The man’s hands and the pigs belly.
Hurricane Harvey - sculpture day 22 “bringing home the bacon”
progress-
Hands and hoofs
hands
Hoofs
Hurricane Harvey - sculpture day 21 “bringing home the bacon”
Today’s progress-
Feet and legs
Hurricane Harvey - sculpture day 20 “bringing home the bacon”
What a relief, I was able to get the piece in my car and to the sheet metal fabricators. .
The sheet Metal fabricators did a beautiful job leveling the steel base.
With this cold weather it is nice to get out of the garage and working inside my studio.
I will take down all the drawings, I want them to be very pressed for the exhibit and I need a clean wall to use as a backdrop as I work on the next stage of the sculpture . In order to press them I bought two pieces of sheet rock to press them under. I also stack my bronze hats on them for extra weight.
Hurricane Harvey - sculpture day 19 “bringing home the bacon”
I unclamped the armature from the dolly to load it into my car and........... Houston, we have a problem! The base has warped from the heat of weld on the feet. The base is a basic potato chip. Fixing this is beyond my welding capabilities. This is a job for Blumenthal Sheet Metal. I think if they can weld basically a 2” wide frame around the edge, that would level the edge. It would still bubble in the middle, but that will not matter. I just need an edge that rests on the floor.
I will find out interesting he morning. 🤞
Hurricane Harvey - sculpture day 18 “bringing home the bacon”
I added the man’s thrown back chin, a suggestion of his head shape, and reinforced his wrist and hands. I also added the pig’s tail, reinforced his hoofs, and a added a suggestion of some very big ears.
from the front
From slight left
Left side
The back side
The right side.
Hurricane Harvey - sculpture day 16 “bringing home the bacon”
Hands, hands, hands= frustration
I thought I had a really good plan of attack: draw out a hand the size I want, measure how big each bone should be, cut the bones, and tack them together. Once they are tacked together, bend them into position. This is where the frustration began. Some of the tacks would either not bend or some would break, and I would then have to reweld them. I did finally get them all together. I was mentally exhausted, so I decided to attach them permanently to the arms tomorrow when I am more refreshed.
I did just tack them just to see how they look.
I hope I like them tomorrow.
FYI - I put really big welds on the knuckles because I like knarly fingers with big knuckles. If you deal with livestock, you probably have some pretty banged up fingers. :)
Digits barely tacked together
Left hand gripping Mr. Pig
Right hand gripping Mr. Pig
Both hands
The grip
I am getting close to completing the armature.
Hurricane Harvey - sculpture day 15 “bringing home the bacon”
My day started with an empty tank. I was ready to roll and I had to run refill my argon tank. :(
really irritating
Refilling my Argonne tank.
After lunch I finally got to work. Yesterday, I started the pig’s groin. I figured a pig’s groin looks like a dog’s groin. Not true - I decided to double check, and it turns out pig groins are pudgy and round. Dog groins are more like an empty bowl. It’s good I checked!
Here are images I used for reference. I googled “pig groin” and .....you don’t want to do that. People only post images of pig groins that a Veterinarian should see. I then googled “carrying a pig”. The below image shows how pudgy their grojns are.
Once I lay the lath over the armature, it will look a lot different. It looks weird now. I only put the armature at places that protrude. In the concave places, I will press the lath in. That is why the nose looks bizarre.
I can’t wait until tomorrow to do the hands. :)
Hurricane Harvey - sculpture day 14 “bringing home the bacon”
The tension is starting to build.
For this piece to work I have to be able to show the strain or tension between the man and the pig.
The pig is huge and would have been extremely heavy to pick up. And pigs are not comfortable being carried, he would have been squirming like crazy to pull away from the rescuer.
I added the man’s head outline first. I want his head to thrust back to add to the tension between the man and the pig. Then I added the largest part of the pig's stomach. I need to know where the biggest part is in order to figure out where the man’s arms and hands are going to be gripping the pig. The man's hands will be just above the larges part of the pig gripping it tightly.
Front view
You can now start seeing the tension created with the pull of the man’s head and his arms vs the pigs legs.
Note to self on the head- make the armature on the small side, I can always add plaster to make it larger.
From the back
I still need- pig ears, tail, and to finish the pig’s legs and abdomen. The man needs his head, hands and more definition or volume on the arms.
INSPIRATION-
I am always looking for inspiration to use when sculpting. I follow @mcteams3842 who photographs Navy Seals in training. When I saw the image below I thought of the energy needed to of lift a big pig. I took a screen shot and saved it to my file of photos I look at when working on the piece. I would love to have the rescuer’s head this far back ....... I will have to experiment with it.
I highly recommend @mcteam3842 for amazing photography.
