This is the what the large stone sculpture "Circle Seed" looked like a month ago. On the right, you can see the chisel marks where I carved back the outer leaves to make an undulating surface. On the left, the leaf has been polished - which was my original intent for the final surface. I drew a division between the leaves with a timber crayon. I didn't like it, so I tried tips of new leaves - and that's how it worked out (as you can see in the last 2 images of this series).
The first radical change was to add bubbles to go with the circular "eddies". The symbolism behind this piece is the cyclical nature of life. The bubbles represent all the people we meet and the Eddies are fate lines (the movement of these individuals through Life) and how all our relationships seem to be "circles within circles".
I didn't like the polished outer leaves, so I tried this combination of chisel marks and polished veins. (This piece has been a true evolution from beginning to end...)
I still didn't like it, so I tried this "slotted" effect with a bush texture on the inner surfaces. This is something completely out-of-the-blue for me... and I like it. Behind this piece is a quarry block that needs to have the side with the drill holes cut flat, so that it can be stood up next month when the crane comes. It's good to visually compare the current project with the sculpture in the background called "Hope". They are somewhat similar, yet quite different.
This is how side A looks today....
… and this is the other side. The carving is finished, but there is another weeks worth of work finishing everything up. Here, you can see how I dealt with the lower front of the sculpture with a new set of leaves. The slotted leaf effect is a marriage of organic leaf forms and machine-like protective shielding that often appears in my work. For me, this is a balance between the complementary forces of Security and Freedom.
It's rained quite a bit lately, so I worked indoors and made this "Eagle Vessel" in Indiana Limestone. It is 27" x 15" x 6", 55 lbs., signed 9-6-18 and will sell for $680.00. It has a white bush texture on the head and body; the rest has a high polish which makes the stone darker. There's a contrast in the way that the 2 surface treatments feel, as well as how they look.
I also made this "Fireball Sprout Vessel" in Indiana Limestone. This is a pretty involved piece that is 60 lbs. in weight and is 30" long x 12" wide x 7" high.
Here's a top view - it was signed 9-11-18 and will sell for $780.00. On the next batch of rainy days, I'll switch back to some smaller vessels.
Every once in a while, I'll get sick of working on a big project. One day, I switched over to a piece that I started last fall called "Kissers". I gave it a serious make-over and have given it a new name, "Wisps".
Here's the other view. It is IN Limestone, 42"H x 12" x 12" on a base 18" x 18" x 3". I'll take better pictures when it's finished and I put it out in the sculpture garden (without that piece of waferboard that's protecting the base). !!!!SOLD!!!
