Saturday 28 June 2014

Close Up on Patterns




Close Up!

The back of the sculpture is very different to the front of the carving. It is also the area that I didn't resolve as much when working on the model. I always knew I would be slowly feeling my way around the stone, pushing planes back and bringing  areas forward.
Its interesting that the lines that I had drawn on the stone to indicate what needs to be removed at the very start are now the lines I am cutting. However, when you do start to cut and carve you are always considering alternatives with the carving or new possibilities with the form of the sculpture. Could that be made thinner? Can I go deeper? Do I need to change the angle of that surface?  Normally my instinct is right from the start but I am always aware that sometimes you can be too hasty and miss an opportunity to do something different. When you have taken it away there is no putting it back and the material is not very forgiving when you make the wrong decisions!! Now that the lines are cut into the back my emphasis will now be on the twist from the side profiles. The edges are rising up 2.5m so the lines need to be elegant and subtle for the twists to work. There is no more standing on the ground now which is giving me a different perspective on the carving seeing it from above. Preparation is key at the moment on getting the best and most comfortable working positions for the day ahead.

Wednesday 18 June 2014

Making the first move!


It seemed like the perfect time to make the first attempt to move the block and get it upright! I felt I had removed as much of the stone as I could at this stage and in order to progress I was going to have to think about the lift. Everything up until this stage has felt very mechanical about my way of working. The blocking out stage is always pretty straight forward and not necessarily that interesting! It does however require tremendous amounts of splitting and cutting, which also requires the motivation and energy of course to keep repeating the process.
However, excitement and trepidation always builds when you know you are going to see the stone standing and be only one of a handful of people who will have seen the back of the stone for the first time. There is still around 2.5 ton in the block and I am aiming to have this reduced to around 2 ton by the time I have worked the back and the sculpture is nearing completion. Until that time there is still a lot more grinding to be done.


Tuesday 10 June 2014

Standing Stone!

 Its not going to be long before I have to raise the stone upright. There is only so much I can do with the stone lying flat, I need to improve the angles and curves of the lines before making any further deeper cuts and this can only be achieved with the stone standing. The rubble removed each day appears to be getting less and less as I am just removing chippings as I carve out the centre and the curves around the top. Surprisingly today was recorded as being one of the hottest days of the year so far, but Im not going to use that as an excuse for slow progress!




A Use For Everything

All the largest cuts have been made and the 4 ton slab has shed the last of its heaviest sections. I have tried to block out and remove the stone in a way so that it would still be useful for creating some smaller stone sculptures. After gathering up all the off cuts, I was pretty pleased with what I had ended up with. These lumps of stone may appear to anyone else as worthless, but to me they have the potential for a  series of smaller organic indoor sculptures. I am especially drawn to the stones with an unusual twist and line in their form. These existing shapes will definitely trigger further explorations in the stone, as I will be guided by and carve directly with whats in front of me, allowing the distinct form to determine the abstracted outcome.

Tuesday 3 June 2014

Twists and Turns!

The dust doesn't have time to settle at the moment as I'm trying to make up for days of rain and disruptions. Ive taken a little more time on finishing one profile of the sculpture and I am finally ready to start working across the top surface. I have made a small scale model to help me understand where the three folds will meet and loop with each other. Its a slow process but I'm carefully nibbling away at the stone. Even though its a massive slab I am conscious I want to retain as much of the high points until the stone is standing upright. The block is very top heavy at the moment, even after a day of grinding, pitching and punching, the first band of stone is starting to take shape. I am happy that it appears a lot wider now than first imagined. When I move around to the opposite side tomorrow I know I can really start to remove some of the bulk at the top. Already I'm starting to get a feel of the movement that needs to go into the stone as it needs to curve, dip and rise, interlocking what eventually will be three pierced stripes. It may sound strange, but I always get the same feeling when Im thinking about the process of a new carving and it normally happens just before I go to sleep. When I close my eyes I can follow the lines and mentally remove the stone in my mind, in a way this prepares me for how and what I need to be getting on with the following day. Roll on the sunshine!!