getting more crisp . . .

Here's a shot of the whole piece as it is today, the day after Christmas. People often ask, "How long did it take you to make this?" My standard answer is, "I don't really want to know, so I don't keep track of hours". Well, this time's an exception – I have been keeping track and it's right around 53 hours so far – not too bad if you consider the block as it was at the beginning. Without the help of pneumatic tools it would easily be over three times that long, so I'm pretty happy with the "swift" progress. The double photo above shows that some of the surfaces have reached their final resolution and only sanding remains. Others are quite far from that state and I now have only 27 days left before I need it to be done and ready for entry in a juried exhibition.

The details . . .

Instead of showing the whole stone, which really isn't changing that much in appearance at this stage, I decided to post a couple of detail shots. One of the photos shows that the very top of the piece is nearly finished, while the other is a good example of
how complex things get as two or more forms meet at low angles and disappear into each other. It may seem as if this is getting too involved in a very small area while other parts of the piece are still quite rough, but sometimes continuing with the larger forms depends on being certain that the join between them is going to work out as planned.

Today I'll install a moisture trap in the air line due to the presence of water – a bad thing that will shorten tool life. It's a consequence of the compressor working in a much colder place than my cozy studio.

Roughing out phase is complete

Finally, I've reached a point on this stone where all the forms are pretty well defined. I can now work on it with my old friends the hammer and chisel (not that there aren't plenty of opportunities to use the pneumatic tool still left). Now it's a matter of deciding when to put the air tool aside to address some finer detailed areas that need more finesse. The last few days have seen increasing refinement of the side shown in the photo above.

Some work on side #1

I decided that side #1 needed some attention, so that's what I did today. I'm leaving the bottom somewhat rough and unresolved for a reason: I need the strength there while the top parts are still getting lighter. Eventually, the top will be about as light as it's going to get and the stress at the bottom will be (I hope) not enough to break the piece as work continues. As the resolution of the forms approaches its final state, I find myself thinking about the arduous task ahead of me – the finish. I'm done with high finishes with their untold hours of polishing with felt pad and tin oxide. Instead, a mat finish with a slight sheen will suffice, and will not interfere with perceiving the forms as a shiny surface sometimes does. Rationalization? Maybe! Kidding myself is a hobby. By the way, you should be able to see the three-part photo above at a larger size if you click on the image.

More refinement of side #2

Worked today on more subtle refinement of the shapes on side #2. Sometimes a few of the forms have to be taken to an advanced state in order to see the relationships clearly, and that's what occurred today. Now that I know mostly what's going to happen on this side, I can turn the piece around next session and do the same for side #4. After that, I'll similarly refine sides #1 and #2, and then it's on to the fine work that will delineate the final forms before finishing starts. I'm not planning a high finish on this piece, but rather one similar to what's called a "buttery mat" glaze in ceramics.

Day 12 progress

As I work on this stone, I keep wondering where I'd be in the process now if I hadn't been using power tools from the outset. As I said in an earlier post, this is the first time using those in many years. For a long time, I used simply a hammer and chisels for all of the processes up to the finishing stage. This slow pace fit very well with my intuitive and contemplative process at the time, but as I started to conceive pieces in a more pre-planned way, the old tools began to seem a bit of an indulgence – though I really loved working that way, they had to have help. This piece, starting out at around 220 lbs. was clearly going to require something beyond hammer, chisel, muscles and tendons. The upside of this is speed and less stress on my body, while the downside is the feeling of distance from my work that is created by gloves, ear and eye protection.

Main forms emerging

Big progress today, including the piercing – always kind of a thrill. Got in about 2-1/2 hrs. of carving time and I noticed that I'm more tired than I would typically by after that length of time carving with a conventional hammer and chisel. It takes more effort to use the pneumatic hammer, but the progress is so much faster that it ends up being a significant plus.

Glad to be inside

Well, I'm happily carving inside now and the pneumatic hammer is allowing brisk progress on the marble piece, tentatively titled "Falling Rock #2". Not much more to say about the process at this point, so I'll just post progress photos for a while. I should mention, however, that I've equipped my indoor studio with cross ventilation that takes the dust away through a series of filters. That way, I don't have to wear a mask, just eye and ear protection. The first of the filters, a simple furnace filter, is just visible at the far right of the shot above.

