WARRIORS - Finishing the Second Horse

Headache done and I'm back in the studio today, finishing up the head of the second horse, and started the third of the five horses.

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Final photo's of third horse. I won't be in the studio tomorrow. Picking up clay in Bozeman and doing business there as well.

WARRIORS - A Real Headache

Today, got an early start, but I must have slept in a bad position last night, because I had a neck pain along with a headache.
I did manage to get one side of the horses skull fleshed in though.

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Here is a photo of the clay as of today. Not sure I'll be in the studio tomorrow.

This Week's Featured Bronze - COLLEEN

This is the featured bronze this week..

CLICK HERE FOR THE VIDEO

Colleen
A feminine, but strong Pioneer woman, not only could defend her home, she could also raise her family with amazing love and care, and plant crops. The Pioneer mother was the foundation for the success of the western movement.Collen stares out at the horizon, at the evenings waining light, looking for the silhouette of her husband on the buckboard coming home from town where they've sold their first harvest.

WARRIORS - What do you think about?

What do you think about as your sculpting. Rick in Seattle Washington, asked me this last night in a comment on one of my YouTube videos.. I kinda answer this in today's video.
Roughed in the muscles on this horse today.

CLICK HERE FOR TODAY'S VIDEO

A comment from a fellow artist, Irving Toddy, a Navajo Artist, to what we think of when we are creating..
"You hit it right on the head. I like that term "Shadow Pusher", never thought of my work in that manner, but it does describe what we do. Then thinking of a variety of subjects from paint peeling on the ceiling to what is taking place Internationally. But subconsciously, we are still "Shadow Pushing". Good summation Dave."
Some of the books illustrated and written by Irving
Another artist answers the question for today.. An extreamly talented and gifted artist friend, Cathee St Clair said... "What do artists think about as we work? That is a good question. Sometimes I go through all the normal head noise for a long time before I zone out and am "gone." When I "come back" I'm surprised at what I've created. What's that about?"

GOING TO THE MOVIES VIDEO HERE

Final photos.. be back Monday. Have a great weekend

Warriors - What Kind of Clay Do I Use?

I try and answer a couple of questions I get asked occasionally. I purchase my tools from Sculpture House .. and Arizona Sculpture. I purchase my clay from Scott at Northwest Art Castings in Bozeman Montana.
Today I started the jumping horse in this composition.

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Final photographs today... see you all tomorrow.

WARRIORS - Mane and Tail

Only got in a couple of hours in my studio today. Was able to get the horse I've been working on nearly finished. I will leave it a bit un-done because I want put the rider on, if this horse even gets a rider... and then I'll finish up the horse.
I then put this horse onto the main base and grabbed another armature to start on tomorrow.

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Final Photographs of the day.

WARRIORS - Visitors

Had a couple of artists stop by my studio. Pictured above, on the left, Todd Connor, center, John DeMott, both western painters. I'm of course on the right. (paintings shown on both artist's links were destroyed, as far as I know, in the explosion at Montana Trails Gallery in Bozeman early this year)
Once we finished lunch and visited for a couple for a while... I got back to working on my horse.

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Back at it tomorrow. Mane and tail.

War Stories - Delivered to the Foundry Today

Today I delivered "War Stories" to Northwest Art Castings in Bozeman Montana to have the mold made, and to start production. It will be in a limited edition of 40. It will take over 12 weeks, depending on the foundries work load, to finish the first bronze. Over the next few weeks I will determine coloring of this bronze.

CLICK HERE FOR TODAY'S VIDEO

Here are a couple of photos of the finished clay.





Back on "Warriors" Tomorrow.

This Week's Featured Bronze

I'm going to start a new feature on my blog today. Each Saturday, I'll feature one of my bronzes. This week it's a bronze I did a couple of years ago.

You can click on the photographs to increase their size

PRAYER ON THE WIND
By David Lemon

(Traditional Patina Finish)

Currently Available in Galleries

CLICK HERE TO VIEW TODAY'S VIDEO

An old warrior, who has come across, what he calls a "Grandfather Skull". near the spot where he saw a lone bull buffalo standing. It was the last time he saw this mighty beast, that once supplied his people with all they needed, to survive. He cradles the skull in his lap as he burns sage and waving the smoke over the skull, hoping the smoke will rise to the Great Spirit. He prays for the return of the herds, and the rebirth of his people. On the base he sits on, are scenes from his memories.

