“score” post #8 winging it.

11/09/2017

I decided to weld the arm pieces onto the torso. I started with the left arm and the palm of the hand. I am totally winging this. Since the piece is in motion I want the arm position to reflect movement. The left shoulder dips and the elbow digs into his side. The left forearm has to be free so the fingers can to move up and down the violin. The violin will be held in place between his chin and his shoulder/chest. 

Next I decide to trace my hand to determine how long the finger pieces of steel should be. Then I draw in the bones and measure how long each finger bone is between the joints. My hand is smaller than the figures would be but by the time I add the lath and cement it should be the right size. 

My hand pattern with bone measurements.  

The hand pattern  with two pieces of the palm of the hand bones cut.  

Detail of the left arm and the palm of his hand.  

The bones in the palm of the hand.  

Now I need to see if I am anywhere close on the angle of the forearm and back of hand. I will do this by holding up a violin to the figure.  

No, I missed it. Tomorrow I will cut the forearm off and reattach it with the wrist right under the violin. Then I will look at the angle of the hand. That might also need to be altered. Totally winging it.   

New piece post #7 “score”

I am ready build the armature for the head. I find this terrifying for some reason. I have this wire fac I made last spring. I have attached it to the neck in order to experiment with the size/and shape  of the head. 

“Gust” artist statement tweaking

I continue to tweak new versions of possible artist statements for “gust”, looking for the perfect words.  

How does this sound?  

“Gust”

Woven in felt, every hat tells a story, shaped with memories, recording beliefs, and veiling sorrow, some eloquent and some twisted. Cradled in our imagination, they blow in strange, wonderful ways, spinning from past generations that are inhabited by our respect to balancing our present responsibilities and fears. In generations past, in fable and in legend, hats sheltered spirits, represented people and occupations, and defended against the elements.

“gust” In my kitchen after applying the patina.  Living with this hat for a few days making sure I am finished with the patina in it. 

“Gust” applying the patina

I continue to do my bronze work every Thursday night in the Foundry Class at Glassell, it is located in the temporary TXRX location in east Houston. Tonight I started applying patina to a second piece in the series. 

Using a torch I heat the piece.  

My left hand holds the torch and heats the piece starting at the top. With a paint brush in my left hand I apply a chemical to the heated metal.

Before  

After  

In the TXRX MFAH Glassell foubdry studio. 

New piece post #8 “score”

October 31, 2917

happt halloween

I worked on adding to the torso today.  

The torso is basically the pedestal for the sculpture. In this case the figure/pedestal is not only an intregal part of the sculpture it is structural. If has to stand alone firmly, support the concrete and added wire and add to the energy of the music. 

Before  

Front view

after 

Right side of figure  

Back side of figure  

Left side of figure  

Front side  

New piece post #7 “score”

Working on this piece I am seeing music everywhere. A year ago I was seeing pigeons everywhere as I was sculpting a pigeon out of a different material every week. 

chaotic string instruments.  

Soft billowy distant sounds accented with distinct short beats of a drum. 

New piece post #6 score

I worked on the upper torso today. 

“gust” - series update

I started working on this series in 2013.

October 19, 2017 - I have cast approximately a dozen pieces in the series. I did not cast them in the order that they will be installed. Instead, I started with the last pieces in the series. I am now ready to start applying the patina to the first pieces of the series; however, they have not been poured yet. This forces me to start with the last hat that I have cast:  “gust #3."

The abstraction of the shapes of the hats reveals  the power of Mother Nature, the patina of each piece outlines the impressions of the human spirit left on the felt. 

The Patina Process- 

I use a torch to impose a heat energy to the surface of the hat, when the metal glows a deep amber the surface is ready to unveil it’s history. I slowly brush on a ferric patina (a dark beige) and  as the fluid darkness evaporates off the bronze evidence of an invested grip by determined fingers surfaces,  I layer a white wash and the memories of opportunities missed fade into the folds. Next the ferric reveals unfortunate circumstances suffered during the darkest hours, then white washed with life’s lessons.  With each layer the impression of the human spirit tell the story of a life well lived.

Below is the progresss after one evening of applying the patina.

I slowly brush on a ferric patina (a dark beige) and as the fluid darkness evaporates off the surface evidence of an  invested grip by determined fingers is revealed, 

I layer a white wash and the memories of opportunities missed fade into the folds. 

Next the ferric reveals unfortunate circumstances suffered during the darkest hours, 

then white washed with life’s lessons

New piece # 5 - potential title of work.

During my recent travels, I have kept my eye out for an appropriate title for this new piece. I was reading an article in Papercity magazine about art curator Anna Brodbeck (see the quote below).

