A new sculpture, Ophelia, Daphne and University of Louisville talk

I have decided to make a stacked sculpture utilizing these 3 blocks. I will leave the shape of the blocks as they are, and carve a woman in the right hand side. Her dress and hair are blowing in the wind; blending into the stone.

I start by marking out the dimensions of the top block. It is missing stone on the left side, so I plan on having the woman's lifted arm in the right hand side. The measurement is 1/2 the size of the block.

I start the model by creating a head.

I work the figure up, checking my dimensions to make sure that she fits in the block.

Here she is with hair...

...and a dress...

I photographed the model and used the pictures to transfer the image to the stone. At this point, I am using the model as a reference, but if I can get a better feel by a freehand sketch, so be it. I cut sections of stone to be removed with a 4" angle grinder and a diamond wheel.

I cut the profile of the face with the 4 inch angle grinder and cut across the block, to establish the body and find the arm.

Meanwhile, Ophelia progresses...

Daphne has been patiently waiting her turn, and I will soon be able to finish her. We had to move her when work was being done on the new studio, and this was the safest place. But, she's too close to the building for me to work on the back of her, so I have to move her out. Which we will do shortly...

Don and I visited Dick and Ardi Wilson, who are interested in commissioning a couple of sculptures, though I won't be able to do anything for them until the end of summer. Don and Dick stand just to the side of a potential site...

Don and I gave a talk at U of L for the Public Art Class which is taught by Ed Hamilton, who created the Lincoln sculpture on the Waterfront in Louisville. This is Matt Weir, his assistant and a friend of ours, who did the tiger sculpture for Saint X High School.

Here we are - Matt, Ed and Don - after the talk.

Elwood by the creek.

A close-up of a tree's bark....

The Bears are finished!

The Bears are finished! The Bears are finished!
The sculpture was started back in 2002 and set aside. Originally, it was going to be a polar bear playing with its foot. Then, I thought I'd rather do a mother Grizzly with cubs. Mary Ann Pollard came out and saw the existing sculptural preform. When I explained to her how I'd like to finish the piece, she decided to commission the sculpture and have it placed at Kosair Children's Hospital in Louisville, KY. What follows are before-and-after from various views of the sculpture.








It makes me tired to look at how much it took, to get a finished piece from the old preform.

A cardinal in the snow.

The morning sun over the frozen creek.

4 Grizzly Bears and 2 open houses

I have been working on the interior areas of the bear, deepening shadows and applying hair patterns.

I'm detailing the top cub. Some of the crayon marks are to show me the fur pattern, and other marks for the bridge of the nose, which needs a bit more definition.

I bounce back and forth between various areas - a little nose carving here, a bit of eye defintion there, and then there is always fur pattern to be done.

This shot shows a bit of each cub and the mother's face.

Don and I went to Charlie Oldham's open house to see what kind of fossil and crystal goodies he had for sale ... and he has lots - fossils, dinosaur teeth, crystals, jewelry...

A couple of big kids looking for pretty rocks...

Lots of crystals at Charlie's Rock Shop...

There was lots of good food and entertainment.

After Charlies Rock shop, we visited the Studio Works open house. Located at the corner of Bardstown Rd. and Eastern Parkway in Louisville, Ky., it provides an artistic outlet for people with mental disabilities. The work is fun and inventive - these are various food items - roast turkey, banana split, etc. in glazed clay.

Finishing touches on the Bears and sky high photo

While I am working on the hair pattern, I check both sides to make sure the pattern is somewhat consistant. I am working in various areas, refining the cub's feet, opening up the areas between the cub's legs and the mother's, as well as refining her face, nose and eyes.

This is the mother's right forearm. I have used a diamond wheel tool on the fur at the bottom of the photo. The testure at the top is from a masonry wheel on an angle grinder. You can see how much more dimension is achieved by using the diamond wheel. It is a lot more work, though. Also, you need a good strong light from the side in order to really see what you're doing.

This is a flared flat ended diamond tool on a small die-grinder for putting hairs on the cub's foot. I do a lot of shaping with this tool, as I put on the hair.

I use the same tool for cutting in the nose of this cub.

It's also handy for setting the eye back into the skull.

I use a larger die-grinder to open the area between the mother bear's leg and the cub's leg. I work the area from both sides until I have it opened.

How did I manage to get a photo of the property from so high up? I'll never tell!

This is some insect work going on here - this is from earlier in the year, just ran across it and thought it was interesting.

Die grinder work

I have been using a die grinder to define the cubs and make them "pop" visually.

I work behind the ear...

under the foot...

between the cubs head and mothers leg...

a then there is a little bit of manicure work to do...

This cub has been crayoned in preparation of die grinder work.

A Daddy Longlegs grooming a leg.

and a branch holding the moon.