-The back panel shows his memory of the vast herds, as far as you could see. Now gone.

-The side panel depicts a time when his people would gather and tell stories of the hunt. Of the bravery of those who placed their arrows precisely. It depicts happier times of plenty.

-The front panel depicts his memory of that last buffalo, who's skull, he may be holding. A silent wittiness to the near extinction of it's kind.This warrior vainly cries a "Prayer on the Wind".

See you Monday...

WARRIORS - A Late Afternoon Start

Had a lot of running around to do today... Got started late, but I managed to get a couple of hours of work in and finished up the first season of The Tudors, from Netflix, on my studio TV. lol...
Today I focused on the neck and head of the horse. Still have the other side to do, that will have to wait till Monday.

TODAY'S VIDEO



Have a great weekend everyone

Ribs, Muscle, and Sinew today... I also worked on this horses skull.. Just didn't get it on video because the camera was aimed wrong... lol... It was off the screen the whole time. Hope you enjoy

TODAY'S VIDEO

Final photographs...

Warriors - adding clay

Today I finalized the composition and armatures. So I started to add clay.

TODAY'S VIDEO

Tomorrow I will be out of the studio, and will be back on Thursday and Friday.
Here are final photographs of the one I worked on today

Warriors - Still on the Armature

Still working on the arrangement of the horses. Today I worked on the individual platforms for each horse armature.

The reason I'm taking so long on the armature, is that for this piece to succeed, I need to get the choreography down first. This is the hardest part of creating a bronze.

TODAY'S VIDEO

In Studio Tomorrow..

Willow Creek

Well not any time for the studio today. Got up late and only had a couple of hours before going to Willow Creek, a small town between two rivers. Two people were celebrating their birthdays with us.

On the way to Willow Creek I passes an old abandoned log cabin

Crossed a very scary old bridge

Arriving at the two story tall hotel in which the Willow Creek Restaurant was located.

Inside the walls reflected the comfortable simplicity of this old western town. The ribs were world class. MMMMMM.. Even had a couple of local cowboys, bring in their well used guitars and play a few tunes after they finished eating.

I'll be back in the studio Monday.

From Wikipedia:

Willow Creek and the surrounding county.... for people really bored and need something to read...

As of the census of 2000, there were 209 people, 81 households, and 52 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 192.4 people per square mile (74.0/km²). There were 84 housing units at an average density of 77.3/sq mi (29.8/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 92.34% White, 0.96% Asian, 0.48% Pacific Islander, 3.83% from other races, and 2.39% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.26% of the population.
There were 81 households out of which 34.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.3% were married couples living together, 4.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.6% were non-families. 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.23.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 31.6% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 9.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.4 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $32,386, and the median income for a family was $32,083. Males had a median income of $25,000 versus $17,500 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $13,251. About 15.5% of families and 14.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.3% of those under the age of eighteen and 13.3% of those sixty five or over.

Warriors - 5 Horses

Finished up the armatures of the five horse today. Kind of a gloomy, rainy, cold day. But that had no affect on me.. I was in a great mood today.

HERE'S TODAY'S VIDEO

I'll be gone tomorrow, and will make up tomorrow with a partial day on Saturday. Going up to Willow Creek, north of here Saturday night for dinner. The Willow Creek Restaurant is in a historic 1800's hotel. It's in the old saloon.
Back in the 1800's cowboys would get to feeling a little liquored up and would unload their guns into the tin covered ceiling. You can still see the holes left by their wildly shot bullets. But then again there are a few old buildings in this state that still have those kind of holes. Robbers Roost, an old two story cabin has lots of bullet holes in it's outside walls. The was was kinda wild out here a 150 years ago.
Well check back in on Sunday. I should have what I did Saturday on this blog by then.

WARRIORS - New Armatures

Today, I'm back in the studio, and I'm starting the armatures for the five horses that will be part of this new version of "Warrior".



This is the horse anatomy I'm using for the armature.


Photographs of last weeks wax and clay sketch.


Tomorrow I continue.