First session inside

Well, I'm carving inside now and ironically, the weather has taken an exceptionally nice turn - 74˚ and sunny today. We've had about a week of this now, and it seems as though we'll get another one. Anyway, the airline into my indoor studio is a nice addition and the pneumatic hammer performs flawlessly, allowing me to continue in an efficient way. As for the outside studio, I've changed my mind about building a shed for the rock saw. I'll just keep it covered with a tarp when it's not in use. After a session of using it, I'll just hose down the area. As the photo shows, I've now got a work surface to the left of the saw, and that'll allow me to have support for large stones that I intend to cut.

Baby's inside!

Okay, that's it for outside carving for this year. I brought the marble inside today and I can now work on it anytime I want. Lori and I are heading for Chicago tomorrow to check out some galleries to represent us, so I most likely will not get back to stone work until sometime next week. Before I do, I've got to produce another metal piece as a donation, this time for the Buchanan Center for the Arts in Monmouth. I'll try to get a photo of it before delivery on Tuesday.

Big change today

I've decided that since my stone is now cut down to a weight that I can hope to move, and since I'm really tired of waiting for the rain to stop, I'm moving inside. However, since I'll be needing my pneumatic hammer/chisels, I needed to route the airline out of
the garage and into the house. I decided to use 1-1/2" PVC tubing for this and it went together without incident. The hose is routed through the PVC into the house, over to my indoor stone studio and drops down from the ceiling. I know that I can get the marble piece downstairs, and I'm hoping to get someone over to help me lift it up onto the carving bench. Looks like I'm not going to be carving in the snow!

I'm there!

Don't have to wait for nice weather any more - I managed to get the stone onto a scale and it's just under 90 lbs. So, I'll be able to get it down to my indoor stone studio any time I want. This weekend has yielded a lot of progress and I'm guessing the final weight of the piece will be around 70-80 lbs., so at least I'll be able to move the thing. As soon as I get it inside, I'm going to work on routing my air house through PVC pipe through a couple of walls so that I can continue to work efficiently (if Lori can stand all the racket the pneumatic hammer makes, that is). I won't do any grinding inside though - too much dust. By the way, my Adult Pull-Toy ended up being a sort of litmus test at last night's art center event and art auction. People in possession of a functioning sense of humor uniformly loved it. The others? Well . . .

A different sort of project

I'm sick of talking about the weather, and since the forecast shows rain every day for the next week, I'll focus on inside projects. I'm posting one more photo of the marble piece (yesterday's progress), and also a photo showing three views of an aluminum piece that I'm submitting as a donation for the auction at this weekend's art center fundraiser. It's about 8" high and is called, "Passive/Aggressive Device: Adult Pull-Toy". I have no idea how this will be received by the community . . .

And one more session this week . . .

The photos show what progress I made today. At this point I'm confident that I'll be able to get this stone inside for finishing, and that's a big relief. It is definitely showing an anthropomorphic character at the moment. Even I can see that, and I know what it's going to look like in its final form – not really suggestive of the human form.

Two days in a row!

It's really nice to be in a streak of good weather for a change. Got quite a bit done today and am looking forward to tomorrow. I'd estimate the weight of the stone to be around 120 - 150 lbs. at this point. Realistically, I need to get rid of around 30 - 40 lbs. more before I can hope to move it. The next week may tell the tale . . .

Finally, some cooperative weather . . .

Yesterday was a beautiful day after two weeks of November-like junk weather. I was able to make significant progress on the marble and I think my goal of getting the stone light enough to move is within my grasp – perhaps this week. I've discovered that the hose I bought (50' was the shortest I could find) is long enough to run from the compressor in the garage into my winter stone carving studio in the lower level of the house. It means drilling through both the wall of the garage and the wall of the house, but HEY! Why stop NOW? As for the work so far, the diamond grinding wheel has exceeded my expectation both in speed and effectiveness. Getting this far on a piece of marble in about 7 total hours of work is unprecedented for me. Back at it today.

Best laid plans . . .

Okay, eleven days and counting. October has produced an uncharacteristic and oppressive period of drizzle/rain and cool temperatures. However, it looks as though there'll be a bit of a break in this pattern over the next several days and I might be able to get in some carving time on the stone. I've just about got my pneumatic tool setup ready to use, so I have not given up on getting this hefty piece cut down to a weight I can lift off the bench.

