Ballerina Becomes a Whale

Dear Art Lover,

     Okay, despite the title of this post that I found amusing, no, I did not force feed any ballerinas!  I have returned to the Cava Nardini (Nardini Quarry, in English) to start to carve stone again.  Last fall I started to carve a piece of green marble with white veining that I bought in Pietrasanta, Italy, from a friend of a friend while I dropped off a new composition at a local bronze casting foundry. http://www.borsheimarts.com/sculpture/2016/RockTowersFrogGardenSculpture.htm

     I wanted to learn how to stay at the abstract level, perfect for a stone with a busy pattern of contrasting tones.  I saw a ballerina throwing up a large piece of fabric above her and her flowing gown.  You may see images in one of my blog posts about this stone carving here:

http://artbyborsheim.blogspot.it/2016/10/autumn-in-quarry-vellano-tuscany.html

     While the doctor told me that I should not try to carve stone until four months have passed after the removal of the cast on my broken right wrist, he also told me that after two months I would feel mostly back to normal.  I do not.  I do not have the flexibility back and when I try to push the hand to stretch it, there is pain still.  The cast was removed on 30 June.  My first thought was that if I am not “normal” after the two months, maybe it will be six months instead of four before I should attempt to carve stone.  The vibration too much, too soon, could ruin my wrist for the rest of my life.  I do not want to screw this up since my knee has still not healed.  I am nervous about why things are not getting better.  

     Still, I am not the sharpest tool in the shed, although I might be the one with the hardest head.  The symposium at the quarry is mostly over and the weather has cooled dramatically from this summer, to what I would call perfect carving weather [now that it has stopped raining].  I recently began returning to the quarry to start work again on my ballerina and the other black crystal marble piece I bought at the same time.  I justified that now that I have a car, I am not obligated to spend an entire day there if I need to call it a day sooner than the others.  I also brought more of my die grinders from Texas this past spring and decided that I could grind these chippy rocks, since a hammer and chisel will only destroy them anyway.  I have been using my left hand mostly, while trying to exercise my right a bit more than I was at home.

     I had been watching a crack that was obvious in one section of the dress of the ballerina where a white vein met the green, but we all thought that it MIGHT be a small section since the crack seemed to fizzle out.  One seasoned carver asked me if I wanted to put some glue into the stone, but I am old school… if I know there is a crack in the rock, I need to remove the dead stone and redesign.  Glue seems to me to be just a Band-Aid. 

     And then it happened:   the rock separated.  The section was where I imagined, but deeper.  And, once I pulled off the piece you see in this first image, you may see in the second image that there was now exposed the larger issue [see the crack where I put the red arrows].  The original bottom for the ballerina sculpture is the plane on the right [not visible].  Her billowing fabric is the curve on the left/top edge of the stone.

     It was not difficult to remove the rest.  This was about one-third of the stone!  I was upset, even though I knew the fear was a probable reality.  But then, I justified that my intention was to learn something new and to push myself into abstraction a little bit more.  Ok, so the idea changed, but the exercise is still the same.  Imagine my delight when I looked fresh at the larger piece of rock and saw a whale!  In fact, the leftover tool marks from my diamond disc reminded me of teeth or at least the mouth of the sperm whale… hahah.   Do you see it here?  I am not so great with Photoshop, but tried to draw a thin red curve to follow the flow that made me feel the ocean.

 

Do you see the whale form?  No longer a ballerina in any event.

     The shape is not perfect for that, by any means.  Nor is there enough rock to create accurately the form of the whale, but that still was a bit of the point, no?  I turned the stone to other views and other positions.  I got a kick later at home when I saw the tree coming out of a fish-shaped form, as if it were a vase.  I was so busy looking at the marble that I did not compose my shot other than trying to find something dark behind the marble to show me the form.

Fish Vase?  ;-)

    From the viewpoint in the image below, I actually saw a standing figure – with a triangular neck and head, short triangular arms, and carrying some sort of a pack on his back.  Do you see that also?  Or something else?  Or nothing promising?  

Figure carrying a sack on his back?

vertical jumping whale, maybe?

