Ready for finishing

This stone was a very willful one, and it seemed to defy me at every turn. I can be a bit strong-willed as well, so this was a bit of a clash. Hmm, maybe "Clash" will be its title. Anyway, after about another half hour or so of work, it will be ready for sanding. The position shown in the above photo will be its attitude when mounted, I think on a piece of black granite.

Ready for final refinements

The photo above shows only one side of the current piece, still un-named, but the other sides are also ready for finishing. My mind is already working on the next stone, so now is when I have to "grind it out" and finish and mount this one!

Still no name . . .

This is day 7 of work on this stone, and I seem to be averaging about 2-1/2 hrs. per session. Today was a day of refining existing forms. I often have a day like this somewhere around the 50-70% point - that way I don't have to do all the tedious work at one time. I've still got some forms to resolve on a couple of sides, but I have a pretty good idea of what it's final appearance will be.

The other side

Here's the same stone after a few more hours of carving. This stone is small enough that I'm not using the pneumatic hammer. It's about 12" to 14" in the longest dimension. My plan for this piece is to have the complexity of the side visible in the above photo act as a foil to the simplicity of the other sides. Hope it works . . .

What's next?

I'm currently preparing for a 2-person show due to open mid-February, 2012. So, I'm moving on right away to my next piece - another stone. This alabaster boulder had a couple of nice planar surfaces that I plan to enhance and leave as a dominant feature of the finished sculpture. As the photo shows, this will make for a fairly swift resolution of this piece, having spent only around 6-1/2 hours so far. It is, again, Colorado Alabaster, formed roughly 300 millinon years ago.

Now the other half lives . . .

Above are two photos of the recently finished piece I'm calling "Urban (Renewal?)" that is the other half of the stone I sawed in half back in mid-september. This stone, in contrast to it's other half, "Exurban", is mounted horizontally. My feeling is that the pieces are more successful apart than they would have been if I'd left them as one. What do you think? To see the whole piece before the encounter with the saw, click back to September and scroll down to the 11th.

Black Armored Structure

This piece got finished yesterday, and its first exposure will be in a December group exhibition in the ICON Gallery, Fairfield, Iowa.
It is aluminum and steel, mounted on pine and is 26" x 8.5" x 4". As I said to a friend, this is probably going to be a difficult piece for most viewers - as in, "What can I say about it?" No need to say anything, really, just tell me whether you like it or not. It is a piece that I feel is exploring the leading (bleeding?) edge of my aesthetic and deals with my struggle with the concerns of 3D art in a post-minimalist milieu. Even a title for a piece like this is difficult. Does it say to much? Too little? Should the piece have a baseor sit directly on the surface? On this last issue, I decided that since the scale of the piece is not such that it can rest directly on the floor, some kind of base was a necessity.

New metal piece

This is an aluminum piece that is about 3/4 done. I've got a few pieces to add to the exterior and some structural work inside to make it easier to mount on a base. My plan is to paint it flat black and then rough up the surface with abrasives in the manner of my other recent aluminum sculpture. This is the first piece that I'll finish since finding out that I'll be participating in a 2-person show at a nearby art center, the Buchanan in Monmouth. The other artist will be Josh Bindewald, a recent MFA graduate of Bradley University. This is a really nice opportunity for me since I have so much respect for the quality of Josh's prints and paintings. The show will run mid-February to mid-March of 2012.

Oh yeah, about the Keister Corporation . . .

The above photo is an example of the third type of sculpture that I do, called "Art Machines", ostensibly "manufactured" by the "Keister Corporation", a mythical company. There haven't been any new examples of this body of work since I started writing this blog, so I've not mentioned them previously. However, having sold a couple of them last weekend, and needing to replace the "Terrorist Detector", I made this variation of that piece, and it is called the "Evil Detector". This is a reflection of my belief that we are threatened from within, not just by terrorists, but by other groups that have had an impact on our government and hence on our lives. This is a way for me to work off some of the frustration I am feeling about the way things are headed.

