Against the Dying of the Light Sculpture

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

I am so excited! And I owe many thanks to a generous collector of original art, who took advantage of my monthly payment plan offer. I not only received financial assistance in continuing my work in Italy this past year, but together we were also able to realize my newest bronze sculpture.

This autobiographical artwork is titled “Against the Dying of the Light” and he stands a total of 56 inches tall (x 14” x 13”). I created this work while thinking of the beauty and triumph in the struggle against something that feels greater than oneself. Two large hands grab a man’s extended legs as he angrily resists the pull, arching his back and clenching his fingers.

I did not create this bronze figurative sculpture to decorate someone’s living room. This work is intense and people recognize this and that is the word most often used in the description. I am OK with that. This sculpture composition is honest and pure . . . and I hope you agree, beautiful.

Many collectors have taken advantage of my monthly payment plan for adding my works to their collections. Basically, the offer is this: pay a non-refundable (but transferable) one-third deposit and then choose the amount and the date in each month in which you would like to purchase your Borsheim artwork. And the best part: NO finance charges!

Combine this with my pre-casting / introductory price on this new bronze sculpture, and it becomes easy to obtain the original art that you want. The Introductory Price on “Against the Dying of the Light” will be offered through the 15th of November. After that date, the price goes up 12%.

Contact me for more details.

Thank you for reading!

Stone Carving

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

After teaching a three-day workshop in stone carving, I decided that I really do not have enough time to finish the marble carving that has the nickname "George Washington" before I return to bella Italia. She will have more detail than even my marble sculpture "Stargazer" and thus, I am willing to take the time I need to create the best artwork I can. "George" will have to wait a wee bit longer.

But I tend to have many different projects going on “at once” and so, I am curious to know if I can finish another carving that I started a year or two ago (I think). In my neck of the woods, there has been no evidence of Hurricane Gustav, not even some much-needed rain. But the weather is surprisingly cool – anything less than 100 degrees F seems relatively cool to me.

After carving, I went to help John. Earlier today, I had prepared the stone base for “Against the Dying of the Light” and this evening John drilled the holes in it for securing the bronze figure. The center hole supports the bronze, while the two smaller holes on the sides are what I call “twister resisters” in that their function is to keep the sculpture from spinning around the center axis rod. I have no images of the joining since I was actually holding the bronze man while the threads were being tightened.

I cannot tell you just how happy it makes me to see this bronze figure sculpture realized. I hope to be sharing photos of him with you soon.

Stone Carving Workshop

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Students at my home studio here in central Texas just finished their second day of carving stone. Their projects are progressing beautifully. We have one more day left in this Labor Day Stone Carving Workshop.

Usually I do not work on my own projects while I am teaching, but in stone carving, the students need to have a certain amount of time to work with the tools and their stones and just CARVE. Because of all of the safety gear on our heads and all of the noise generated, talking is limited. So while I can discuss art concepts in my anatomy courses as students work, that is not possible while carving stone.

One student George took this image of me today working with a hammer and chisel on a piece of Colorado alabaster. Student Kate is in the background.

We lost one student, Kevin, this morning. He said that he needed to get back to his home in North Texas because he is a volunteer for the American Red Cross and needs to help prepare: His community is a place in which those evacuating their homes to escape from Hurricane Gustav will soon arrive.

Kevin was a little worried that George, who traveled from east Texas to take this stone carving workshop may not be able to return to his home Monday evening after we wrap things up here in central Texas. He reminded me that during the Hurricane Katrina evacuation, Interstate Highway 10 was converted into a highway that only headed west. Anyone trying to go east, towards the storm, was out of luck.

It is strange how lives interconnect and so many people experience different realities and we all await Gustav's arrival.

Creating a Bronze and Stone Sculpture

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

I spent part of my day today with Philip Hoggatt of Carved Stone in Dripping Springs, Texas. Phil not only supplies stone to carvers, but his primary business is creating stone products, from plaques and furniture (lamps, park benches, planters, and clocks) to sculptures large and small.

Phil took my specs for the base of my newest bronze figure sculpture “Against the Dying of the Light” and found a piece of limestone that fit the size requirements. He used a chainsaw to cut the basic shape and when I arrived at his studio this morning, he refined the shape of the stone and added a really cool texture.

He used a bush hammer for texturing the surface of the rock. I had never seen this type of bush hammer and nicknamed it a horseshoe crab because of its shape. It is quite cool, leaving a much larger textured pattern than the texture tools I use with my pneumatic hammer. I love the look and I loved the time savings.


I share this close-up image with you of the blades of this bush hammer. When the power is turned off, as in this image, you may see the triangular arrangement of the three blades.

Afterwards, Philip used his forklift to load my new stone sculpture base into the trunk of my car. After I took the image below, I needed to stop playing tourist so that I could guide the stone into the trunk as Phil lowered the forklift. We set the stone inside the trunk over two 6 x 6 cedar posts that I had placed there to aid in removal back at my studio. I have a dolly with a hydraulic lift. She is fantastic! And she is much cheaper and healthier than back surgery!

Once unloaded, I will lighten the weight of the stone a little bit, wash it, dry it, add holes so that the bronze figure can be attached to its base, and then seal the stone for protection.

Drawing of Nude Male Figure

Drawing of Nude Male Figure

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

My mother took off this morning after a fun visit here in Texas. I hired a model on Tuesday and we even got to draw together. We have not done that in years.

This latest drawing in charcoal pencil from that session is of one of my favorite male models, Eric. He is a seated male nude. I love Eric’s long toes and his exotic eyes.
The paper is a greenish-grey paper and the figure drawing measures 14” x 10.”

Eric, the figure drawing, is available. I would love for him to find a good home.

“Eric 19 August 2008” for $150 + $15 shipping.
Texas, USA, addresses must add a 6.75% sales tax.
Just click on the PayPal button below.

Patina on Bronze Metal Sculpture

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

I thought tonight that I might share more of my previous unveiling of the bronze patina process used on my newest figurative sculpture titled “Against the Dying of the Light.”

Last time you saw that in the beginning of the patination process, the bronze metal took on many mottled colors as it first felt the torch. But keeping the heat on and applying more of the chemical coloring (in this case, liver of sulfur) in a consistent manner gradually changes the metal.

He is coming along beautifully, this figure sculpture of a triumphant nude male.

To see the previous post on this topic, please Click HERE.

Stone Carving Marble

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Several people from different parts of Texas will be joining me at my home studio on Labor Day weekend Aug. 30, 31, + Sept 1. They will all be learning to carve stone for the first time. Stone is my drug of choice, so I cannot wait to share it with them!

I miss stone carving the most when I am working in bella Italia, but I was able to get back to it these last two days here in central Texas. I hope to make a lot of progress on a stone carving that has a real title already, but has affectionately been nicknamed ‘George Washington.’ She is a figure in Canadian marble – but no, she does not look anything like George.

I am a direct carver. This means that my technique is to draw directly on the stone and cut away what I do not want to remain. Another method to carving is to create your sculpture in a more forgiving medium, such as clay, wax, or plaster, and then transfer or copy the original into the stone, usually by measuring. For more complicated compositions, the latter method can save a lot of disappointments and time.

However, I am stubborn and I want to push myself to see more into the stone and improve my skills and vision. I also like the ability to change and “play” that the direct stone carving method offers.

Now my day is over and tomorrow my aide and I head into Austin, Texas, to start our series of anatomy and drawing workshops. It is not too late to join some of them:
www.borsheimarts.com/artclass.htm

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