The Lion nears completion.....

I have refined the Lion and deeped shadows around the legs. I have also begun refining different muscle groups in the legs and body.

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As the forms are refined the Lion becomes less clunky and the forms of muscle and bone begin to emerge. Angle grinders and die grinders are used to create dark shadows.  The shadows help visually separate the Lion from the surrounding stone.

I have not finished the teeth at this point, at this point I have stopped working on the sculpture so I can come back to it "fresh".  I want to be sure I have the mouth right before I cut the teeth.  Once I cut the teeth in, that's it, I can't make any changes.  The Lion won't be going up to Alaska until next summer so I have time...

I think that I want more dark shadows around the tail and front legs to help those areas to "pop" visually.

This is what the Lion looks like after a rain - the top and bottom are dark and wet, the lion itself is dryI am glad to have the time to live with this sculpture to see what happens when it rains.  I wanted to do an emerging lion so that the carved features would be protected by the overhanging rock.  I have cut the top of the block so that it angles to the back of the stone away from the lion but I need to make a steeper cut as well as angle it toward the center as the water is running down the sides and with time this will prove unsightly. 

The Lion in the sun...

I have taken a mental vacation by working on another sculpture called "The Conversation" .  Hopefully this will cleanse my visual palate.

A Queen Annes Lace with fall color...

A pair of Mennonite girls run through a light rain to the store.



A drive through the colors of Autumn - obviously taken a while back...