Circle Seed progress and other updates

I'm trying to bring this blog back up to date...

 Earlier this year, I wasted a lot of time creating a proposal for a functional sculpture for an opportunity in S.W. Colorado.  I was a finalist in this nationally open call for public art - but I didn't get it. I need to keep applying to these types of opportunities on a regular basis.

I forgot to show these 3 vessel forms that I made earlier this year - here they are: I made (and sold) this vessel in IN Limestone called "Fly Forever", 20" x 16" x 4" !!!SOLD!!!

 I made (and sold) this vessel in IN Limestone called "Lobed Vessel", 17" x 9" x 7" !!!SOLD!!!

 … and I made ( and sold)  this vessel called "Whirlpool Vessel", 17" in diameter and 4" thick.

I also sold 4 other limestone vessels that I made earlier this year, but there pictures are posted in an archived post..  Additionally, I will make a future post to cover the installation of the major sculpture "Hope" which sold last month.  I also signed a contract for 2 year leases on 2 major pieces for Urbana, IL.  That pretty much covers old news.

 In the last post, I showed this 4,000 lb. block of IN Limestone and the various drawings and models for the design.

 Work began with the 10" diamond blade on the Bosch grinder.  The grinder let me down.  I've had trouble with armatures in the newer grinders - made in China, perhaps?

 This image was taken early on a foggy morning.  I switched to using an air hammer to get some of the rough removal done.  I'm looking forward to the new grinder coming in for the next project.  The air hammer is hard on the stone and me.

 Here, you can see that I've chiseled through the center.

 Then, I cleaned up the pre-form with a 4-1/2" grinder with a diamond blade.

 I switched back to the air hammer to create the detail forms.

 …. and, in this view, you can see the final shaping beginning to take place.  It's not far to the finish line.  (edit: that last sentence was a load of... malarkey.  A whole month later - still lots to do...)

 And now for the complimentary wildlife pictures: Skidoo brought her new fawn up to the studio.  This is her 3rd success - Skidoo was raised beside the studio; dropped there 5 years ago by her mother who was going blind and left her orphaned shortly after being weaned..

Another doe showed off her new twins.  This is rare as we have a lot of predation on the local herd; Coyotes, Bobcats and the like.  We've heard about local sightings of Cougar and Black Bear, too - not good news for these guys...

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...