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.
Perhaps the final touch up sanding should be down bare handed- gloves off. Sculpture demands to be touch and caressed. The hell with the guards.
ReplyDeleteOh, rest assured that the gloves will come off at that point. I just need the cushioning while using the pneumatic hammer. By the time the marble is finished, it'll certainly be adequately caressed!
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