Monday, August 30, 2010

Adjustments and Moving



I'm moving back into my house at the moment and closing down my studio. It's just the way the economy is at the moment that forces me to do this. I will be away from my blog for a while till I get moved out of my studio and into a small area of my home were I can start working on my clays again. Please keep checking back. I can't and won't give up.

Lemon

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Drawing Winner Picked Today

I went to the Otter Banks to have Lea Ann Combs, the owner of the store, Draw a number from a hat. That number corresponded to a person who left a comment on my August 19th video. There were 43 names from the Youtube video and my Blog. I had the numbers written on small square pieces of paper. We put them in a hat and jumbled them around and Lea Ann drew the number 11.. That number was TRANSiENTART http://www.youtube.com/user/TRANSiENTART
Congratulations.... There will be another drawing in the near future.. Thank you everyone who entered.

Friday, August 27, 2010

Western Heritage Collection - Indian's Face Takes Shape

Only had about an hour or so to work on the clay today, so I started the face of the warrior. I use photographs of Indians from the 1800s and of modern day Indian actor Rodney Grant (Dances With Wolves)as reference and guides for the structure of the face.
The contest for the pen drawing I did several days ago ends tonight at midnight. I'll have Lea Ann Combs draw the winner tomorrow and that video will be on tomorrow night announcing the winner. Good luck. Not to late to enter..Go to the August 19th video and make a comment on Youtube or on that days entry on my blog.



Final photographs today.
First photograph is of the pen drawing that's being given away in my contest.

Photographs of the clay at the end of the day today.


Thursday, August 26, 2010

Western Heritage Collection - Indians Legs Roughed In Today

I started at the bottom part of the piece. I roughed in the muscles of the legs today as the first part of creating this piece.



Final Photographs today.



Wednesday, August 25, 2010

First Clay Added to The Indian Figure With a Bow

I got a call this morning from a gentleman who teaches photography at MSU (Montana State University) in Bozeman. He and his assistant wanted to know if they could film me in my studio and do a interview for a video they were making. I agreed and so I spent today being filmed.
I mounted the metal armature of the Indian figure and started to add clay. I got an idea for the pose over the past two days.. working it out in my mind. He'll be standing, holding a bow and arrow, aimed at the ground, in preperation to aim and shoot. No title yet.



Final Photographs from today.




Tuesday, August 24, 2010

On The Road Again

Got a call just before leaving for the studio and I got diverted from working on the clay today.. On the road again...

Monday, August 23, 2010

Western Heritage Figures - Starting the Indians Armature

Today I came up with a consistent size for the base for each figure. Also worked out the proportions, for a 12 inch figure. Then I started the copper tubing armature. I'm using 1/8th inch tubing for this armature. Still haven't decided whether to do the figure in clay or wax.



Photograph of the armature at the end of the day.

Friday, August 20, 2010

Comments on Contest and Clay Ideas Today

Still in my research stage today, and through the weekend. Got some great suggestions from Mario in Southern California, as well as from Angela Swedburg, who has a blog on blogspot.com. I talk about the contest announced in yesterday's video as well as the ideas suggested.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Western Heritage Collection - The Idea Takes Form - Contest Announced

I'm thinking of doing a series of western figures. Maybe five different figures 12 inches tall. The video explains.
I'm also announcing a contest for a drawing I did in this video. It starts today and ends Midnight September 1st 2010. For more information, please watch the video. You can leave comments here or on Youtube on this video to enter.



Drawing being offered in the contest

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Delivering A NEW BEGINNING to Park City Utah Gallery

This video shows the last part of my trip from Ennis Montana to Mountain Trails Gallery in Park City Utah. Traveling on I-80 in the Salt lake Valley up to Park City. It's a 45 minute trip compressed to 9 minutes. The second part shows a tour of the Mountain Trails Gallery where I delivered the bronze, A NEW BEGINNING.



This video I take you on a brief tour of Mountain Trails Gallery. I've been showing in this gallery for several years. They also have a gallery in Jacksonhole Wyoming with the same name. Erin, was working in the gallery this.
Once finished at the gallery I head north, back to the Madison Valley and home... for those of you who don't know, that's in Ennis Montana.