The Keister Corporation, however, is a broader concept than just that, and has a rather extensive backstory which I'll summarize as follows: I like to imbue the pieces I call “Art Machines” with narrative elements, something that just doesn’t find a line of expression in my other sculptural mediums. The narrative allows me to gently satirize science, engineering, politics and consumerist culture. Produced by the “Keister Corporation”, the pieces are portrayed as devices to solve a specific problem or address the needs of a certain population. The metal tags, commonly attached to “serious” machinery of the 1920s to roughly the 1950s, are of my own devising and continue the Keister Corporation narrative.

The common matrix the pieces share is the box structure, but that is usually violated in one or more dimensions by elements of the piece. In addition to the box itself, the pieces consist of recycled and repurposed materials from a variety of sources. The brass structural elements are meant to convey qualities of solidity, structural integrity and quality of manufacture. They are fun to build, but somewhat beyond the limits of some people's concept of "ART". Hmm, maybe that's what makes them fun . . .

2nd finished piece this week

Once I got the alabaster piece "Exurban" finished, it seemed possible to complete a half-finished metal piece that had been languishing in my metal studio for several months. It meant spending some of the nicest days this year inside, but with the show coming up tomorrow, I thought I'd try it. These Black Mountain pieces have been getting progressively larger, and this one is 32" long, mounted on an oak base.

First half of the sawed piece

Well, it's not an entire half because about 1/4 of this side broke off soon after sawing the big piece in half. But it's done and mounted on a piece of green marble. I've titled it "Exurban". I still have the other half to finish, but I find myself being drawn into the realm of metal again. Hmm. . .

Yep, it's the same piece . . .

In working on this half of the stone I sawed in half, it became clear that this half needed to be vertical. I resisted this at first because it meant finishing the bottom to be consistent with the rest of the piece. Finally, I knew that I had to do it, and I really like the result. I'm now excited about the piece again and will probably finish it within a week or so and then go on to resolve the other half of the original sculpture as a second piece. That one, I'm guessing, will retain a horizontal attitude. Oh, one more thing - I did go ahead and remove the dark red section of stone that had been at the top. I did this by cutting a notch in the stone where the red part had been, and I think it added some real dynamism to the piece, especially in the new vertical position.

Change of plans. . .

As this piece neared the finish - I actually had started to sand it - I finally faced the fact that I didn't like some aspects of it, notably the "unfinished" center. I realized early on that I would not be able to bring the inaccessible inside portions to a smooth state and had planned to leave them rough, finished only by a toothed chisel. Unfortunately, this focused too much attention on that unfinished part, so I decided to take the extreme step of sawing the piece in half to create two separate pieces that could be finished on both sides, but still leaving the bottoms rough. Interestingly, I ended up with three pieces when the end broke off one of the sides when I started working on it. At this point, the whole project is unresolved, but I have started working on one of the halves (the one whose end broke off) and a shot of it is shown above along with some photos of the "surgery".
Now my dilemma is this: without the other side with its extensive areas of dark red stone, the lone area of that color looks isolated and out of place. So, do I modify the top profile by carving it off or leave it?

Getting close to finishing stage

The photos above show some recent stages of the stone as it gets closer to the sanding phase. I did the large piercing by chiseling through from the bottom and I believe I'll leave the inside "wall" surfaces roughly chiseled. In a few days sanding can begin, and I'll have to start thinking of how to mount this unusual piece.

Decision time

In the photos above you can see that I've partially hollowed out the inside of this piece. My intention was to go clear through to create a very large piercing. After getting about half way through, it became difficult to get the proper angle on the chisel to effectively continue. Now, I have to decide whether to smooth off the bottom of the hollowed out part, or carve through from the other side. Stay tuned. . .

Moving on to the next stone

Last week I got the stone finished that I started in mid-June, and it's a good thing too, because I have to deliver it to Chicago in 2 weeks. A friend bought it
for his wife as a birthday present! I named it "Headstone for the Paleozoic" because the Colorado alabasters were formed during the Paleozoic Era, roughly 300 million years ago. Just for context, this was after the breakup of Pangea and what is now Africa was located in the area of the north pole. In addition, the end of that era saw the Permian/Triassic event, the largest mass extinction of life the Earth has ever experienced. Hence, the name.
Since then, I've started a new stone - one that builds on the main theme of "Headstone", but will be somewhat simpler due to the nature of the boulder. Both stones are shown in the photos above, which can be seen larger by clicking on them.

