Progress on "Water" Benches for Schaumburg Sculpture Park

When I last posted, I showed the sides being cut on this piece.  Here, it shows that I've started forming the ends of the top curve.

I'm using a 10" diamond blade on a grinder to make all these cuts.

It's taking shape...

Meanwhile, the other piece gets a couple inches shaved off the sides with the 10" saw.  I'm able to get these flat surfaces because the diamond blades all have flush-mounted hubs.

The curve is drawn onto the preform...

...and the rough removal begins.

It was so labor-intensive to get the top curves right.  I thought that it would speed up the process if I made this custom tool.  The holes were drilled to match the lines on the existing piece and made in the exact diameter for the china marker.

The steel washer on the top glides in the saw cut so that I get precise lines.

This is the current status (more or less).  I've spent some time with it this weekend making sure where I want the bubbles.

I've made some minor changes as I've lived with it and looked at it freshly for a couple days.  Once I cut into it, I'm committed.  So, I want to be sure...

When I made the tool with the 6 holes, it really came home to me about how I had subconsciously used 6 rows of lines like in my guitar tablature book. I've spent years learning songs from YouTube with tablature for finger-style guitar - must have gotten into my head.  So, I transcribed the bubble patterns that I had settled on.

Then, I filled in values for the fret numbers.  So, these are the "tabs" for the songs that are in the 6 sides of the sculpture.  It's rather.. meandering... kind of like water...  I tried to record it and hoped to upload it as a video.  But, my efforts where substandard (and I don't have time to focus on this now).  Maybe someone who is a better musician than me would like to take a try and see if their version is any better.  They could fill in the numbers differently or even have alternate tuning - the possibilities are endless.  A loop effect or multi-tracking recording is needed, a microphone would be nice, too - things that I don't have....(yet)

This was an unexpected direction, but you can bet, I'm going to pursue this in future projects.

 

Work Begins on "Water" Benches for Schaumburg Sculpture Park

These are the 2 quarry blocks.  I have drawn the designs onto the sides of the blocks.

Then it was time to get out "The Secret Weapon"!  

This is the diamond tipped chainsaw run by a hydraulic power unit.

The chainsaw is 18" long and the stones are 24" thick.  I can cut the ends all the way through.  But, I have to use wedges to split the stone that the saw couldn't reach.

Then, I used a pry bar to pull the pieces away from each other.  The whole piece was 10,000 lbs. so we're dealing with only half the weight already.

This picture shows how I start on corners to keep the saw cutting straight. The weight of the hoses can pull the saw sideways and lead to crooked cuts.  They're hard to correct if it starts going in the wrong direction.  The trick is to start it right and keep it right (if that makes sense...)

Voila! An 1,800 lb. end is cut off.  This will become a large sculpture one day.

A 21,000 lb. quarry block was cut in half at the quarry.  Then, the 2 halves became 7 pieces.  I also finished what will become the bottom surfaces of the 2 bench preforms while they were laying on their sides.

Next, I called in a crane.  Dereck grabbed the first preformed bench block.  They are about 4,000 lb. each at this point.

We flipped it upright after moving it to the shady side of the studio.

We reached out and got the 2nd piece...

...and flipped it upright as well.

Both preforms are now sitting next to the finished piece, ready for carving.  In this picture, I've already started taking stone off one side to match the existing sculpture.  They are actually much further along, but I'm behind on posting pictures.   It's just about impossible to take pictures without one of the studio cats getting in there.  They scatter when I turn on the grinders... but they're back by dinner, you can be sure...

We had a visitor one day - Mike Ferguson from French Lick, IN rode his Harley to check out our work.  Here's his bike parked next to mine.

 

2 Loads of Stone

I have been behind on posting pictures...

Here's a picture from Victor quarry when Meg and I went up to pick out stone blocks.

The 23 ton crane from JBB inc. came out to unload 2 trucks full of stone.

The first truck had 5 blocks with a combined weight of approximately 45,000 lbs.

Here's a plug for Rodney Matthews who I contracted to haul the loads.