Monday, August 16, 2010

Comming up with a Clay Idea - Prepairing for a Trip Tomorrow

I'm starting to formulate an idea for my next clay. I am going to keep this one on a smaller scale than the last few. I have a pose from one of my model shoots from the summer of 2006 that is tickling my imagination at the moment.
Tomorrow I travel to Mountain Trails Gallery in Park City Utah, tomorrow. It will be a very quick 13 hour trip.




Here is the pose I'm thinking of... and there is another variation that I'm also thinking of.. That design is in my mind, yet to be released.

Friday, August 13, 2010

Short Trip To Museum of the Rockies

I'm delivering the bronze of A NEW BEGINNING to the foundry to be shipped to a gallery today.. So won't be in the studio.
Took a few moments yesterday and visited the Museum Of The Rockies, located on the campus of Montana State University in Bozeman Montana. Did some research on Indian clothing and shot video of an Exibit on Leonardo Da Vinci



Photographs of some of the displays





Wednesday, August 11, 2010

My Studio Will Be Closed Till Friday the 13th.. OMG the 13th

A Lazy Day On The Madison

A gentle cool breeze. The sound of slow moving water, over ancient rocks, birds feeding, people tubing, and fishing, as a heavy duty sprinkler sprays a planted field. That's today in south west Montana

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

A New Begining - Picked Up - A Visit To Planet Bronze - Photographing A Bronze

Headed to Northwest Art Casting in Bozeman to pick up the finished and mounted bronze of A NEW BEGINNING. After loading it up in my van, I head to Planet Bronze so I could introduce you to Dennis Harrington, the artist who helped me to deliver the clay of THE PROTECTOR to the foundry last week.
Once I got back to Ennis, I photographed the bronze I had just picked up. I also show you a very important tip on photographing a bronze. How to take down the shine.



Final Photographs of A NEW BEGINNING.




Monday, August 9, 2010

A Day At The Foundry - Coloring A NEW BEGINNING

Spent a day at Northwest Art Casting, in Bozeman, Montana, coloring the first bronze copy of A NEW BEGINNING. Didn't finish coloring the bronze while I was there, because we just ran out of time. The base couldn't be mounted on the bronze so it meant I'd have to travel back to the foundry tomorrow. So Issac knew what had to be done to finish the coloring and since I couldn't bring home the bronze today.. I decided to head back home. So tomorrow will be the day I pick it up.



Photographs from today at the foundry.






Friday, August 6, 2010

A Birthday Party for Joan

It turned out to be a bit of an adventure getting up to Joan Stanley's birthday party the other day. My van, in the middle of a major road, under construction, suddenly and without warning died. It was as if someone unplugged my vehicle. It just went dead in the middle of the road. I did manage to put it into neutral and coast to the edge of the road, but the flashers didn't work either.. The birthday card with the talking message had more power than my van. It was 5 pm.
Well just watch the videos first part to see what happened.





Wednesday, August 4, 2010

The Protector - Delivered to the Foundry

Dennis Harrington came over to Ennis, with his brother's business van, and we loaded up the clay into the back of it. Attaching it to a large piece of plywood to keep it from flopping around. The trip to Bozeman and the foundry was uneventfull and we got the clay safely to the mold room where Matt will start to process of cutting the clay apart to make rubber molds of each part.
I also looked over the bronze that I videoed being cast into bronze a week ago. A New Beggining will be colored on Monday.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

The Protector - Readied For The Trip To The Foundry

Got to the studio early to get the clay ready for transportation to the foundry. Just getting out of the parking lot will be scary.. not exactly smooth here. I've braced him up as much as I can.. now it's up to the big guy upstairs if I get there in one piece or not. I've made a lot of cuts and expansions in this figure.. so all those cuts worry me.



Photographs.

This shows the pose that started this piece. Taken in 2006 on the Little Big Horn River at the Custer Battlefield.

The Protector - Flip Returned and Samsung Purchased

The Flip had draw backs.. I'll explain in the video.. The Camera I purchased is a Samsung R10
Just getting THE PROTECTOR ready to be transported to the foundry tomorrow. I'm very nervous about transporting this clay. Dennis Harrington will be helping me tomorrow transport this clay to the foundry in Bozeman. Dennis is the owner of Planet Bronze in Bozeman. He's also a very talented sculptor.