Carving the Grizzly and Ely SOLD!

This is the left side of the bear. I have been removing stone from the rear leg of the mother bear. Under the mother's foot you can see (if you really use your imagination) where the cub clinging to it's mothers leg will be.

A great deal of stone needs to come off around the bears back legs. The block is also too long and needs to be cut down. At the bottom of the stone, on the right, is a quarry dog hole, which will need to be cut out. These holes (there are two for every block) are made for quarry dogs, metal tong-like devices which are used to lift stone out of the hole. Cutting out the hole was awkward as the bear curves under and I needed take out just enough to get rid of the hole. I kept thinking I was done, but the hole was packed with gravel. It just went on and on. I finally got it, though.

I am using an angle-grinder with a diamond wheel to make cuts into the stone. I make a series of cuts (you can see these cuts under the wheel of the grinder) and then break them off with a hammer. Sometimes, I cut the sections off with the grinder by cutting across at a right angle.
I use a hammer to break off cuts of stone.

A little piece of stone (lower right) got in my eye while carving. I thought that I'd share this with you.

Great news! Ely sold at Yew Dell Gardens!

These are blackberries. I never realized that they had these coverings. I searched for what these coverings might be called, but had no luck. They look cool, though, like Sundew plants.

Packing clay onto the Terre Haute commission

This week, I was able to make dramatic progress on the Terre Haute commission.

Needing the ability to remove each head separately, I cut pipe that will slide over the metal neck rods of the sculpture armature. I use a sawz-all to make the cuts. I hold the pipe firmly to the bench to keep it from moving, as the sawz-all cuts with a reciprocating motion.

This picture shows the newly cut section of pipe.

I cut a piece of foam that will easily fit inside the form of the head. I trace the area that needs be removed, so that I can affix it to the pipe. As the foam of the head will be about 3" across and 3" deep, I will use two pieces of foam (the foam is 2" thick). Then, I will cut a hollow, to match the pipe, out of each half, and then glue them together. The resulting piece of foam will be 4" thick, but I trim it down with a knife.

The pipe will slide over the neck of the armature. I can take off each head and work on it separately. By sliding the pipe over the metal rod, I ensure that there are no edges to catch and make removing the head difficult.

The foam is attached to the pipe with hot clay.

When adding clay to the armature, it must be firmly smeared in small amounts all over. Otherwise, it will simply fall off. Subsequent layers of clay stick easily to this first layer.

I add clay to all areas of the sculpture, making sure to push it firmly into place. I have decided not to add foam for the children's heads. They will be made entirely of clay. Foam in their heads could end up being more trouble than it's worth.

I continue adding clay, covering the foam and metal. I periodically check measurements against the maquette.

At this point, I have added clay onto most of the figures. Now, I will add clay to the childrens arms.

I have added clay to all areas of the figures. Next, I will start defining the forms.

On Monday, there was a dense fog all day. It gave everything an otherworldly feel.

There was a freezing fog one morning, and I spied this plant outlined in frost.

I took a walk by the creek while it was still frozen, and thought I'd take a macro shot of the bubbles inside...

"Connections" at LSU dedication Cover of Journal of Veterinary Medicine Association

The bronze and limestone sculpture entitled "Connections" was dedicated November 6th at the
LSU School of Veterinary Medicine's Serenity Pavillion in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

This is the sculpture with the finished brick work and the fountain running. There is a copper pan between the woman and the animals to contain the water. Milton Womack Construction did the brick work and WHL Architects did the copper pan and plumbing. I am very happy with their contribution - really first rate!
The dedication turned out great, with a large attendence. Present were representatives from the Humane Society of the United States, the American Kennel Club, the International Fund for Animal welfare, and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.


While I was in Baton Rouge, I stayed at the faculty club on campus. There was not a hotel room to be found anywhere around Baton Rouge, because of hurricane Gustav, which did a great deal of damage to the area.

The inside of the faculty club, where I had breakfast the four mornings that I was there.The campus at LSU has live oaks everywhere. I took a stroll to see some of them. This one is in front of the Faculty club. (Really a great tree!)

In my stroll, I visited Mike the tiger. He has a large natural area with a pool.

Not far from Baton Rouge are Cypress swamps. I had to go out and see them, while I had the chance.

This is a rose mallow that I saw down there. They have a huge flower - a wild form of Hibiscus.

When I was on my way home, the plane was delayed getting into Chicago, which caused me to miss my connecting flight. I had time to kill, so I wandered around and took this pic of a Brachiosaurus from the Field museum. Pretty cool....

My newly installed sculpture, "Connections", will be on the cover of the Journal of the Veterinary Medicine Association. Photo by Harry Cowgill, LSU School of Veterinary Medicine. The sculpture is dedicated to all those who give care to animals. It illustrates how people reach across the gulf that separates us from animals and that, by providing care, they "Connect".