2nd day's progress

This will most likely be the last post till the weekend when I can get back to work on this stone. Today brought a lot of progress and a bit of a setback as well. I got a bit grinder-happy and cut off some stone I think I was going to use. I'll have to redo my sketch to accommodate the missing area, and I think the result will be fine. In ten or twenty years, I'll have forgotten what it was supposed to look like! Anyway, the new tools are very useful. I think it might have taken me a few weeks to remove this much marble with the hammer and chisels.

Finally, a start

After a frustrating three consecutive days of rain to start October, today was sunny and warm. The photo shows the progress made today with two angle grinders, one with a 7" diamond wheel and the other with a 4-1/2" diamond cup wheel. This is my first serious foray into the territory of power tools, and I have to say that, despite the prodigious quantity of dust, I'm very happy with the amount of stone I was able to remove from the marble block in about 2-1/2 hours. The cup wheel in particular kicks up a veritable storm of dust and small chips, and I was surprised by a ghostly visage in the mirror when I finally came inside. I'm going to give it another go tomorrow in hopes of getting the stone under 100 lbs. this month. This stone is likely to end up as the second in a series of "Falling Rock" pieces.

Back from vacation and ready to go

Well, at this point in the process, it was difficult for me to leave for a vacation (I know, we all need 'em!), but Lori and I had a great trip to visit our friend Karen in Paradise Valley, Montana. It was a wonderful and relaxing time, and now I'm refreshed and ready to start the big marble piece. Incidentally, this stone was formerly the base of a monument for a horse, given to me by my friend Alex. Gotta ask him about the history . . .
Today I finally, with the help of my hydraulic crane, got the thing onto my carving bench. Because of its previous function, it's got a few holes drilled into it, so I'll have to work around those (there's another one in the center on the other side). I've done a bit of grinding and lots of tapping. The finished color looks to be slightly off-white with some gray veining which makes me think it might have come from Colorado. I'm anxious to begin my first marble in several years. I'm guessing it weighs around 220 lbs., so I hope that the open design I've got planned will allow me to remove enough stone so that I can carry it to my inside studio when the weather gets too cold to work outside.

Carving bench done

Second post today. I put this carving bench together in a day, using all treated lumber. It's fortified with several 6" lag screws so it will stand up to my heavier stones. To test it, I got up on it and jumped up and down, using all my weight. No movement in any direction, so I'm confident that it will support whatever I choose to put up there. This week sometime, that will be my piece of white marble, estimated weight 220 lbs. The piece I have planned is an open sort of form, so when it's done I should be able to lift and carry it by myself. We'll see!

Canine inspection crew

Over the weekend, Lori and I were able to finish (finally), the cedar fence. I've hit a snag on building the shed because I have to apply for a variance on the deck because one corner is too close to the lot line. I was so caught up in the technical aspects of how to work around the roots of the maple that getting a building permit never entered my mind till the deck was done. So, sometime in October I expect to continue with the shed plan so the rock saw can have a home. In the meantime, I'm going to turn my attention to building my carving bench, and then I can get to work. In the photo, the canine crew seems to be giving tacit approval to my efforts (as long as treats are dispensed at the end!).

Tangible progress – at last!

Well, progress is a good thing. The deck is now finished and the rock saw and lift have been moved outside and covered with tarps. Additionally, I finally popped for the 60 gallon compressor, and it is shown in a shot above - not wired up yet, but in house! I've decided that it'll be easier to leave the old shed where it is and just build a new one on this deck. I'm hoping that will happen, at least partially, this coming weekend.

Yesterday morning, before the rain started, Lori and I started laying down the decking. Made an interesting discovery: Dimension lumber is no longer any such thing. I wanted to shim these boards pretty tight to prevent things from falling between the cracks. However, this was made nearly impossible because some of the "2 by 4s" are not the expected 3-1/2" wide! Some of them were off a full 1/8"!! This, I have to say, is my first encounter with this deal. The question formed in my mind, "How hard is it for a mill to set their equipment to 3-1/2" and leave it there, & maybe check it every once in a while? Is that asking too much? Anyway, we expect to finish this tomorrow, weather permitting.

One giant leap . . . for me!