Ready for sanding

Well, after 5-1/2 hrs. of work refining forms today, the piece is about ready for sanding. This phase is usually pretty quick on alabaster (especially compared to marble!), and I may be able to get if done tomorrow - if not, then Monday. In the photo, you can see that it will sit right on the granite base without the necessity of a steel pin. So, after sanding it'll get oiled and then it's done! Remember to click on the photo to get a better look.

Nearing the sanding phase

As you can see in the photo above, there are just a few more rough spots to work out before I can start sanding this piece. My best guess is that I'll have it done in about a week. At this point, I'm planning to have it just sit on the granite base that I've prepared for it - no steel pin necessary and no laborious drilling through the granite either.

Refinement takes time . . .

I haven't posted lately because at this point it's hard to see day-to-day changes. The photos above show the stone as it is right now. I've been working on refining all the forms to the point where wet sanding can begin. It is slow going, but I hope to finish this stone in a couple of weeks.

Final problem

Today's work involved resolving the final rough side of the boulder, seeking to make coherent forms that relate to the rest of the composition. This work is not yet finished, as you can see above. Perhaps tomorrow will be the day that I begin to refine the existing forms, after deciding which ones to eliminate. The heat index reached 104˚ today, far cooler than the 110˚ to 115˚ that was predicted. I'm quite acclimated to the heat now, but an actual temperature very much over 100˚ is definitely going to curtail my effectiveness. Fortunately, nothing like that seems to be imminent.

Getting complicated . . .

I realized while working on the stone today that I seem to be letting this stone have its way on nearly everything. That is, everything that is presented is allowed to find form. This way of working presents an interesting opportunity: I can simplify the form by removing the pieces that are not essential to the concept or that are simply awkward. Looking at the photos, you can see that the piece does need fewer shapes and as soon as the sides are all complete, that will happen.

2nd day - resolving the center

Work on the stone today was aimed at resolving the center - the mass between the two groups of rectangular solids on the sides. When doing this kind of work, my goal is to make coherent transitions. I don't like to look at a finished stone sculpture and see a form on one side that disappears into the work and is not resolved on the other side. So, since this middle part went pretty well today, I'm left with only one side of the boulder to articulate properly before the refinement process can begin. Today's photo shows this center part, but it may not yet be clear just what is happening there.

First piece of new stone -

Well, today I managed to get a good start (nearly 4 hours) on the first of the new stones. A concept for this piece kind of appeared during a meditative period this morning, so I was quite anxious to get started so I could see it, um, "carved in stone" . . . sorry . . .
I'm guessing the weight of the raw boulder at 70 or 80 lbs., but it's already a bit lighter than that. The idea is fairly simple - three series of long rectangular solids intersecting at angles, with a few interruptions to this theme for the sake of surprise. It's hard to see while the stone is dusty, but it is a nicely stratified rose and white boulder and the strata will add another angular element when finished.

Been away . . .

I had intended to finish the above stone before our trip out west, but that did not happen. We were gone for two weeks and visited Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, then Colorado again on the way home to pick up 678 lbs. of alabaster boulders in Ft. Collins at "Colorado Alabaster Supply". The owner, Stan Jones was very helpful despite our arrival about 16 hours ahead of schedule - thanks Stan! Upon our return, I unloaded the stone and then finished the piece I'm calling "Rampart". Now I need to get going on the 14 new boulders in my studio.

Further refinements

Today I solved the problem that has been the biggest source of inconsistency in this piece. I simplified the former stair-step area and straightened it out into a ramp-like form that I like much better. Compare it to the photo below and you'll see the difference.

Simplify – Simplify

This has been a day of some fairly significant change to the piece. It was starting to look a bit cartoony to me and I have known for a while that either the small piercing or the upside down stairs had to go. Well, they both fell to the chisel today, and I think the piece is improved because of that. The last part that is still in its conceptual infancy - the side shown here on the right - is the next thing I'll be tackling.