     In my lips series of stone carving, [see the Zebra Lips as an example here:  http://www.borsheimarts.com/sculpture/stone.htm

], I tried to create other shapes on the back side of the lips.  Not sure that the transitions were all that successful, but the morphing idea intrigues me still.  How to start?  Well, I remembered my friend and mentor Vasily’s voice, “Start with a line that shows your idea.  Make everything else support that line.”    And so, I leave you with my note-taking on the green marble to refine the curve of the whale form that I showed you earlier. Happy weekend!

     In addition, I recently published my September art newsletter with the theme, “Wind, Water, and Wisteria” because alliteration is just fun.  You may read the whole thing online with lots more images here:  http://www.borsheimarts.com/news/201709_Artnews_WindWaterWisteria.htm

Peace,

Kelly Borsheim, artist

http://BorsheimArts.com

P.S. IF original art, while affordable, is STILL a bit out of your budget, or the piece you adored has sold?  Or do you like arty things in different formats, to surround yourself with art?  Looking for a gift?  See my store online for pillow, phone cases, shower curtains, towels, tote bags, and yes, even prints on metal, wood, canvas, and so much more:

https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/1-kelly-borsheim.html

Vernazza Cinque Terre Spotlight Splash Drawings

Dear Art Lover,

     Here are two of my recent charcoal drawings finished:  Spotlight and Splash.  They were inspired by a trip to the Cinque Terre in Italy… specifically, the coastal town of Vernazza.  Where the mountains meet the sea, drama often ensues.  And with what beauty!  I hope you enjoy these works.  They may sell individually, but I offer a savings if bought together or with any other of my artworks.  I will include free shipping so the math is easy.  See some process images and prices online:

 http://www.borsheimarts.com/charcoal-drawing/2017/SpolightSplash-CinqueTerreSeascape.htm

     So, I recently published days ago my September art newsletter with the theme, “Wind, Water, and Wisteria” because alliteration is just fun.  You may read the whole thing online with lots more images here:  http://www.borsheimarts.com/news/201709_Artnews_WindWaterWisteria.htm

     Now, off to continue this precision mural I stopped working on seems like a year ago . . . [it is in my own home, so … ]

Peace,

Kelly Borsheim, artist

http://BorsheimArts.com

P.S. IF original art, while affordable, is STILL a bit out of your budget, or the piece you adored has sold?  Or do you like arty things in different formats, to surround yourself with art?  Looking for a gift?  See my store online for pillow, phone cases, shower curtains, towels, tote bags, and yes, even prints on metal, wood, canvas, and so much more:

https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/1-kelly-borsheim.html

Wind and Wisteria

Dear Art Lover,

     So, I just published days ago my September art newsletter with the theme, “Wind, Water, and Wisteria” because alliteration is just fun.  You may read the whole thing online with lots more images here:  http://www.borsheimarts.com/news/201709_Artnews_WindWaterWisteria.htm

    In it, I introduced a new wall-hanging bas-relief sculpture, Wind and Wisteria.  I have changed the face of “wind personified” a bit to emphasize the action of blowing, and changed the face of the boy a little, in the act of receiving.  But we have had rain here for a solid week and I just could not take another image !  Still you have an idea here in this Photo-shop mock-up of the composition and “airiness” of the art.

Wind and Wisteria shown in clay as if it were bronze sculpture

     As usual, I am offering a pre-casting [lower] price to help me realize a new clay work into bronze.

Check it all out, as well as the story behind this sculpture, here:  http://www.borsheimarts.com/sculpture/2017/WindWisteriaBasReliefWallSculpture.htm

     Now, off to continue this precision mural I stopped working on seems like a year ago . . . [it is in my own home, so … ]

Happy birthday, Michelle Borsheim!