I am thinking of putting a cap on him and loved the brim on the below Navy Seals cap. instagram is a treasure chest of inspiration.
Hurricane Harvey - sculpture day 13 “bringing home the bacon”
Chest, hoofs and dewclaws
Upper chest connected
Hoof and dewclaw
Hoof and dew claw
Hoof and dew claw
Hurricane Harvey - sculpture day 11 “bringing home the bacon”
Today I made and attached the 2-4th legs and 3 hoofs.
View from the front
Left side view
View from the back
Right side view
The legs are only attached by 1 piece of pencil rebar at this point. Once I know exactly what position I want them in I will attach them at 2-3 more locations.
Hurricane Harvey - sculpture day 10 “bringing home the bacon”
Pig nose
Building up the nose tip.
Aerial view
Nose and snout
side view
back view
The other side
Front view- pig nose, snout, back and 1 back leg, clipped to rescuer
Side view of rescuer and part of the pig.
View from the back.
Right side view.
Hurricane Harvey - sculpture day 8 “bringing home the bacon”
I started the upper torso.
I always make the shoulders too broad and then have to adjust them. I will do that tomorrow.
Hurricane Harvey - sculpture day 2 “brining home the bacon”
Step one - I find or take a photo to use as a reference. Many times I take screen shots from videos I find online. This time I took photos of Griffin and Alex. At the time I was planning on sculpting “The Guy In the Astros Cap”. I had Griffin carry Alex and I took photos as he walked. I can still use the pictures of Griffin walking. Alex is too cute and tiny to stand in for the pig. I will have to wing the pig.
Photo if Griffin’s feet.
Step 2- I start with the armature for the feet, piecing them together from the small leftover scraps of my last sculpture.
Left foot, right foot
I really like the pigeon toed aspect of this photo.
Even though I like work from photos I feel free to change anything I want.
Faux bois Wedding gift ❤️❤️ #12 the 1st layer on the branches.
You can see the rough coat on the underside of the bench. I am ready for the second application of concrete.
I have flipped the bench over and will work from the top to the bottom. You have to work from the top to the bottom because the process is very messy.
Step 1. Protect the bronze birds by covering them with plastic wrap.
Step 2. Paint the lath with a concrete bonding adhesive.
Step. 3 Make a slip from the concrete and the bonding adhesive. Paint the slip onto the piece.
Step.4 Apply concrete by hand.
Mateo. 5 Remain calm, enjoy the process.
It turns out my bonding adhesive is old, as a result my concrete does not want to stick together. I am grateful I am only working on the scratch coat. I can fix anything that falls off when I apply the final coat.
I like this branch growing around the other
Things did not go as planned as I worked on the bench. My bonding adhesive was old and the cement just was not sticking. And marriages do not go as planned. The lesson here is just roll with it. I will get new bonding adhesive next week and the next application will go smoothly. It is not worth getting upset over. The fun part of marriage is having someone go through the rough spots with you, someone who makes the rough spots not so rough, maybe even fun. Look for the good in every situation, it is there. Make your problems work for you.
Sapling #2
The welding is complete.
Photos 🙏🏽 title of work? and artist statement ?
photos by Nash Baker
Earlier this week I received the images taken of my sculpture. There is great satisfaction seeing this piece finally photographed. Many many thanks to Nash Baker for taking the time to get the perfect lighting and angles.
I am struggling with the title and the artist statement. This is where I am presently on the Artist statement for the piece. Some possible titles follow. I would appreciate any suggestions
”___________” A three deminsional depiction of the the passage of time through energy, produced by playing contemporary classical music. I was inspired by a long exposure photograph of my cousin, Arkansas Symphony Concert Master Andrew Irvin, that captured multiple images as he played his violin. I was struck by the simple back and forth movements of a bow, composed of horse hair, drawn across strings that create emotionally charged sounds. In this piece, the music radiates off the musician as he plays, as well as off the strings of the violin, sometimes like a painfully slow waltz, and sometimes with the sharpness of a quickstep. Working on the piece during the last weeks of my father’s life I examined each movement of the bow and the wire/sound that comes off the violin. Some warble and then end sharply like a tear running down a cheek. Others gently twist into a whisper that fades into a broken heart, and some linger and then pivot like a murmuration of birds and is set free, each movement triggering a unique emotion. I applied the concept of seeing multiple images, and seeing music as emotional energy in three dimensions. The piece is built on a steel armature covered in plaster, recycled wire cloth, and baling wire.
possible titles
Documents of Time’s passage
Rhythm
Oscillations
“Lost in time”
Sonata
Rhapsody
Movement
Interval
dimensions of time
Intervals in time
Sonatas of time
Scores in Time
score
Score #39 one sculpture, one room filled to the rafters with sculpted sound.
