Sapling #7 - lath, 1st coat and second coat.
My daughter special requested this piece. She asked if I could make her a sapling. My response was I could try, but the pencil size steel limits how thin I can make the tree limbs. Long story short, the sapling grew old fast. After the first coat the sapling limbs we're no longer sapling thin.
Covered in lath
Keeping an eye on my mix
The first coat - the bronze leaves are covered in green plastic to protect them.
First, I paint on the bonding liquid.
The piece is now ready for coat number 2.
Coat number 2 ✅
Here is the image edited super light in order to show the texture.
More details
Detail of upper branches
A little more concrete need under the bird.
Detail of trunk
The lower trunk and base.
The abundance of knots is evidence that this tree is the host of many insects and good bacteria. Bees and other insects use trees for nesting and receive antiviral properties from the fungus and bacteria that grow on the tree.
Faux bois Wedding gift ❤️❤️#8
Today I put the first coat of concrete on the feet. I use rockite a concrete mixture used for making repairs in concrete.
Work space
Right front and back pre rockite
Right front and back feet with rockite.
1 lb. rockite 3 oz. of water.
When I work on Griffin and Alex’s wedding gift I always find myself thinking about their future. Today I found myself thinking about their (Griffin and Alex’s) future children and how similar yet how different children can be and how perfect they each are. Just like the feet of a bench.
Sapling #3 - the leaves
I am making the abstract leaves in wax. They will eventually be bronze.
I have made more than enough. I made some of the stems out of red spruces. The stems will self vent the gases.
The lid of the our cup is now cut off.
Hurricane Harvey Project - confronted with humanity- Harvey Heroes - Solving installation problems
Have I done enough? Which should I edit? Include the cot, don’t include the cot???? How should I compose them as a group?
Performance art - getting out of my comfort zone is playing with fire.
The Glade Arts Foundation had a Halloween event, for which they booked a local graffiti artist to create a piece during the event. At the last moment, he had a conflict. I was asked if I knew anyone that could fill in, I couldn’t find any takers They needed an artist to create art during the event that would be fitting of Halloween. I am a sucker for anyone in need and offered to come up with something. I wrestled with a few ideas that I thought would be fun to watch - ink bubbles or lemon juice and fire. I went with fire. When my son was 8 years old, we threw him a magician birthday party. I wrote the invitations with invisible ink, (lemon juice) with instructions to apply fire to the invitation to make the words appear like magic. With that experience over twenty years ago in mind, I showed up at the Glade Arts Foundation with my torch, lighter, graphite stick, charcoal, and stick of white pastel and jumped.
Below are the results that landed:
The portrait was the finale and about 48”wide. The others were my experimental play. I always try new materials on images I am familiar with.
These were the prizes for the best costumes. The winners requested that I sign the front.
It was really fun to interact with the guest and to be a link in the human chain of life.
Roots #4 building the Shell.
The handle for the tool
The cup is cut off and I have lots of holes drilled in the sprues to blow out the organic matter.
Hurricane Harvey Project - confronted with humanity #11 - my struggles w the Red Cross cot
After considerable consideration I have decide to table the cot sculpture. I have too many ideas that are not a struggle.
Hurricane Harvey Project - confronted with humanity #12- adding 1 light element
Art based on a natural disaster can weigh on one’s emotions. With that in mind, and the fact that I would like the viewer to have a positive inner feeling after looking at my work, I am playing with adding a shaking dog to the body of work. I want the dog to be generic so that everyone can see their dog in it and I would like the dog’s energy to leave the viewer with a smile.
Below are my first attempts. I hope one works.
Hurricane Harvey Project - confronted with humanity #10 - my struggles w the Red Cross cot
This project started with two monotypes of the Red Cross cot.
Below is an exert from my artist statement that addresses the cot.
.......... I was confronted by a single cot. It was freshly dressed in a crisp white sheet accessorized with a fluffy white pillow and tucked in by a cozy, white flannel blanket decorated with tiny Red Cross logos all over. It was isolated from the others waiting for the next victim of Harvey to tuck themselves in and comfort them with safety. With all the rescue images of people trudging through unsanitary water, homes floating in floodwater fresh in my memory bank that cot was shockingly - humanity. 30,000 GRB citizens would be relieved to make it their new homestead. It was heart breaking - and beautiful all at the same time. I could imagine if I had been rescued that that cot would have been a along awaited relief. That I would not have asked the sheet thread count or if the cotton was grown pesticide free. My heart hurt for all those who were grateful to have such a cot. That cot, that crystal clear image of stripped down humanity is the Harvey image that holds onto me.”
