Don't Want Me Yet, Have Another Beer - By Amanda DeVirgilio

Amanda, or as she's known on Youtube, twinessence, sent me a little one of a kind sculpture she created in a clay named Cernit. Her channel is at http://www.youtube.com/user/Twinessence?blend=2&ob=1 Where she shows how to make armatures, and sculptures. I met her a couple of years ago when she commented on one of my videos and I saw that she sculpted to.. We've become good friends. She got married a couple of months ago is is happy as a button in her new life. She sent me this little fellow and a sample of the clay she works in. So I'm going to play with it sometime this next month and will make a video of that. These one of a kind originals start at $125 dollars. I think she should ask more.. but that's me.
Thank you Amanda.. Her website is http://www.dollmakersdream.com

Spirit Wings - The Last Sculpting I Do in 2010

This is the last time I work on a clay in 2010. Not sure what next year will bring. I have high hopes. Having hopes is a good thing. All I can do in 2011 is work as hard as I can. Just think of the work that hasn't yet existed that will be born this next year.
I fine tuned SPIRIT WINGS face today. Trying to bring life to a lifeless face.
Happy New Year everyone.

Spirit Wings and Lights Out

We're experiencing probably the worst snow storm of the year today and while working on Spirit Wings, the power decided it wanted to go out.. and it stayed out for quit a while.. then it would come on.. then off. so I'm lucky to even get this entry up on my blog and on Youtube.

Horse Starts to get Fleshed in Today

I went through reference material till I found several photographs showing horse movement and likewise human movement on the horse. I'm doing a Native American piece. It's going to be a sketch for a larger one in the future. This small sketch will be cast into bronze, and will eventually be sold in galleries.



Final Photograph

Bing Crosby's Silver Bells and Montana Scenery

Making a very small Horse Armature

I want to make a sketch first before I do a larger version of this horse piece. Now I may make more than one horse. For now though, here's how I make an armature for the sketch of the horse.

Madison Valley Artist's Art Show In Ennis Montana

An art show was held in Ennis Montana on Saturday the 18th of December

Spirit Wings - Fine Tuning Her Face

Spent last night and this morning working on The Indian girls face. Trying to get it just right. I may have more work to do on it.. but it's getting there.



Final Photographs today..

Spirit Wings - To The Foundry For a Bid - 2 Day Diary

To set a retail price on a bronze, you need to know what the cost of producing the bronze. So I took Spirit Wings to the foundry to get a bid for mold and casting costs.
If anyone is interested in purchasing a copy of this piece, just contact me. I'll give you the Pre-release price.

Spirit Wings - Lengthen the Robe and adding Hair

I decided the robe or blanket was just to short. I wanted this to be a large blanket. I then detached the front or her left foot, from the base, to make it look like it was leaving the ground. I then started working on her hair.

Spirit Wing's Face Starts to Appear

Spent what little time I had on the face and head of Spirit Wings.


Photographs taken today.

SPIRIT WINGS, A New Clay.. Not So New - Just Revisiting It

I talk about a clay I started, I believe, nearly 20 years ago. After I made the video I came up with a title for the piece, "SPIRIT WINGS". I can't tell you how many times I was going to just chuck this piece into the trash can. I'm so glad I never did.
I also received a clay sample to review.



Photographs of Spirit Wings

Photographing PEACE TALKER As Well as Delivering The Miniature Waxes to the Foundry

Sunday 12/12/2010
This is a two day entry. First entry, I discuss photographing artwork as I take pictures of PEACE TALKER. (Photographs below)



Monday 12/13/2010
Got up real early this morning to make sure that all three miniature waxes were spruced up and readied for the foundry where they will be cast into bronze. I then photographed the waxes (Photographs below)
I also took back PEACE TALKER to the foundry.



Final photographs...(click on photos to enlarge them)

Small Costs Add Up In Creating a Bronze Explained

Minute costs add up in the end price of all bronzes. A $6 charge will end up in the final price, about $30. When you have a collection of small extra charges for legs or tails that stick out on their own, your costs can add $200 to the retail price of the piece. So to treat my clients to a lower priced work of art, I have to compromise on some of the detail. It's a reality in the art of sculpture. It's just a very expensive way to create artwork.
For those of you who follow my blog or my Youtube channel, I have a special pre-cast price on 5 copies of each of the three pieces. Just contact me at my email mtlemon@gmail.com or make a comment to me on my Youtube Channel. I'll give you the price in reply.

PEACE TALKER - The Process of Coloring the Bronze

The first three copies of PEACE TALKER are finished in bronze.. Now it's time to color them. Tomorrow I'll be photographing the one we colored today, to use them in advertising this piece.

The Unclothed Woman Worked on, and Buffalo Piece - Master of the Plains - Created

Final Photographs

Figure of Indian Woman Started This Evening

Final Photograph today.

Moved Into My House for a Few Days To Work On The Small Waxes

I decided to move into my room at my house to do some more small waxes. Just more economical and I can work on them anytime, instead of, warming up the car and heading 3 miles down the road to my studio.

Lone Wolf - Created out of Wax in an Hour

Got to the studio today, and decided I need to do another small piece. I was intending to do an Indian scout, but ended up doing a wolf.



Final Photographs.

TO THE FOUR WINDS - Finished Today

Finished up the wax of the buffalo. I was looking at it at the end of the day and realized I had only done 4 buffalo. Instantly, the words TO THE FOUR WINDS came to me. So now that's the title. I'll take this to the foundry on Thursday, when I go to color PEACE TALKER, and get a idea of what it will cast for. Then I can come up with a title. I sold the first copy of this in bronze before I got home.



Final Photos of the wax

Unfinished Trip - Sunset - Clouds - Discussing a Friends Painting Discussed, and Buffalo

Tried to get to Bozeman and Planet Bronze's Miniature Art Show.. but got discouraged by the amount of icing going on further towards that town.
I shared a video of the cloud movement in the Madison Valley, a time laps video, by fefdom who has a part one and two on his channel http://www.youtube.com/user/fefdom of the clouds and their amazing movements. Check them out.
I share some of my buffalo research.

What Kind of Clay I Use - Fast Steel, and then Wax Buffalo

I was asked in an email last night, what kind of clay I use. Well I hope I answer that in this video.

I then repaired a tool using Fast Steel. Then started the 4 inch long sculpture of buffalo stampeding.



Final Photograph

Cleaning and Prepairing Today

Spent today, basically cleaning my sculpting area. Over the past two months it's gotten out of hand, housekeeping wise... I didn't have the inspiration to get started on anything new.
Got to my studio, and found on my sculpting stand a book by a friend of mine. Todd Connor an artist friend of mine, purchased the book as an early Christmas Gift. He knew I was planning to buy one this month so he jumped the gun and gave it to me now.
This is a great book by Bad Hand. He's the gentleman who've you've seen in some of my modeling photos with Indian Gear on. He's also been the agent to hire Indian models to pose for me in his authentic clothing. He's come out with an amazing book, "Plains Indians, Regalia and Customs". You can purchase a copy from this website.
http://www.schifferbooks.com/newschiffer/book_template.php?isbn=9780764335365