Stone Carving Problems

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Continuing my last post about stone carving the angel, my next step was to start creating the form of the figure. On bodies, I long ago discovered that I need to start with the hips and legs and then work the other parts of the body to fit those. Not everyone works in the same way. One of the perks about creating art is that you discover how YOUR brain works. You learn so much about your unique way of experiencing and discovering the world around you, how you take information in and how you express yourself.

Thus, I began to shape the pelvic butterfly a little and then the upper thighs of the angel. Only to find more problems in the stone when I found cut into some of that orange crumbly layer that will probably cause me more grief than elation on this piece. You may see this orange inclusion in the figure’s right thigh.



I had designed the legs to be of slightly different positions for more interesting shapes. Now, the only choice I had was to move that back thigh lower, below the problem area in the stone. That, of course, would affect all of the other relationships, especially the length of the lower part of the leg. However, I realized that since my angel was no longer a bas-relief, but instead 3-d, I could make up this shortening by angling that leg in a different way. This meant that I will need to change the position of the heel of the foot, but I think that I have enough stone to be able to do that.

More as the stone carving develops . . .

And for those who celebrate Easter, here are links to some of my previous postings about Pasqua in Florence, Italy:

• The blessing of the stone relic originating from the Crusades
  
• Then in Piazza della Republicca ... follow the relic, see it joined with the cart, flagwavers, and then a small parade to the Duomo for the show and explosion ... and the DOVE ! The Explosion of the Cart
  

Stone Carving Angel Art

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

I wanted to show you the progress I made since my last blog post about my stone carving of an angel. This art project in a pink limestone (from central Texas) was for the Old World Stone Carving Competition at The Vineyard at Florence in central Texas.

I had started off thinking that my angel carving would be in bas-relief. Bas-relief is not simply flattened shapes cut out like a puzzle. Instead, it is compressed FORM. In these first two images, you may see that I cut away the stone around a compressed angel figure. In the second image, the stone is reclining on her back on the table, while I am standing at the top and have drawn in the shape of the compressed skull of the angel. Notice the narrowness towards the face while the back of the skull remains wider.



I do not normally work in limestone and have never worked with the pink. While carver extraordinare Bob Ragan told me that it is possible to get pink limestone without the random crude I was seeing in my piece, I am still stuck with this stone’s genetics. And so, in the first image.you may see that even though I had cut a safety score along a straight edge that I wanted, when I chipped away at the limestone, a huge chunk broke away, stopping along a line of orange inclusions in the rock.

Typically when I see problems like this, I cut them out and redesign. I am a direct carver, so I draw what I want to do on the stone and then carve parts away that are not in the design. At some point, I began to finish the stair concept in my head and also realized that since I wanted to carve a piece that will have something all round, the bas-relief idea would make the angel look weird from side viewpoints. As it often turns out, the solution to one problem also is the solution for another.

I had hoped to cut another layer into the stone that was deep enough to create an angel in the round while also removing most of the defects in the stone. I was getting tired and also, the competition day was nearing an end. Since I was staying at the mayor’s home, I needed to stop carving so that I could follow her there. So, I stopped that first day by making score marks and safety cuts (to protect the angel, stairs, and sun disc) and left the removal of the stone for the next morning.


Day 2: I removed the stone and cleaned up the edges a bit, carved the stairs in roughly. This allows me to move the piece along as a whole. I find that often there are subtle changes in the design based on the rock’s personality, but also as my mind sees how things are working together, or not.


In this final image, you may see that the soft orange “seam” appears again, this time between the angel figure and the sun shape behind her. This naturally will affect the positioning of the angel and also how I carve. Limestone is very soft and also, a carver normally works three sides, leaving the fourth as “insurance” in case something breaks and all needs to be pushed back. It is very challenging to try to create a form, without too many undercuts (up to some point in the creation) in case you encounter a surprise and need to carve around this. That is probably why stone is my drug of choice – challenging and intelligent collaboration.

PS. I could still use your daily vote to help me win $2500 to pay for a bronze casting foundry bill… go here (http://kellyborsheim.see.me/aw2011) and click on the star of your choice in the upper right (left start is a low 1 while the rightmost star is a high 5 score). Voting continues through April 20. Thank you so much!

Stone Carving Competition

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Wow – is time just whipping right on by! I have been busy wax sculpting, mold making, chasing and then spruing wax and finally last night, after taking my wax sprue with two new sculptures to the Atelier 3-D, made the investment mold of the whole contraption. The bronze pour happens later this month. Whew! What a week! Here is a self-portrait I took from my kitchen’s window sill while I was welding my wax sculptures to the sprue lines.



So, to follow-up. Here are a few images of the 2-day Old World Stone Carving Competition at The Vineyard at Florence (Texas). I will write more in the next post about my piece, jokingly titled “Stairway to Heaven” for now. There are more images on my Facebook page and I think the settings allow you to view them even if you are not technically my friend (and why are you not? - :0)

Morning Light at the Vineyard

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

When I first arrived at the Vineyard at Florence (Texas) to hang my solo exhibit there, there was much talk about a pastel drawing that I had just finished the night before. Apparently, just the week before, a couple had gotten engaged on the very spot that was the subject of my artwork! Well, I had been seeking the light …

Shown here is “Morning Light at the Vineyard” from the grounds of The Vineyard at Florence, Texas. This is the backyard of the “Villa Firenze” where my art hangs and you may taste some delicious wines (their award-winning Forte is my favorite). The vineyards themselves are off to the right of this viewpoint.

I used a handmade Italian paper that I brought back to Texas with me. The lightest part of the image is the pure paper. Are the shadows not wonderful! I have sold a couple of giclée fine art reproduction from this image, but will soon have the original back on exhibit at the Villa Firenze.