This is a really big day – after a seemingly endless stretch of toil, I finally finished the under structure of the Stoneworks deck. After supper, Lori went back out with me and was very helpful on the last joist installation. Lots of digging and cutting roots, but
the thing is ready for the decking now, and after that, I can move the shed onto it and finish the fence. Can carving stone be far behind?!

This was a weekend of toil. Ironically, just when I get a big block of time to spend on refurbishing the Stoneworks, the weather turns on me. We've had a wonderfully cool summer so far, but this weekend featured highs in the nineties and temperature/humidity index of 103˚-104˚. So, it was uncomfortable, but it motivated me to add the Shade Sail I've had sitting around for a few years, making the heat a bit more bearable. The beginnings of the under structure of the deck are shown in the photo and I'm having to chop out some surface roots of the maple tree in order to get everything on the same level. Yeah, it's nasty, hot work, but I'm really motivated now and will probably return to my miniature hell tomorrow.

One more step . . .

Finally got out to make some progress on the Stoneworks today. Took down the bamboo pretty quickly, but then spent about an hour and a half using a big chain and a house jack to yank out the two vertical supports which were 3/4" rebar. Can't remember how I ever got such long pieces pounded into the ground, but at the time (back in '99) that was the only option. Conventional fence posts were out of the question due to the proximity of that big maple. Anyway, they are lying on the ground and I put up some old fence sections to secure the area. Next step is buying some lumber for the deck.

Well, over the weekend I finally was able to get back to work on my outdoor studio renovation. The trap rock (crushed gray granite of, in this case, 1" or less) proved to be a minor nightmare to move, so I blasted a lot of it out of the way with a power washer, and moved the remainder with a rake, shovel and wheelbarrow. I've now got an area of about 150 sq. ft. where I'll build the wood deck. Then the shed can be dismantled, moved and reassembled. Groan. I'm a long way from being able to actually carve some stone. I hope it can happen well before the snow arrives in the fall.

I found out this week that a couple of my metal pieces (pictured: Metopia #2 and Geo-Dermal #2 - Rhombohedron Rhumba) have been accepted into 64 Arts, the first national juried exhibition held at the Buchanan Center for the Arts in Monmouth, IL. These are my two most recent works and feature riveted sheet steel and aluminum. 70 works were selected from over 400 entries from 28 states. The exhibition will run from August 22 to September 19. – A brief addendum: Metopia #2 is about 2' X 3' and Rhombohedron Rhumba is just over 7' tall.

Sculpture back home

Tuesday, Lori and I went to Peoria to pick up my work since the exhibit at the Preston Jackson Gallery ended on July 4th. Sad to report no sales, but my work is fairly pricey and we all know what the Masters of the Universe have done to the economy. Hoping for better days. . .
Anyway, it's all back home safely with only minor damage to one piece. It's nice to have a number of stones sitting around the house again, especially the piece pictured in our dining area whose full title is "Solid Geometry #2 - Watch For Falling Rock". This just in: This piece won the sculpture prize at this year's Members and Friends Exhibition at the Galesburg Civic Art Center.

Work continues on the Stoneworks, but not today - too rainy - so I'll take this time to file an update. Everything has been moved out of the way for the deck to be built, which has to precede moving a truncated version of our old shed, currently in the back yard. Don't yet know what magic I'll have to perform to get it into place, but I'm also posting a Photoshop visualization of the placement. Having the shed in that position will allow me to house the rock saw (visible at the right) outside of the garage - to make room for a large air compressor of course!

The area to the right of the shed will be taken up by a new carving bench. The fence will be finished off by ending at the corner of the shed. This is the plan for the near future. Then, it'll be carving time.

News: Lori and I made a 1-1/2 day trip to a limestone mill in Bloomington Indiana and brought back 1000 lbs of nice Indiana Limestone. Thus far, my limestone pieces have been made from the Illinois variety, generally inferior to that found just a few hundred miles away.

I'm also in the midst of reconfiguring my outdoor carving studio to enable carving with pneumatic tools for the first time in many, many years. This should speed up the roughing-out phase and allow quicker production.

So, I don't expect to be carving any of this new stone for at least a few weeks, more if I decide to tear into a 200 lb. piece of white marble I've had sitting around for nearly a year.

First post

Just set up this blog today. Don't really know what I'm doing yet, therefore I'll be brief. bye . . .