Dear Art Lover,
It began to rain yesterday morning at Cava
Nardini, the stone quarry of father and son, respectively, Germano and Marco
Nardini. As I moved my tools to a nearby
shed, I noticed the light and shapes of the stones as they started to get wet.
My ballerina (WIP) on left; Pinocchio rides the dove, right. |
Autumn has arrived in the quarry. I hope that I will get to return to see more
of the colors changing. In the meantime,
I continued to carve on the ballerina. In this self-portrait with timer, you may see
that I am wearing a hat that has the shape of a shower curtain. It is made from fabric of Australian aboriginal
patterns. The hat is a gift and
hand-made by the mother of my friend Skye.
Skye came to visit me in July and we even went to a wedding in Sicily for
a couple of artists we both know from our days in Firenze. It really does help keep some dust off of the
scalp and hair!
The sculpture is slowly taking form and
after lunch I asked Marco if we could drill a hole in the stone between the figure
and the fabric she is tossing over her head.
Marco’s diamond drill tube is 3 cm diameter. I was worried it was too large, but decided
that if something went awry, I would redesign.
So, he used his drill and I added the cooling water as needed. I will soon have to switch to smaller
tools. My 4-5 inch diameter diamond
blade will not be able to reach into the recesses I so enjoy creating. It is obvious to me that I need my tools I
left in Texas and probably also must buy some more.
Oh, I promised a reader that I would show
the stone wet so we can see the color of this rock. It is a deep forest green with white vein
inclusions. Here is an image of the rock
half wet. Most of the time, the stone is
dry as I carve. It is amazing how many
times the pattern does something unexpected to enhance one’s design. One hopes for such a thing to happen each
time.
Sometimes I think it is a wonder than I ever
get anything done. I am always looking
up at the sky and admiring the light.
This first image shows an arcobaleno (rainbow) in the distant hills. The second was a moment caught, as the light
hit mountains in the direction of Lucca or perhaps further north. The air seems soft enough to touch, no?
Lastly, today,
I would like to share with you some progress images of the ballerina stone carving. I am not sure when I will be back, since
health-wise I had not made a good decision to work on my feet all day. Marco was a bit upset with me as I tried to
move my work table back under cover by myself.
I do hope that ego and wanting to be strong does not get in the way of
actual healing as I wait for my appointment in mid-November for an MRI.
Enjoy the sunset as seen from the Cava Nardini. I will post the after
shots once I have finished the work, probably in a future art newsletter. Subscribe if interested. http://borsheimarts.com/contact.htm
Peace,
Kelly
Detail future bronze |