Peace,

Kelly Borsheim, artist

http://BorsheimArts.com

P.S. IF original art, while affordable, is STILL a bit out of your budget, or the piece you adored has sold?  Or do you like arty things in different formats, to surround yourself with art?  Looking for a gift?  See my store online for pillow, phone cases, shower curtains, towels, tote bags, and yes, even prints on metal, wood, canvas, and so much more:

https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/1-kelly-borsheim.html

Water Raindrops Hurricane Watch

Dear Art Lover,

     I seem to have water on my mind a lot lately, as you will see when I publish images of my next two charcoal drawings in my upcoming art newsletter. 

 http://www.borsheimarts.com/newsletter.htm

     Here in Tuscany, Italy, we recently had a decent rainstorm.  I am often enchanted with the light before, during, and AFTER a storm.  This one left us with raindrops everywhere, a bit magical!  I include in this post a few of my favorite snapshots walking around my home the other day.  

     Also, I have a special offer on a work that I did in Texas on the same theme.  I was down in Brownsville waiting for my father to finish some pilot exam he had to take.  “Raindrops on Shell Ginger” was how I amused myself in the garden.  Noticing Nature’s wonders is a joy we should choose to experience.

Raindrops on Shell Ginger

18" x 14"
Pastel on dark green Sennelier paper
© 2010 Kelly Borsheim

$600, ships from Austin, Texas

http://www.borsheimarts.com/pastels/2010/shellginger.htm

Only $600, she ships in a frame for protection, but it is a simple frame and I imagine you might prefer to choose another one.  If you are near Austin, Texas, you may pick the work up there instead of having to pay for shipping.  Zip = 78702

     However, I am not always sure that watching Nature’s wrath is an experience worth choosing.  Almost every single one of my family members in Florida has chosen to stay home this weekend and await the terrible Hurricane Irma.  As I write, I just saw an image in which someone compared Hurricane Andrew [which destroyed both my brother’s and my father’s homes in Homestead, Miami-area 25 years ago] to Irma.  Irma looks about THREE times the size and you probably know she has already caused a lot of havoc and death!  Watch with me:

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2017/irma-atlantic-ocean

Peace,

Kelly Borsheim, artist

http://BorsheimArts.com

P.S. IF original art, while affordable, is STILL a bit out of your budget, or the piece you adored has sold?  Or do you like arty things in different formats, to surround yourself with art?  Looking for a gift?  See my store online for pillow, phone cases, shower curtains, towels, tote bags, and yes, even prints on metal, wood, canvas, and so much more:

https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/1-kelly-borsheim.html

Shelter from the Storm - Lemon Tree

See the big dark spot in the sky?  Need new camera: Dirt is inside

Raindrops on Rosemary

My neighbor's dog Yoda enjoyed running around with me.

Pietro Nardini Alpine Climber

Dear Art Lover,

Pietro Nardini, long before I met him

     Last year about this time I met Pietro Nardini on the bus from Pescia to Sorana, Italy.  He is now mid-80s and quite thin.  He is no relation to the Nardini family who owns the last remaining stone quarry in this area called Valleriana, and sadly, Pietro has no family left.  He still chain-smokes with no desire to slow down in that.  We got into a conversation after I called my landlord to confirm that I was on the bus and would arrive to his village in about twenty minutes.  During the call, I handed my phone to Pietro.  It turns out that his house shares a wall with my landlord’s house.  Before we got to Sorana, Pietro asked the bus driver to stop the bus after a bend in the road.  He wanted me to get off!  But all was well.  He had seen my landlord working with a wood pile and did not think that I saw him.

     In late July of this year, I was invited to lunch by a friend and met a family that is new to Sorana, a village in Tuscany.  By chance, they are also neighbors with Pietro.  I do not know if he remembered me or not from the bus, but when he saw me outside, he invited me to come inside his home to see his little private museum. 

     He was a climber of the Alpine mountains!  This entry room to his home, which is upstairs, contains a good collection of minerals and gems, old photos, and mountain climbing and spelunking [caving] gear.  He started out the tour by pointing out an image of him with a cow who has quite the funny expression on her face.  He told me that this was his wife because he was too ugly to have gotten a real woman.

Pietro Nardini on 30 July 2017, in his private museum, Sorana

    Pietro is missing the index finger on his left hand.  I did not ask how.   In one of the photos that I share with you here, he pointed out that he is one of the ones dangling from a wire off the edge of a vertical cliff while the other rescue-workers stood on the flat plane above ready to help. 

