Fixing Sculptures to bases

Today I have been drilling holes in the bottom of the sculptures and into their respective bases. The sculptures have a pin stuck into them that slides into a stainless tube. The stainless tube ensures that the stresses put on the carving by the pin are spread out and generally minimised. Once the sculpture has a pin (or rod) that can be slid in and out, the pin is ready to be glued into the base. The hole drilled in the base is larger than it needs to be so that the sculpture can be made to stand upright before the glue sets. The bits of string that are seen in the picture are holding the sculpture vertical. The paper underneath the carving is stopping the excess glue sticking to the carving. Once the glue is set I will lift off the carving and clean the excess glue from the base.

London Art Fair

A monster day, driving to London and back. I get home fizzing with the strange energy of the road. It takes me half an hour to feel even half normal. The Art Fair was busy with gallery staff bringing in their wares. My work looked different outside the dust and chaos of the workshop. I had a little anthropomorphic moment wondering if the sculptures felt quite right. We discussed whether the wall behind them should be grey instead of white. I thought they looked great with the white background although the grey did make them look very dramatic. We went for the grey as Art Fairs are no place for subtlety, with every stand trying to outshine the one next to it. I discussed pricing with John Martin the gallery owner. Over the years we have developed a simple system that seems to work for us.John suggests a price and I nudge it up or down. I have to bear in mind that he knows his market very well.

Tidying the ring

The wind is relentless since the start of the new year. I have a rope attached to the windward side of my shelter which loops across the yard to a tree. Without that rope the shelter would be miles away by now. I have spent several days gradually forming the ring into the shapes that I want. It seems to have taken ages, perhaps it is to do with re starting after the Christmas break. Still, today I could feel that the return for my continued efforts was slowing to a standstill and I agreed with myself to call the piece finished. I shall probably find plenty more problems however in the cool light of morning. Next week I am taking some carvings to London for an Art fair. I must get them ready tomorrow.

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.