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| First day symposium: 4 July 2016 |
Enough friends have asked me about the
status of my sculpture “Pinocchio sul Columbo” [“Pinocchio rides on the Dove”
that I stared on 4 July for the stone carving symposium at Cava Nardini in
Vellano, Tuscany, Italy. After two
cracks in the stone called pietra serena [a grey sandstone] made
me scrap my original idea, I overdesigned the next idea. Normally, one finishes the work DURING the
symposium, but I knew that this was a very laid back situation and that it is
local for me. In fact, all of the
participating sculptors were fairly local.
Several of us stayed longer to finish our compositions.
I still have 2-4 days of work left to do
to make a presentable piece. However,
tomorrow is Ferragosto, a national (Catholic) holiday in Italy. I also still do not have a car and depend on Marco Nardini, quarry owner and really
nice guy, to pick me up and take me home, so the schedule is at his
convenience, as far as I am concerned.
Anyway, without further
ado. The first image is me standing next
to the stone chosen and set up for me before the symposium started. Because of my leg injury and my bronze
fountain sculpture commission, I was not able to go to the quarry beforehand to
select my stone, so I sent approximate dimensions for my original idea to Silvio Viola, a sculptor and the
organizer of this event. The symposium
started on 4 July 2016.
It is really great
working at a quarry. If we needed tools
or the stone moved or a hole drilled, it was far easier to do in on a regular
work site than have to make special arrangements to have these things done in a
timely manner. This was the first time
that I had assistance on my sculpture. I
would cut, or more accurately score, the stone where I wanted some
removed. Another artisan would come to
chip away what I had scored. I do not
know if I did my knee more or less harm during this event, but hey, I am
sculpting stone again!
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| 10 days later... 14 July 2016 "Pinocchio sul Colombo"[unfinished] |
This second image was
taken on the last day of the symposium, July 14, 2016. It is clearly not finished. Many people still do not see the idea. Or as Kumiko quipped, “It looks like a
mosquito attacking a bird.” Thankfully,
the two of us have returned enough days that the form is coming together as
much as possible, considering the cracks that stopped me from making a more
romantic composition. [Had I brought the
wing tips together, the front view would have had more “ohh la la” as the wings
formed a flame shape. Boh!]
I will post the after
shots once I have finished the work, probably in my next art newsletter. Subscribe if interested. http://borsheimarts.com/contact.htm
Thank you. Buon
Ferragosto, Italia!
Peace,
Kelly
