Ring shaping

Slowly this piece is taking shape and the forms are getting tighter. Now that I have removed some of the weight it is easier to turn the sculpture and to reach everywhere. I have that delicate issue again trying to determine how thin I dare cut the marble between the forms. Thinness is enticing as it separates the forms. Too much removal of the marble and the weight from above will simply break the sculpture. How thin dare I go? Obviously I do not want to create a sculpture that is too delicate. This might seem like a funny thing to be concerned about but my sculptures have been becoming lighter for a few years now. More air in between the forms. I generally like this change but I must not let a light feel become absurd fragility.

Ring in rose marble

This piece is going to be very similar to one of the earlier sculptures but much larger. I am interested to see just how different it feels; that change in size. The other sculpture you could look through, this one you could climb through. I think it will feel quite different, and I like how it feels at present. I wonder if it would be worth trying on a bigger scale again?

Fresh start

I have found a new block to work on in the field. It has been lying there for years and was completely covered in grass and green with moss. Once the greenery was cleaned off however there was some good marble underneath. I want to try a larger version of the circular sculptures that I carved a while back. The space in between is interesting, the negative space. How will it be with much more air than before? I actually cut it out twice as my first attempt left one side with not enough stone. The smaller version still has some chipped edges as you can see but they can be lost with the rounding of the form tomorrow.

Blown away

The wind blew in great gusts today, so much so that I had to tie down the shelter under which I work. I have worked all day on those hard to reach spots. I used the chisel with great care so as to not put too much shock into the marble and break it. Mostly however I worked by hand with bits of old sandpaper. I also took the time to make myself a tool for reaching difficult spots by chopping up an old grinding disc and welding a handle on it.

In trouble again

I knew this sculpture was going to run me into trouble as soon as I had started it. There are just too many places that I cannot reach. Perhaps it will not matter however and as the sculptor I tend to become over anxious about obtaining a complete finish. Perhaps the outer forms that are more visible are correspondingly more important. This sculpture is lighter in structure than the versions that have preceded it. I am quite enjoying these fish like segments. I might try a more irregular stack of them but have no clear idea yet. Today the temperature dropped to near freezing and my fingers were cold towards the end of the day.