Traveling To The Foundry - Peace Talker In Ceramic Shell

Drove to Bozeman Montana to Northwest Art Casting, the foundry I have the two clay busts of the Indian male and female at. While there I found out that Peace Talker is now in Ceramic Shell and will be cast into bronze tomorrow.



Photograph of Peace Talker

A New Piece Begun, Kinda....

Started the day out with bad news.. but I'm good. I ran off on my home printer reference materials for the piece I'm about to begin. Still no set idea. That's formulating right now. Did have two clays that I'd started then put aside to use someday in the future.. They seemed to go together. I'll decide over the next few days the direction I'm going to go with the next clay.

Time lapse Videos of the Cloud Movement Over My Valley

These were put together by a gentleman who I don't know anything about.. All I know is he made these two videos of the cloud movement in the Madison Valley looking at the Madison Mountain Range.. What an inspirational set of videos. You should check his channel out on Youtube. http://www.youtube.com/user/fefdom

A View Of Southwest Montana From a Moving Window

Looking south and east along the road from Bozeman to Ennis Montana. First you view the snow covered wheat fields, then the frozen Madison River near the Bear Trap, finally the snow covered Madison Mountain Range looking east in the Madison Valley.

Virginia City Montana Thanksgiving Dinner

Met with friends from around Ennis, Virginia City, and Sheridan Montana at an old restraunt in historic Virginia City.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone

Happy Thanksgiving from my daughter Heidi, my son Jason and my grandson Vincent, as well as from me... =:)

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Four Bears and Worth Many Horses Start Their Journy to Production

A winter like we haven't had in years here in southwest Montana hit us today. Wind chills down to 40 below zero. At the time of uploading this video to Youtube the temperature is -7 degrees with a 16 mile an hour wind.
Finished up the two clays today and got them boxed up and ready for their trip to Las Vegas tomorrow. They will be molded and produced in southern California. I'll keep you all informed about them when know something about them.

Worth Many Horses - Again Another Day of Detail and Signature Today

Next to the final day of working on this clay. Not much to say but detail, detail, and more, detail.

Worth Many Horses - Filling and Fine Tuning

Basically, filling in areas that have holes and were not seen when she was standing up. While she is laying down, I can see areas that need my attention.

Worth Many Horses - Doing Errands Today - Worth Many Horses Detailing Yet to come

Left for the studio today and got a call from a friend on my cell. They needed my help. That was the beginning of what turned out to be, nine different things I ended up doing today, including returning a coat to Todd Connor, my artist friend up north of Ennis. We're expecting over a foot of snow tonight so he was trying to get his ancient snow mobile started and was freezing without his coat..
Got to my studio to late to do anything tonight, so I showed what I'll be doing tomorrow and Monday.

Worth Many Horses - Worth Many Horses, Major Rework of the Eyes and Hand

Spent the day working on changing a couple of areas on this clay. The eye area bothered me.. for sometime.. so last night I photographed a young lady's eyes to help me today, to make them come alive more. Always worth having a model, when needed.
Then I moved my attention to her hand. After I finished that, I started the long and laborious labor of fine tuning her hair. It will take a lot of time and clay. I didn't show today's work on the hair, because I felt the video of the eyes and hand were more interesting.

Worth Many Horses - Worth Many Horses, Major Rework of the Eyes and Hand

Spent the day working on changing a couple of areas on this clay. The eye area bothered me.. for sometime.. so last night I photographed a young lady's eyes to help me today, to make them come alive more. Always worth having a model, when needed.
Then I moved my attention to her hand. After I finished that, I started the long and laborious labor of fine tuning her hair. It will take a lot of time and clay. I didn't show today's work on the hair, because I felt the video of the eyes and hand were more interesting.

Leather Fringe Made Out of Clay and Run Through a Pasta Machine

Basically doing final detailing today. I started by adding leather fringe to the warrior's leather shirt using a pasta machine. Running the clay through the spaghetti part of the machine, helps to keep the fringe evenly sized, thus adding to the believability of the piece.