"A curator I recently worked with described the act of curating as conducting the artist’s score, and I think that’s true," she says. "It’s our responsibility to bring an artist’s vision to bear, while framing it in comprehensive ways for audiences, and hopefully discovering something new or challenging old assumptions."

                                    - Anna Brodbeck.

Her use of the word score made me think about the piece I am currently working on. Wikipedia defines score as "a written or printed representation of a musical work".  Could it also mean a sculptural representation of the energy of a musical work? I think so. For now, I am going to refer to this piece as "score". I say "for now" because I have discovered that, as I build pieces, adding layer upon layer additional meanings are exposed and sometimes the new meanings are more important than my original concept. 

In addition, the shadows of this piece will be awesome to work with.

http://www.papercitymag.com/arts/anna-katerhine-brodbeck-young-curator-dallas-museum-art-generation-next/

"the turn IV"

I am still experimenting with my runner image movement and monoprints. 

Detail  

" the turn IV"

30" x 20"  

water color, ink, and pastel

monoprint

New sculptor post #4

I am starting the upper torso, it is also what I consider the most challenging section of the armature. 

New sculptor post #3

10/12/2017  

Still working on the lower half of the figure. 

New sculptor post #2

10/11/2017  

Day two of welding the armature.  

I am building up the pants leg keeping in mind the piece is about the energy created by the music. 

The human chain - pentaptych

“Six members of a single family — four adults and two young boys — and four other swimmers had been swept away by powerful and deceptive rip currents churning below the water’s surface. “ - Washington Post

There were not any lifeguards on duty, or rescue vehicles on the beach someone yelled, “let’s build a human chain”.   

A poetic act, my interpretation.  

10/4-10/5 2017  

The human chain V - I left to right  

pentaptych

The human chain I  

Human chain II

I and II 

human chain III 

I, II and III  

IV  

I -IV  

V  

View from the right I-V 

View from the left.  V-I 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/07/11/a-riptide-swept-away-a-florida-family-then-beachgoers-formed-a-human-chain/

New Sculpture post #1

Day 1 of welding 10/10/2017 

The right foot 

Both feet - the figures weight will be planted firmly on the right foot. The left foot is turned out and slightly behind the right foot. The left toe rest on the ground with the heel lifted. 

Attached two legs + a waiste. The left knee is bent. 

The right foot and pant leg. The pant leg starts to fold around shoe.  The pant folds will be rhythmic and flow into the energy created by the music. 

Below are drawings I made over the summer studying the energy of creating music.  

Broken #17

10/5/2017

One last tweak of the title.

I think this fits the piece for all occasions. 

“Broken”

The tone is set at the top. Negligent leadership turns a blind eye to the suffering of its most vulnerable. 

Broken  

The tone is set at the top.

Negligent leadership turns a blind eye

to the suffering of its most vulnerable. 

Tweak- tweak - tweak from the title to the toes- “the tone is set at the top” - Greece in crisis” Post #16 retitled Broken when completed

10/4

I have tweaked the title, and it still needs tweaking.

 I am trying this on for Size- 

“The tone is set at the top” -

Negligent leadership turns a blind eye to the suffering of its most vulnerable citizens -

I took the sledge hammer to the edge of the cup.  

This may be my favorite view. 

 “The tone is set at the top” - Negligent leadership turns a blind eye to the suffering of its most vulnerable citizens. 

Reinforced concrete,  organic plant material, welded wire and wire cloth.  

“the tone is set at the top - Greece in crisis” Post 15 retitled Broken when completed

A day of breaking off more concrete, tweaking wires, a lot of looking,

sitting,

staring,

questioning,  

and  

repeat-  

repeat -  

repeat-  

“the tone is set at the top - Greece in crisis” Post 14 ΟΧΙ ΚΑΡΤΕΣ -

fresh out of the humidifier

Moving him back to my studio at Glassell  

Changing title- ΟΧΙ ΚΑΡΤΕΣ- no cards #13 retitled Broken when completed

This will take time to come up with the right title.

As I work on the piece, I am constantly thinking about the social situation that it is depicting. I am constantly questioning, and asking myself: What is the most important message it can convey? What is simplest way to communicate the message? What should the title be? 

As I near completion of the piece, I have decide that the most important lesson that we can learn from Athens is that the tone is set at the top. When a civilization's leadership is corrupt, then its people will follow suit. I am renaming this piece:

”the tone is set at the top - Greece in crisis 2017” 

Working on the piece I often consider how influential Greece was in ancient times and how if it can happen to Greece...........it can happen to any civilization. 

Still thinking