One of those two suspended is Pietro.

 

     I hope that you enjoy these images.  I saw Pietro again last week and during Sorana’s annual bean festival [with dinner and dancing in the main square!].  He said that he never eats much and only once per day. It shows.

     I am currently working out details to offer an art workshop, perhaps focusing on anatomy and design since I will have a male model with the class.  This will be in mid-to-late May 2018 and will be near my home in the hills of Tuscany, between Florence and Lucca.  If you are interested and want to send me feedback on what you would like to work on to improve your art or even what you desire to see in Tuscany, please contact me.    

http://BorsheimArts.com/contact.htm

Peace,

Kelly Borsheim, artist

http://BorsheimArts.com

P.S. IF original art, while affordable, is STILL a bit out of your budget, or the piece you adored has sold?  Or do you like arty things in different formats, to surround yourself with art?  Looking for a gift?  See my store online for pillow, phone cases, shower curtains, towels, tote bags, and yes, even prints on metal, wood, canvas, and so much more:

https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/1-kelly-borsheim.html

Happy birthday, Jamshid! 

Pietro shows me some of his favorite old photos of colleagues

A much decorated climber and worker in the Italian Alps

simpatici! 

Direct Carving of Marble Stone

Dear Art Lover,

     Beginnings are often dramatic since change happens quickly and memorably.  Let me share with you today the beginning stone carving stages of the contemporary marble sculpture Back to Back.  A special and limited time offer follows at the end of this blog post.  Please share with friends and fellow art lovers.  

The Creation of the Stone Carving Back to Back Contemporary Art:

    This stone was cut from the marble quarried for the artist's carving of the Gymnast. There was a block cut from above the head of the Gymnast.

     I am a direct carver. That means that I draw directly on the stone and cut what I wish to not have there. The other method is to create a sculpture in some other, more forgiving, material and then "translate it" (copy mathematically) into stone by taking measurements from the original. 

You may see the Gymnast as a work-in-progress (WIP) on the right in the background.

    Is it not easy to fall in love with marble? Even though the two images below were taken during the final sanding and polishing stages, her beauty is quite evident. She looks soft with the right curves in place and the little crystals (seen easier in the image on the right) are such a subtle splendor. 

     The next image showing the lower part of the male torso also gives you an idea of how translucent this Colorado Yule Marble can be when thin enough. I like the contrast that gives me so much change in the light interacting with the stone. The image on the right shows "the wet look." I was having a bit of fun while I was washing off a layer of fine marble dust after sanding, preparing for the next finer level of sandpaper. This sculpture is very touchable, even after the sealer has been added for protection. Enjoy touching and looking! 

     Typically, the Colorado Yule Marble will have either gold or a silver/grey veining. This stone has a thicker and harder grey material the quarrymen call "churt." While some people may prefer a solid white stone, I do not. I like knowing that the original art is a real rock with its own personality. I include here some of my favorite detail shots. They show the uniqueness of this marble, as well as the sensuality and softness of one form melding and changing into another. This next image looks like a meteor shower zipping through bodies of snow -- gorgeous! Enjoy!

Back to Back

Colorado Yule Marble
one of a kind
14" h x 9.5" x 9.5"
© Kelly Borsheim

Ships from Austin, Texas USA

$4600, but if you make at least a down payment before 30 September,  I will also add a 12-inch tall female bronze figure Ten, or the bronze male figure Valentine mounted on stone.  Feel free to share this blog post offer with anyone you think might be interested in it. Thank you!

http://www.borsheimarts.com/sculpture/2002/ten.htm

http://www.borsheimarts.com/sculpture/2002/valentine.htm

 Ten - Left

 Valentine - right

Both bronze wall-hanging sculptures with stone base

For more views of the marble sculpture “Back to Back,” please click here: 

http://www.borsheimarts.com/sculpture/2011/Back2BackMarbleCarving.htm

Tanti auguri di buon compleanno, Nori! 

Peace,

~ Kelly Borsheim, sculptor

http://BorsheimArts.com