sculpture entitled "Accord".

 It is Indiana Limestone and measures 6'H x 3' x 2' and weighed approximately 1,500 lbs.

 His visit was the catalyst for moving sculptures out of storage and into the sculpture garden.  The first one out was my life-sized Monk.  His goblet has already been filled with seeds and the birds went right for it.

 I also moved out my life-sized nude girl.  I leveled the ground and set concrete pavers down for both pieces, and then I sealed them with breathable masonry sealer (Behr #980).

 I also set out 2 pedestals like this one - I put the granite companions on this one and my "Sail" stone vessel on the other.  I also installed a 3/4 life-sized female torso, a floral birdbath, and used Meg's crane truck to set out the stone trough and a sculpture called "Exposure".  All these pieces had the ground leveled, slate put down as a barrier to keep the limestone off the dirt and mulch put around every piece.

I also set out this experimental birdfeeder platform made from

Colorado Marble and Vermont Granite.

(No wonder I feel tired! Time to sit down in front of that air conditioner).

7th Annual Yew Dell Sculpture Show

 (All photos Meg White 2014)

 We loaded up Meg's crane truck to deliver our submissions.  This is her Alabama Marble sculpture entitled "Lifting the Veil".

 While we were up at the gardens, Wyatt Gragg was installing his pieces.  He sold a bench during the opening.

 Besides us 'old-timers', there were a handful of emerging artists installing their works.  This solar-powered sculpture by Shohei Katayama sold during the opening.

 It was exciting to watch Mike McCarthy install his 3,000 lb. "Francis" with an articulated forklift.  This piece has several animal heads peeking out from the figures hair and beard - cool to check out!

 The featured artist this year was Ed Hamilton, who sold one of his bronze heads during the opening.

 Other sales included pieces by Caren Cunningham (shown), Craig Kaviar and Casey Hyland. 

I'm very happy (ecstatic) to report that I sold this stone "Seraph" which was a collaboration with Meg White.  I also sold a stone "Raindrop" vase from the gift shop.  I'm hoping to report many more sales by the end of the show which runs through August 3.



Battery Bench

It's been at least 6 weeks since I've last posted - been busy with applying to 13 different Public Art opportunities and getting things finished and installed in the Yew Dell Gardens 7th outdoor sculpture show.

 I did manage to create this functional sculpture called "Battery Bench".  It's image is intended to remind the viewer of a 9 volt battery.  The concept is to allow the viewer to stop, rest a bit and recharge.

 It is made from Indiana Limestone, measures 40"W x 25"D x 26"H and weighs approximately 1,500 lbs.  There's a complex design of pathways that look like circuits in an electronic device.  They are made with a stippled bush texture to add visual and tactile complement to the polished rectangle.

 Moving around the piece clockwise, you can see the variety of textures in this piece.  The end is split, as well as the bottom of the base, with the drill holes adding a stark visual pattern.

 A section of the original rough matrix was left on the top piece. Directly under the 'battery', the top of the base has been cut and polished to look like it is emerging from the rough matrix around the very bottom of the piece.  

 The back has that "surface of the moon" look from a natural stylolite seam.  There's a lot going on in this piece, and you have to take a close look at it all the way around.

 I've been too busy to make any progress on my large monolith.

 The prolonged quiet allowed a tree frog to move into the top of the scaffold.

This is one of Meg's ideas...it never would have occurred to me that a loop of aluminum wire would float in a plate full of water.



Earth and Sky

This has been an unyielding winter.  I have had to work inside more than usual because of continued snow and cold.

 Inside the stone studio, I made this (functional) sculpture entitled "Earth and Sky".  I picked a piece of Brazilian Marble that had cloud-like inclusions to represent our spiritual potential.  The plinth stone was chosen for its singular earthy qualities to symbolize our corporeal selves.

 I am utilizing the full potential of the materials,
such as leaving the quarry drill holes.

The sculpture measures 41"H x 26"W x 21"D
and weighs about 1,000 lbs.
 

 The top picture shows the current status of the big, outdoor project.  The lower picture shows the last update over 2 weeks ago.  It's been very frustrating not being able to work outside (comfortably).

 Here's a few pictures out my window this week...

Sleepy deer...

 15 hens and 2 Toms...

 "work it, boys!"

Amigos.

Now is the Time!

I began a new major project called "Now is the Time".  It addresses our most precious resource: our time and energy.  It is intended to stir the viewer into action - if you have unfinished business or unrealized dreams, now is the time.  If you want to make a difference, now is the time.  You can be great, don't wait - now is the time.

I began with a front view photograph of a clay model that was printed to scale and gridded off into 1 foot squares.

 I used this to transfer the design onto the huge stone.

 The most exciting portion of any major project is the beginning.  You fly into it with full force.

 ...then, the 'polar vortex' sends another 1/2" of ice, some snow and freezing temperatures.

 Most of the ice and snow has finally melted off.  This picture of me working on the scaffold helps to give a sense of scale.

 This is how the project looks today - a strong start.

A seed and feed parfait - presentation is all important when approaching timid woodland creatures.

His and Hers Monoliths

Things have taken a great turn!  I'm so happy I could burst...

 Yesterday morning, a 70 ton crane showed up at the studio from Padgett Crane Co. in New Albany.

 A semi from Stone Belt Trucking showed up with a 40,000 lb. stone.

(photo Meg White )

 This is Meg's stone for her Anchorage, Alaska commission.  At 9'H x 6'W x 4'-7"D, it is huge and excudes its own field of gravity. 

 Behind it is her unfinished earthworks / stone sculpture called "Conversation".

 Also, while the crane was here, we stood up my 30,000 lb. 8'-6"H x 6'W x 3'-8"D stone. Last night, in the starlight while walking around these huge monoliths, it felt like I was in a Stanley Kubrick movie. (que theme from 2001...)

 The "3 Graces" wait in the shadows.



2 deer calmly saunter in the background while I took pictures of my rock - 1 on the left and 1 on the right.

"RESOLVE" Functional Stone Sculpture

Winter just won't let up this year...

 I layered up and went back into the stone studio anyway.

  I came up with this functional sculpture (bench / seat).  It is a single block of Indiana Limestone, measures approximately 33"W x 28"D x 18"H and weighs about 1,500 lbs.

 This is a different approach for me - I intentionally left rough stone faces and made the rest of the forms emerge from the rustic matrix.

 The 'pathways' are bush texture to be a visual and tactile complement to the polished surfaces.

The polished forms have rounded edges that give a soft, cushiony feel.

 I am excited about this new direction, because I want to try it with monumental-scale quarry blocks.  I hope to "read" the stones and find what to leave, and what to change.

 I made this base for the piece, but it killed the 'feel' of the emerging natural stone and how I wanted it to be perceived as part of the earth. 

 ( Not every move is a move forward...part of the learning curve).

....and speaking of curves...

2 jets left these spiral trails above the studio this week
(...what a ride that must have been...)