Forging ahead -

As can be seen in the photo above, I decided to go ahead and complete the rest of the ridges in the manner of the top one. At this point, the plan is to briefly echo that look on the adjacent side, but only about half way up from the bottom, with the stepped character gradually disappearing toward the right side. As you can see from the circular pencil line, I'm planning to make the square piercing near the top into a cylindrical hole to echo the piercing on the adjacent side.

Day 10

I did not have a lot of time to devote to the stone on this busy Friday, but the progress I did make maps out the basis of the final side. I was planning to make a succession of horizontal inverted steps the full width of the side, but Holy MOLY! That would take a lot of time, so I may alter the concept a bit. I do like the first one a lot, however, so we shall see. . .

Holy Sculpture!

Decided today that I needed a piercing in the main body of the stone, but was unsure about just where the vertical slot would emerge on the other side and at what angle. That dilemma was solved by making a cupped-out area on the flat side opposite the slot after drilling a hole through from the other side. The two features work together, I think, in an interesting way, and the cup shape gives me another sub-theme to develop.
Click on the three-view image to see it larger, and expand the window horizontally to maximize it.

just an hour today

Time was limited today, so I tried to do something with impact rather than just dink around with details of parts already resolved. I had intended to do one or two piercings on the curving side through to one or both of the flat sides, but upon sketching them in pencil, I realized that those were not what I was looking for and would not work at all. I then came up with the concept of a tall, vertical slit (that may or may not go all the way through the piece), and this was much closer to the evocative feel that I was intending. But what is being evoked? Can't tell yet!

couldn't resist some detail . . .

I have to confess to being largely in the dark about the process of carving intuitively - that is, making it up on the fly. When I carve with a plan, I go all the way and have multiple sketches, printouts from 15-25 angles and follow them as closely as possible. When I use the intuitive method, I have no idea what the finished stone will look like when I start, and the activities of each day are similarly unknown ahead of time.
So, I don't know how the sort of detailing evident in today's work comes about - whether I truly do make it up as I go along, see a theme developing and enhance it or have some overall idea somewhere in my subconscious that manifests itself as I work. However it happens, it is a delight to work this way and I'm pretty sure the works that result are better than the preconceived pieces. So, this upside down stair-steppy thing that happened today may become a theme of the piece as I continue.

New stone . . .

Well, I see it's been nearly two months since my last post - no way to run a blog! Apologies are in order, but I've been busy learning new software for a related project and have not been in the studio(s) till about a week and a half ago. The weather has changed for the better so I decided to put the metal mountain project on hold and get myself outside. Above is a sequence of photos of the first six days of work on my last piece of alabaster - I'm planning a trip to the quarry soon to get more.
This is a fairly small piece - I'd guess it to be about 40 lbs. I was planning to do at least one rectangular or square piercing through the main body of the piece, but a serious impurity about 1/2cm. in diameter made the small piercing at the top necessary, uncomfortably close to some edges, but it worked out okay. Please note also that the beautiful veining in this piece of Italian alabaster is largely invisible until the dust is washed off, as shown in photos 5 and 6.

New wall-mount mountains piece

Here is a photo of an unfinished metal piece, and also a sketch of it's final configuration. Tomorrow I'll start adding the sloping 45˚angled top pieces, having painted it yesterday and roughed it up today. The sloping pieces at the top will be abraded aluminum sheet with exposed rivets. It is 40" wide. The tabs that will be used to attach the top pieces are visible.

A couple more photos of Silver Wall, Aluminum

I thought that the first photos I posted exaggerated the horizontal aspect of the piece so a detail shot and one in situ should give a better idea of its proportions.

Silver Wall, Aluminum is finished

This one is heavier and thicker than previous wall pieces because its core is made of hollow-core door panels glued together - about 2-3/4" thick overall. The piece is 41" long x 13" high x 8" deep. The skin is all aluminum, attached with zinc-plated steel screws.