Acquiring final profile

The piece is now nearly resolved in terms of its overall shape. Some significant details remain to be worked out, but its profile is clear. Like the last piece of stone, this one has some flaws. I filled in the flaws in that one, but I'm thinking of letting this one show its natural character. If I think the problem areas are getting too much attention when its done, I can still fill them in at that time. Most of the fissures are at or near what will be the bottom of the mounted piece. The photo above shows it in that orientation.

More work . . .

Above is a photo of the newest stone after a few more days work. A theme is beginning to show itself and I'm enhancing it whenever a decision comes up. What do you think so far?

The unexpected . . .

While I was working on the stone today, a fairly significant piece of it broke off without warning. There's never any warning. Anyway, my intuitive way of working allowed me to immediately imagine a new final look to the piece - one of the benefits of having a fluid interpretation of its ultimate appearance. I'm getting close to having it all roughed out and will enter the slower-paced intermediate stage.  In the initial work, I'm open to most anything the stone presents, and tend to work quickly and try to make judgements on form without over thinking it. Strangely, this method produces the most cohesive pieces. In essence, the stone has a big say in the outcome.The photos above show both sides as of today, and also the piece that made its sudden exit.

New mandala piece

Here are a couple of photos of a new stone I started yesterday. My intention is to continue in the vein of my last piece which I've decided to name Mandala: Ring of Truth. The new one has no name yet - I'll have to wait for it to acquire a personality. As you can see, I've decided to start with the centrally located piercing and build everything around that. I plan to work more on it in the coming days if the weather holds.