Come on out this weekend for their spring arts fair and the “Old World Stone Carving Competition.” There will be about a dozen stone carvers working for your dusty pleasure and I will be creating on an angel in pink limestone.

The Vineyard
8711 FM 487
Florence, Texas 76527
Contact: KAMBRAH GARLAND at 512-924-7447 or ph. 254.793.3363
www.thevineyardatflorence.com E-mail: stonecarvingevent@gmail.com
The competition will be judged on Sunday afternoon at 2 pm by no less than 3 independent judges. Prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places will be given.

Saturday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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And a follow-up on the Greenhouse Gallery’s Salon International 2011 (oil painting competition). I was so excited walking into the gallery with over 400 paintings hung floor to ceiling (what is called “Salon Style” hanging) – two women showed me where my painting was and there was a big white ribbon on it! Whoot! I must admit to a childlike delight (literally jumping in the air) and an overall giddiness throughout the reception … and weekend. The award was the judge’s Honorable Mention. And the painting is “Buskers in Firenze” and depicts my street performing colleagues Mimito and Francis that I met while I was streetpainting in Florence, Italy.

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And I recently received notice that voting for the People’s Choice Award goes on through the 20th of April. I could really use your support in this and I understand that one computer may vote every 24 hours. I hope that you will visit the page below and choose the star rating of your choice by clicking on it. (left start is low score of one while the far right star is a high five).
http://Kellyborsheim.see.me/aw2011

Thank you so much for your interest and support!

Salon International Greenhouse Gallery San Antonio Texas

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

YOU ARE INVITED!

Greenhouse Gallery of Fine Art: Salon International 2011
International Oil Painting Competition
6496 North New Braunfels Ave.
San Antonio, Texas 78209 USA
Tel. 210.828.6491 or toll free 1.800.453.8991

Exhibit Opening: April 2, 10 am - 8pm
I will be there 5-8 p.m.

There are 415 original oil paintings in this exhibition, selected among thousands of entries worldwide. I was extra happy that they chose 234 of those to be published in a catalog that was mailed out.
My "Buskers in Firenze" was among the chosen ones! Sah-wheet!

I hope you can make it to San Antonio, Texas!
Thank you for reading and following my artistic journey.

Greenhouse Gallery Salon Art Competition

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Yesterday I went to San Antonio to deliver my chosen painting “Buskers in Firenze” (Italia) depicting my friends Mimito and Francis working as street performers in Florence, Italy. The oil painting on wood was selected in an international competition for oil painters and I am delighted to have my work hanging in this gorgeous gallery.

Shortly after I arrived at the Greenhouse Gallery of Fine Art, the staff hung my framed painting up on the wall in their photography room for documentation. I realized that I had not even photographed my work framed, so here you go …

You are invited

to join me this next Saturday, 2 April, for the reception of over 400 oil paintings paintings (selected from thousands submitted to the jury) for the Salon event. I will be there from 5 – 8 p.m. and would love to see you!

Greenhouse Gallery of Fine Art: Salon International 2011
International Oil Painting Competition
6496 North New Braunfels Ave.
San Antonio, Texas 78209 USA
Tel. 210.828.6491 or toll free 1.800.453.8991

Exhibit Opening: April 2, 10 am - 8pm
I will be there 5-8 p.m.
Continues through 22 April

Normal business hours:
Tues-Sat. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.


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Another daily reminder: I recently submitted an entry of two painting to an online self-portrait competition. I could really use your support - please vote (once each day is possible) to help me win the $2500 CASH People's Choice Award:

http://Kellyborsheim.see.me/aw2011
In the upper right hand corner, click on the star you want to vote for (left star is 1, a low rating, while the star on the right is a 5-star highest rating).

Thank you so much!

Art Too Contemporary

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

It is interesting how growth with the passage of time aids in our understanding of so many things. I have been spending my evenings lately going through many, many files in my office and weeding out things I no longer need. In my “Gallery File” I ran across a printout of the Artists Submission Policy for the John Pence Gallery in California. I had contacted them in regards to an exhibition they were collecting art for titled, “The Nude.”

The bottom half of the page is full of my handwritten notes. I had e-mailed an inquiry and during my follow-up call, I was told that they had checked out my work online and my paintings were “too contemporary” and they had no need of sculpture. This was January 20, 2003.


I include here some of the works that they might have seen. I still have these, having rarely exhibited them as I kept creating newer and newer images. I must say that finding this paper made me laugh, for I rarely get labeled as “TOO contemporary.” Hindsight and much experience give me a better understanding of where I was at the time. These artworks all sell for $300 or less. They were all done from 3-hour life drawing sessions in Austin, Texas.

This is a primo example of an emerging artist who was simply not ready to be exhibited in a gallery. There is nothing particularly horrid in the work, it is just too early in my development and also, the prices are way too low for a gallery to even bother with, certainly not a gallery of the reputation and clientele of the John Pence Gallery. Anyway, I think their response is a keeper for my files . . . and maybe someday, I will again hear the criticism that my work is “too contemporary.”


If you would like to see more of my early paintings, visit these pages on my site:

• 1996-1997 Figurative Oil Paintings
  
• 1996-2000 Figurative Oil Paintings
  
• 1999-2001 Figurative Oil Paintings
  
• 2001-2002 Figurative Oil Paintings
  

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Oh – I recently submitted an entry of two painting to an online self-portrait competition. I could really use your support - please vote (once each day is possible) to help me win the $2500 CASH People's Choice Award:

http://Kellyborsheim.see.me/aw2011
In the upper right hand corner, click on the star you want to vote for (left star is 1, a low rating, while the star on the right is a 5-star highest rating).

Thank you so much!