Bear Dedication, a Memorial for Matthew Pollard

I missed posting this last Sunday because Don and I went out to pick up the bronze and granite base for the Hux Cancer Center from Art Castings in Loveland, Colorado. The mother bear and cubs was commissioned by Steve and Mary Ann Pollard in remembrance of their son Matthew Pollard who died in a car accident 14 years ago. The dedication was on his birthday May 15th.

Lynnie Meyer from Norton Healthcare spoke about the Pollards and about the process of commissioning the bears.

Steve Pollard (Mary Ann is to his left) spoke of the difficulty of losing a child and what the bear sculpture meant to him as a symbol of the love a parent has for their children.

Their pastor Wayne Willis spoke eloquently of the ever present weight of losing a child.
Then it was my turn to speak. I spoke of Mary Ann's ability to visualize my concept of a bear with cubs when it was a roughly cut block of stone and of creating a model so that she and others could see what the final sculpture would look like. I then described how the cubs being on their mother represent the foundation parents provide for their children, offering stability for them until they are strong enough to venture out on their own. And that, within the safety and guidance of Family, is a secure place for children to learn about themselves and the world around them.

I am greatly honored that the Pollards chose my work as a monument for their son, Matt.
People going out to see the bears in the rain...
I saw this mother pigeon sitting on her nest under the Gene Snyder, not far from where the bears are located.

Bears are installed! Dedication May 15th 2:00 All welcome!

The Pollards, who commissioned the bear as a memorial for their son Matt, came out to watch and photograph the bears being moved.

The rigging was coming up against the mother bear's left hind foot. The resulting pressure while lifting the piece could have broken it, so Dereck Sheroan readjusts the rigging, lifting the bears slightly off center, to take pressure off the foot. Way to go Dereck! Charlie Pollard films the installation for a documentary he is creating. He will be leaving soon for college in San Francisco where he will be majoring in Film.

Loaded up and ready to go...

Away go the bears on their one and only trip away from home.

The Pollards follow in their car.

Out on interstate 64.

The bears arrive at Kosair Children's Hospital

The crane truck sets it's outriggers which stabilize it.

The bears get a look at their new home.

The bears, rigged up and ready to be hoisted into place.

Wheee!

Another view of the lift...

The bears are placed on boards, so that the slings can be removed. One of the slings is then made into a choker hitch, in order to raise up one side of the bear. Then, one of the boards can be removed. The process is repeated on the other side so that the bear sits flat on the concrete pad.

The bears in their new home.

The Pollards with the bears, being interviewed by their son Charlie for the documentary.

"you know...for kids."

Flood waters recede, pinning a sculpture and Music Coming Back tour

This is as far as the flooding got, just a little bit on the bridge.

The stacked sculpture been taken apart, so that she can be drilled and pinned for stability. I am using a fine riffler to clean out the area around her fingers and neck.

Marks are placed on either side of the two stones to determine where it will be drilled and pinned.

Each end of the sculpture is raised and a piece of fire hose inserted. This is so we can get a good grip on the sculpture section and lift it safely. You have to be careful handling stone as the edges chip easily.

A line is drawn from marks on either side of the sculpture. At the mid-way point, another line is made. The x is where the hole will be drilled for the pin.

Don drills the hole for the pin. It is important that the hole is drilled at a right angle to each section of the sculpture, otherwise the pin will "hang up" and pieces will not fit together.

Don and I were invited to a music fundraiser for MCB records. It was hosted by the Pollards at their home beside the Ohio River.
The tour is entitled Music Coming Back and featured Kri & Hettie, Corey Brumback and Lotus Blake, among others. I took this photo from the steps coming down from the deck where the bands played.

There was plenty of great food...

...and lots of great music... this is Lotus Blake.

This is Corey Brumback. Great food and great music beside the Ohio River, who could ask for more?

I'm leaving you with this peek-a-boo deer that I saw the other day...

Finishing work, getting needed water and way too much water

I use a slender diamond bit to carve in between this sculpture's fingers - she'll be at the Yew Dell show.

We had trouble with the water and needed it to be fixed, so I can work out the water level on the otter and the sculptures can be power washed before the show. There's Don's guiding hand telling BJ and Mike from J.B. Bennet Plumbing what they need to do. ( ...like they need guidance..)

Here is the otter basin filled with water. I am making cuts down the sides of the piece, as I felt the sides were a bit boring....

We've had a bit too much rain; this is a neighbor's farm that is flooded. The Ohio river is behind him, so right now his place is an island. But, he has a boat and his brother and sister-in-law live right next door.

Another view of his farm from his brother's property.

Another view of the flooded Ohio river. The trees on the far side are in Indiana.

The water has come across our road about 2 miles from the house. If we want to go to Hardinsburg, we'll have to take the long way around. This is another neighbor driving through the flood waters. The man's name (aptly so) -is Phillip Flood. (I can't make this stuff up).

Our property is going under water..

The waterfowl like it. This pic was taken from the front yard before he sunk below the water. I think it is a Grebe.

This is a buttercup under the flood waters, yet it continues to bloom....

Eddie is not happy about his land going under water. But, we've got plenty of hay for him and the other two donkeys to eat until the flood subsides.

But, the water is still rising, forecast to rise another 2 feet. If it does, it will be too deep to drive through. We will have to move the car over to a neighbor's before it gets too high. Then, we'll have to canoe or wade to go any place.

The waters are starting to take out the bridge at the corner of the property.....

Continuing work, a turkey display and flooding returns

I continue work on the otter basin. I have refined the petals and leaves with die grinders and have opened up the basin using a 4" angle grinder.

I have started blocking out the womans arm. I am cutting it full and little low and as I refine it will get it into the right position.

I do almost all of the carving with a 4" angle grinder with a diamond wheel. While I was working, the grinder started making a funny sound. I turned it off and saw that a section of wheel had come off. Where it went is anybody's guess....

A sculpture of a leaping man I am working on and hope to have in a local show. It is in oil clay for bronze.Here is a Tom turkey doing his spring display, looking for girls.

We've had a fair amount of rain and flooding has returned - this is in our lower field. The pink tree is a Red bud in bloom.