The crane operator, Dereck Sheroan, is making a 2 part line for lifting the heavy blocks.

This is Ben Cullison who drove the other truck.  His wife has songs posted on YouTube. Search YouTube for Uarda Cullison "Can't stop the River".  Check it out.

In this picture, Ben is using a tool that Dereck made for us from rebar to slide rigging under big rocks or pallets.

This picture shows how we use short lengths of old fire hose as "softeners" to protect rigging from sharp edges.

Another trick is where I've added a short section of chain (in my right hand) to lengthen the "leg" of rigging for odd-shaped stones.  Without doing this, the load would lift uneven and could slip out of the slings.

Dereck brought out 5' lengths of channel iron to go under pallets.  We don't have a forklift - we use a crane.  When a crane lifts a pallet without these pieces of steel, it will try to fold the pallet and rip off boards.  It can chip corners of cut blocks when they are pushed together as the pallets bend.

Here's another tip: never put your body parts under a suspended load (like this guy is doing...)

After unloading 3 of the 5 big blocks from Victor Quarry, we unloaded the 2nd truck with 49 smaller cut blocks from Michael & sons stone mill near Bloomfield, Indiana.  These will likely be bases for garden-sized to monumental-sized sculptures.

We then re-positioned the crane and first truck to unload the last 2 big blocks.

They weighed about 10,500 lbs. each.

These 2 blocks will become the 2 functional sculptures that will go to Schaumburg Sculpture Park in early September.

 

Busy! Busy! Busy! ...and more to come...

I've had 3 existing sculptures acquired and 2 commissioned for the Schaumburg Sculpture Park in Schaumburg, Illinois.

Friday, June 15, We hired Dereck Sheroan to use a 23 ton crane truck to remove 4 major pieces that were on display at the University of Louisville Alumni Center.  The piece on the right is one of the existing pieces that was acquired.

Tuesday June 19, I picked up a diesel flatbed truck from Louisville and Dereck met me at the studio to load 2 pieces to go to Schaumburg.  This is "World Berries".

It weighs 4,200 lbs. and measures 6'H x 3' x 3'

This is "Heave Ho"

It weighs 2,600 lbs. and measures approx. 5'H x 6' x 2' 

 

The next day, I drove through Chicago and scoped out the sites.  I also checked up on this sculpture "Awaking Muse".

Meg White and I installed this piece over 20 years ago and it's holding up great.

These last 3 pictures are courtesy of Phillip Seifritz who works at the Al Larson Prairie Center for the Arts in the Village of Schaumburg.  Thursday, May 21 at 7:00 a.m., I met a 35 ton crane from Whitey's Crane Service.  I was VERY happy with the operator - smooth and intuitive!

First, we set the "World Berries" onto a concrete pedestal that had been provided.

Then, I set "Heave Ho" not far away.  

All I had left to do was drive back through Chicago traffic in a big truck and make it home before dark.  I get to do something very similar in less than 2 weeks to set a big piece of Meg's in nearby Mundelein.  Then, back to Schaumburg in late August with the last 3 pieces.  Driving through Chicago 3 times in 4 months to deliver and install 6 large stone sculptures... I'll be happy to get safely on the other side of all that.

 

Sculptures from fall 2025 to spring 2026

"Flying Monkey Gargoyle"

Indiana Limestone, 16" x 10" x 24"H, approx. 300 lbs.

Hummingbird  Water feature

Indiana Limestone, 20" x 28" x 27"H, approx. 300 lbs.

"Watcher of the Garden"

Indiana Limestone and red concrete pavers, 18" x 16" x 53"H, approx. 300 lbs.

"Phoenix Reborn"

Indiana Limestone and red concrete pavers, 18" x 16" x 44"H, approx. 300 lbs.

"Hidden Talent"

Indiana Limestone and red brick pavers, 19" x 16" x 50"H, approx. 300 lbs.

"Nature Notes"

Indiana Limestone and red concrete pavers, 20" x 16" x 46"H, approx. 300 lbs.