Final Photograph

A Change in Head and Eye Direction and Winter's 1st snow

Got up to a very windy morning. I knew that was an indication we were in for a major snow storm.. and I was right. This is the first snow this winter.
Yesterday, I observed that the composition was working, it was just the head and eye direction on Four Bears that needed changing. So that's what I did today.. change those two things.
A fellow artist and friend stopped in to see what I was up to and to visit.



Final Photographs today.

Four Bears - Creating the Feathers Today - Change of Design

First thing today, I sculpted the Eagle Feathers that will be attached to Four Bear's head. Worked on his hair, and neck as well.
I put the two clays together, didn't like the original composition, so I changed it, which means I'll also have to re-evaluate the direction their eyes are looking tomorrow.



Final photographs.

Four Bears - Creating the Feathers Today - Change of Design

First thing today, I sculpted the Eagle Feathers that will be attached to Four Bear's head. Worked on his hair, and neck as well.
I put the two clays together, didn't like the original composition, so I changed it, which means I'll also have to re-evaluate the direction their eyes are looking tomorrow.

Video uploading and will be on in a couple of hours.. please come back.

Final photographs.

How to Make Something Like Feathers to the Scale of Your Clay

This was a little trick I came up with back in the early 90's after I got my one gig windows computer. I was using one of the first versions of Print Master Gold, a publishing program, and using a scanner back then, I scanned a drawing of feathers into the computer, then scanned a ruler as well. I combined these two scans into Print Master and figured out a simple method of scaling anything from pistols, to feathers for my sculptures. Hope you can make sense of what I'm passing on.



Pictures I scaled in the video.

Untitled Male Indian Bust - Finalizing

Finalizing the clay today. I still have a couple of days to go on this piece, but today I started the fine tuning. I turn him on his head, after adding a wax extension for his right sleeve. I then filled cavities with taxidermy foam.



Final photographs

Untitled Male Indian Bust - Now has a Name - Four Bears is his Name

I came up with a name for this young man.. FOUR BEARS. Not sure that will be the title of the piece yet..
I had an hour and a half to work today. So I changed his expression to a stronger but perplexed face. He's just played his flute for the young lady, but reading her reaction, leaves him... well perplexed.



Final photographs

Untitled Male Indian Bust - Veins, Hand, and Sleeve

Before I could start the sleeve, I had to get the hand and arm finished. I pulled the arm away from the body so I could start the thumb and then I moved onto the fingers. Finally I decided to experiment with far more veins than I've tried in the past. I think it worked out beautifully.
Once the arm was to a point I felt it had to be, I started the sleeve of the war shirt. I won't be in my studio on Tuesday. I'll see you on Wednesday.



Final Photographs.

Untitled Male Indian Bust - BrainTanned Leather Shirt

I spent the late morning and early afternoon going through the thousands of photographs of Indian models that have posed for me from 1991 to 2007. Looking for clothing of the 1840 to 50s period. Then went into my studio to start the new shirt.



Final Photograph

Untitled Male Indian Bust - I Decide To Add A Leather Shirt

I was thinking about adding a leather war shirt to this young man, because my thinking was, you need to make it more appealing to the eye. Then I got an email from a friend today, who actually suggested the same thing. So I decided to add the shirt. Only thing is, I didn't have time to research shirt designs, so I got it started at least.
Then I carved a flute out of wooden dowel, and added it to his hand. I'll finish that up Monday.

Untitled Male Indian Bust - The Warrior Gets Hair

Spent the day researching Blackfoot flutes and hair styles. Then once in my studio, I start to add his hair and clean his face as well as the upper torso.



Final Photographs.

Untitled Male Indian Bust - Eye Problems Today

Woke up this morning with something in my eye. I tried to clean it out several times, and after a while, I felt it was ok. So I went to the studio, determined to get the arm and hand started and wanted to get to the hair. But after an hour, the eye was acting up again.
Tonight as I upload this video, my eye is feeling fine. I got eye drops at the drug store, and it seems to have worked. So tomorrow I'll be bookin it in the studio... lol

Untitled Male Indian Bust - Vote and Robe Today

Stood in line to vote today.. Large turn out here in my small town and so it took a while to get to the voting booth.
I had a short day today. I'm attending a birthday dinner early this evening. So all I had time to do was to add clay to the robe wrapped around this warrior.



Final Photographs.