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.