Sunday, March 28, 2010

Work on the little boy, and the return of the Sun


To make an ear, I use coils of clay to form the basic shapes. I add small bits of clay that will fill in the form.

I use a wood tool to press in the small pieces of clay. It is better to use too little clay for the area - it's easy to add more clay. But, if you add too much, and clay needs to be scaped back off, it's a lot more trouble.

I have roughed in the little boy's shirt. I use a loop tool to define the folds.

Here is the little boy from the front. I need to do more refining to the folds of cloth.

Here is the model for the little boy. His name is Gavin.

Here is the view showing the children in profile.

My favorite view is 3/4. I feel it has a lot more energy.

The morning sun through the fog.

As the sun returns with the spring, everything begins to bloom. This bloom is on a small tree - I don't know the type.

This is a tiny flowering plant (I don't know its name). Each bloom is only 1/16th of an inch across.

A closeup of Hepatica.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Spring, Sprang, Sprung


I apply ridges of clay for the folds of the shirt. These are roughly applied as I will add warm clay which will fill and soften the area.

The clay fold is fairly stiff at room temperature so that it remains rigid and acts as an armature of sorts when I apply some warm clay to fill in the fold.

A rake tool helps me to see high spots and low spots on the sculpture as well as leaving an interesting texture.

A loop tool is used to define the little girls hair.

This is the little girl. I am very happy with her at this point, just a matter of detailing her out.

This is the little boy. He still needs work on the shirt and pants.

This view shows the children. The little girl is much further along. The little boy is still somewhat stiff and needs a bit more work.

Last year's leaf- with its arms crossed.

This is an extreme close-up of Henbit bloom buds

This is a close-up of a Bloodroot just beginning to open.

One of the first sounds of spring is the trill of the tree frog as males call to prospective mates. Soon, the puddle will be filled with tadpoles...

Sunday, March 14, 2010

The work continues....and spring arrives


I have blocked in the belt area and now begin to pack on clay for the shirt.


I have blocked in the body of the shirt and have indicated on the arms with lines in the clay where I will add clay for the folds of the shirt.


I have added clay and formed it using loop tools to create the folds of cloth. I have also added a collar.


I have blocked in the belt but it is very rough. Now I need to smooth it out and define it.


By pressing with a wood tool with a rounded end and rolling slightly, I smooth out the clay to create the form of the belt.


Here I am defining the belt by pressing the end of a square edged wood tool against it and drawing it to the right. I will use this tool to define the loops of the pants and where the shirt and pant meet to make a clean edge.


Here is the sculpture, there is still work to go, but it is coming along.


This is a closeup of moss and what looks like a flower, but is not, it is a Antheridium, which is how moss reproduce -kind of like flowers do. It is extremely small - less than 1/16th of an inch across.


Condensation inside a 2 liter bottle.


Rain on the web of a spider.


A closeup of a Lacewing. Insects in the house is a sure sign of spring.


Another sign of spring is that the buds of the trees have started to open, this is a water maple in the rain. And yes, they are that pink, but they are relatively small and easy to miss.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Clay Work & A Polar Plunge

Work continued this week on the Terre Haute commission. The focus of this week's effort was to add hair and clothing to the figures.

I began by adding clay for the hair of the little girl.

Next, I worked on her skirt.

Then, I added clay to the dress of the woman.

I made marks where I wanted to make folds in the clothing.

Here, I'm applying the clay to make the folds on the man's pants.

This is the progress at the end of the week.

Last Saturday, I went to Louisville's Waterfront Park to watch the Polar Plunge. Keep in mind that the water temperature (and air temperature) is around 35 degrees.

I went because my twin sister, Liz (yellow life jacket), was taking the plunge with her YMCA fellow workers.

There was plenty of security, and even divers, to ensure that it was a safe event.

This is a mural by Maggie Breslin on a railroad overpass on Spring Street. Maggie is the wife of Paul Breslin, who was one of Don's close friends from his Centre College days.

Monday, March 1, 2010

will winter ever end?

It's been unseasonably cold all week, with cloudy skies, so I'm happy that I have indoor work to do.

I continued work on the Terre Haute commission. I focused my efforts on making improvements on the head of the man.

I added clay to make the eyes...

...and then added more clay for the eyelids.

After getting the head to a point that I was happy with, I finished out the week making refinements to the rest of the figure - specifically, the leg, waist and shoulders.

This was the progress of the sculpture at the end of the week.

This is the model for the next commission that I will be working on, after this one is finished. It is a mother Grizzly Bear and 3 cubs that will be carved from a single block of Indiana Limestone. It will be installed in front of the new Norton Children's Hospital in Louisville, KY.

M & M's

The temperatures have been warming and the creek has started to melt - making interesting patterns. I especially liked the reflection of the trees.

Ohio River valley blues.