A horse for Derby

With Derby approaching I thought I'd do a horse emerging from stone. The concept is one of achieving freedom -the horse is releasing itself from the confines of the stone. I've always liked horses and have drawn them from the time I was a kid. It has been years since I have carved any and even then, they were just rough sketches.

This piece of limestone is a section from a large block for an earlier commission. It was cut from the block with a hydraulic chainsaw. That is why it is this odd shape. I like using pieces like this, there is a challenge to fitting a sculpture into it and sometimes you end up with a better sculpture. This piece will be carved directly, there will be no model though I will use various reference photos. The horse was drawn on out in the stone yard to see if it would fit.

I cut a line around the outside of the drawing with a 4" angle grinder. Any stone beyond that line I can safely remove though I will still cut wide. I begin cutting with an angle grinder with a diamond tipped 9"blade. I make vertical cuts and I will come back across with the grinder to remove them. The diamond cuts quickly through the limestone and it makes a lot of dust!

I roughly cut the front profile of the horse then start removing stone from over the horse's back.
In this photo I have drawn the horse with a raised knee. As I get further into the piece I realize that I can't do that, the leg and shoulder will have to be dropped on that side because of the shape of the existing stone, the body will have to twist down on it's right, but that's okay, I enjoy direct carving because you may start with an idea and then changes as I carve. Sometimes the changes occur as I carve because I see a new direction to go in. With this horse it's because I am limited by the existing stone. It is a challenge and I enjoy it.

The cuts in the horses back. You can see from this photo that the stone is somewhat wedge shaped. It is also seems to be leaning to the right. I will have to twist the horse's body slightly to fit the stone.

The stone sticks out on it's left side and I know I can comfortably remove this area. The facial features of the horse are barely cut in and thick. As I work I will define various areas. I leave the ears very thick until I have a better form on the head.

I work my way down the horse shaving away areas with the grinder. I have cut the ear although it is still a bit heavy. While I use a 9" angle grinder to remove large sections, the 4" angle grinder is the tool of choice for the actual carving of the piece. I use a diamond blade for roughing out the piece. I approach it from various angles - front, top, back as I carve to be sure of where I need to cut. I find it is best to define one area (such as the head) and then follow that form down into the stone - the head leads to the neck, the neck to the shoulders and so on. As I refine an area it becomes obvious where the next part of the horse is.

I use an air hammer to remove stone from behind the sholders. I start defining the mane being careful not to cut into the neck underneath. I have marked the line of the neck with a china marker in order to maintain that line.

The horse's right side will be slightly lower and the neck will have to run on an angle in order for the horse to fit into the stone. I drew the neck on the stone with china markers before I made any cuts.

I grind over the area that had chisel marks from the air hammer in order to better read the form. I begin to form the horses leg and shoulder.

I used the crane truck to rotate the horse so that it faces south. I was having trouble with one side as it was on the north side and always in the shade. That side was lagging in progress but now it will catch up.

I draw on the facial structure of the horse, making a line across the head to ensure the eyes are symmetrical to each other. I mark the bone structure and draw on the vein that is usually seen running down a the length of the face. I switch to a masonry blade for forming the face. It is less aggressive than diamond so I can get a smoother surface. I will cut the basic details (eyes, bones, vein) with this tool.

I begin carving this side of the horse by starting at the front and working back.

I refine the forms with a 4" angle grinder. I have yet to define the shoulders and leg on this side.
I am undecided whether to have the leg bent (as drawn) or straight and pointing down.

This side is more finished though it still needs work. I was going to define the lower leg but I like having it disappear into the stone...