Last week I began to experiment with the cot. The drawings of the Harvey Heroes can stand alone, however I think that there will be exhibitions that the cot as a pedestal for a sculpture would strengthen the work and can be used independently.
Here I have thrown some wire scraps on the cot that look similar to a wire dog.
I had planned on putting a wire dog sleeping on the cot. It is not working for me.
I think I need to put on the cot a larger sculpture and maybe a warmer material instead of the baling wire
Testing the wire mesh in front of the cot. Clear plastic is on top of the blanket to keep it clean.
this figure might be nice on the cot. It is a drawing I did a few years ago.
I don’t know
the Red Cross blanket w the drawings and wire Still is not working for me.
maybe I should put a thin layer of paint on the images on the blanket-
I have a hard time letting go but nothing was really clicking. Today I let go, today I donated the cot, sheets, blanket and pillow to the homeless that sleep below my studio window. I have decided to spend my time on a better idea.
I do have an idea for a sculpture. I will post about it soon.
Roots #3 rooting out the best concept
Roots are said to be tools in regenerative agriculture. With that in mind I have decided to cast the root in bronze and then add a faux bois handle in concrete to it. l plan on casting a few roots all different but all tools to be displayed together. Below I am working on the first root tool of the series. This one will have a bronze handle attached to the faux bois
Spruing up the roots. I have dipped cross stitch thread in wax and attached it to vent the gases from the small root pieces.
Sprucing up the handle.
Roots #2 rooting out the best concept
I have very strong views on the connection between agriculture and health. I prefer to only eat organic grass-fed beef. I prefer to not eat any gmo products and I feel best when only eating sprouted grains. I want to know where my food comes from and how it is produced. Agriculture has a huge impact on our personal health as well as on our environment. Roots play a large role in regenerative and sustainable agriculture.
The first root - The root is fabulous all by it’s self.
The trunk is not so fabulous.
Off with the trunk-
Failure #1- Experimenting with ideas- this idea emphasizes the important of roots in sustaining life. - too obvious
Failure #2- Another experiment- “burden” I grabbed this marble sculpture I did a few years ago. I have always wanted to burden it with something on his back.
I like the thought, I think it either needs more more more roots or a Sprout coming out of the root.
The root would be bronze.
Stay tuned to see how I will use the roots.
Hurricane Harvey Project - confronted with humanity #9 - “They carried my wheel chair”
The heroes keep coming
“that wheelchair was so heavy”
Watercolor monotype
“They Carrie my wheelchair”
the ghost print
Hurricane Harvey Project - confronted with humanity #8 “She would never leave him”
Una mas
“She would never leave him”
the ghost
30” X 22”
1 wire a kiss, tango, waltz, jitter bug, and the rumba.
Flipping around this broken scrap of pig wire and you get so many gestural images.
kiss
tango
waltz
jitter bug
rumba
Faux bois Wedding gift ❤️❤️#7 - test drive
The happy couple and their fur baby passed through town and test drove the armature. 🤗🤗🐾
I will start the concrete work when our weather cools off a little bit more.
Cranes- through the window
A year ago, I made two works on paper; “Cranes Through the Window I and II”. The inspiration came when I stopped at a red light. Peering through the fogged and rain drenched car window, drops trickled down into tiny rivers, carving new landscapes in the glass. Beyond the miniature rivulets, dark and dusky clouds loomed in the shadows while others stood out in rays of hope. Through the puffs of gray, rooftops were stacked, and construction cranes delicately cross stitched in saffron and goldenrod garnished their capstones.
cranes through the window I
30” X 22”
cranes through the window II
30” X 22”
When asked if I had any cranescapes that were not monumental in size, I realized I had not posted these two pieces.
Test
Hurricane Harvey Project - confronted with humanity #7 “those teenagers pushed our truck”
Another Heroes piece-
Those teenagers
30” X 22” water color monotype
the ghost