I had a studio visit recently with an art critic. We talked for two hours about all of my work, my long term goals, short term plans and my artist statement for score. Regarding score she suggested I rent a storage unit for all my work except score. Move score to my new studio and fill the studio to the rafters with with the sweet sound of delicious violin music
artist statement - revised.
”Score” is a sculpture of energy, sound and the physical act of playing contemporary classical music, and its primal impact on emotions. I was inspired by a long exposure photograph of my cousin, Arkansas Symphony Concert Master Andrew Irvin, that captured multiple images as he played his violin. I was struck by the simple back and forth movements of a bow, composed of horse hair, drawn across strings that create emotionally charged sounds. In this piece, the music radiates off the musician as he plays, as well as off the strings of the violin, sometimes like a painfully slow waltz, and sometimes with the sharpness of a quickstep. Working on the piece during the last weeks of my father’s life I examined each movement of the bow and the wire/sound that comes off the violin. Some warble and then end sharply like a tear running down a cheek. Others gently twist into a whisper that fades into a broken heart, and some linger and then pivot like a murmuration of birds and is set free, each movement triggering a unique emotion. I applied the concept of seeing multiple images, and seeing music as emotional energy in three dimensions. The piece is built on a steel armature covered in plaster, recycled wire cloth, and baling wire.
.
just a quick phone sketch
“Score” big day of pruning #38
Monday, I had a meeting with the artist, Brian Portman. Brian speaks wire and teaches drawings no and painting at Glassell. I asked him to stop in my work space to look at the piece with fresh and wise eyes. I find his suggestions are dead on. He had no trouble seeing the movement of the hands, and understood my vision of seeing the music. He felt the music that wrapped around the back of the figure and worked its way into the movement of the right arm was burdensome. He felt it looked like he was carrying something on his back. So today it pruned away.
After the pruning.
Side view after the pruning.
Before the pruning.
I might need to do to do some more pruning.
“score” after a critique score #37
I had a studio visit Thursday with one of Houston’s top curators. This was her third visit to my studio. She gets my work and I highly value her input. It is always nice when they love your work but when you are trying something new that does not always happen. I don’t Invite them to visit your studio just to give you compliments. I showed her the piece I am currently working on without sharing with her my artist statement.
My artist statement-”Score” is a sculpture of energy, sound and the physical act of playing contemporary classical music and its primal impact on emotions. I was inspired by a long exposure photograph of my cousin, Arkansas Symphony Concert Master Andrew Irvin, that captured multiple images as he played his violin. I was struck by the simple back and forth movements of a bow drawn by hairs of a horse across strings that create emotionally charged sounds. I cannot carry a tune, I don’t understand musical terms, I have never played or tried to play an instrument, and I don’t sing. I danced, I took many years of ballet. When I listen to music I feel and see movement. On this piece, the music radiates off of the musician as he plays as well as off the strings of the violin, sometimes like a painfully slow waltz and sometimes with the sharpness of a quick step. I examine each movement of the bow and the wire that comes off the violin, some warble and then end sharply, others gently twist into a whisper that fades, and some linger and then like a murmuration of birds’ pivots. I applied the concept of seeing multiple images, and seeing music as energy in three dimensions. The piece is built on a steel armature covered in plaster, recycled wire cloth, and bailing wire.)
She saw my artistic interpretation of the violin music, and movement captured over a period of time as dead vines or plant growth overcoming a figure and she did not recognize my blurred hands as movement. I really appreciate her honesty, her comments will help me make it a better piece. I want the viewer to have to spend time with the piece. I want them to have to figure out what I am saying. Keeping that in mind I have to decide how to make the hands look like hands that are blurred. I think the solution is to physically put some blurred fingers closer to the plaster hands.
She also thought the face needed to be either very refined or less defined.
I was pleased to hear that because I have had the urge to further abstract the face. Today I placed some if the 1/4 rusted and broken wire cloth over his face and I kind of like it. To me it seems to blur the figure as movement blurs in a photograph. I will live with it awhile and if I am not pleased in a week or two I will probably add more plaster and do a Manuel Neri thing to his face.
She loved the back side side of him and suggested I look at http://chiharu-shiota.com/en/works/
I am was not familiar with Chiharu - shiota’s work, and wow! I would love to have place to just go crazy and fill a room with the music made by my figure. This is a thought to keep in the back of my mind.
There is a hole in the armature near his crotch that bothered her. I have been waiting for someone to mention this. It is an easy fix, I will get to it eventually.
She is not a fan of the plaster as a material for this subject. Many sculptors first make small plaster maquettes of their sculptors before they make the piece full size. On this point I respectfully disagree there are many acclaimed artist who work in plaster. I love the white plaster and how it contrast with the wire.
The above images reflect the changes I made as a result of the critique.