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Other Carvings:
tall, stone, Blue heron
Driftwood Piping Plover
March, 2006click to enlarge
I have in mind to try a more detailed figure in marble. One that would rival some that I have done in wood. It is my first attempt at a realistic figure with drapery and accessories, in this medium. I have grown used to working with it, and I think I'm ready.
Unfortunately I don't have a pictures of the original stone, but to the right you can see what it looked like from the back. It had roughly a triangular shaped bottom but it leaned back and to the right more than I had in mind. I wanted a cross legged, classical figure with robes and an interesting scene. Fitting the concept to the stone is going to take some thinking as I remove material.
The first task was to flatten the bottom so it would set properly. Do this later and I risk having my figure, and the composition off balance. I used a 7 inch masonry cutting blade on an angle grinder to do this.
Once the stone has a base I can see that the figure embedded within is resting his back against something and it looks like he is holding something in his arms. I'll see if I can work this into the scene. I begin with the coarse grinder mentioned above, and I also use a 4 inch diamond blade on an angle grinder, for smaller cuts.
The position of the legs, overall body proportions and relative size of the head occupy my time for a couple of sessions. After the figure reached a basic form, I began to detail the head. I use rotary tools with large and small diamond bits to shape the facial features.
The seated figure with beard and rough shape is beginning to emerge. I am not sure what he will be holding or what is located beside his right leg. I left this stone as I feel it will help to anchor the figure and give a sense of balance and resting at ease, rather than about to fall over.
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Sunday, March 19, 2006
Today I worked on the face. Shaping the cheeks, eyes, eyebrows, mouth and beard. For this I began with a large ball nose diamond burr and then used a series of progressively smaller ball bits. The final shaping was accomplished with a thin sharp point. The hair lines were also finished with this.
I am finding that the marble is more crystalline than I thought it was. When doing the small details it is very easy for a small round chunk to break free. However, a gentle touch with the diamond bit and a little patience does seem to win out.
It may be hard to tell from the picture but the face is already shaped. At this point it looks like carving the detail may not be the hard part. I do wonder how hard it will be to get it sanded and polished. The small nooks and crevices will be a challenge.
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Monday, March 27
I had a few days of shift work, but did manage three sort sessions of carving. The first session was mostly spent refining the face and carving hair. For shaping hair I used a small straight diamond burr about 1/8" diameter. I will refine shapes later using a fine point. After some time I grew tired of the small detail required in doing hair, so I switched to the arms and hands.
First job was locating them more precisely, and getting proper proportions, length, etc.. There is a bandage on his left arm that I also shaped a bit. Most of this work was done with the 4" diamond blade on an angle grinder. Results below.
Next the hands and arms were completed in more detail. It is important to me that the figure appear to be relaxed and at rest. The position of the hands and fingers will help a lot in this. I am aiming for a very natural, dropped-in-place look. Slim cylinders, long tapered points, and rounded points were used for the fingers. I will show a picture of the tools at the end of the carving process.
I brought the carving inside and scrubbed of the dust before taking pictures. I wanted to see how the dark streaks go through the figure, and get a better look at the detail so far. The shine you see is only from the work still being wet.
The last session was spent defining the hair around the ear and forming the bottom of the ear ( it will be hidden under curly hair). I got out the 4" diamond blade for some removal of material under the chin and did a little work on the neck with smaller burrs.
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Monday, April 3, 2006
The areas I worked on were the feet, deciding on what he is carrying, some roughing out, and a little trim under the ears.
As I worked on the legs and feet, I found it necessary to remove some of the base so that I would have room to shape the figure as I wanted. I think this will actually improve the affect of the finished work. Right now, I am planning to leave the rough, uncarved stone as part of work. Adding more shapes to the front should increase the feeling of movement.
After roughly shaping the legs and feet, with some stone left in place to allow for finishing details, I made a decision on what he has in front of him. I had in mind a sword, and hesitated to use it. I didn't want a fantasy influence, or a warrior one either, but it seems to fit and so I went for it. It will have the advantage of adding dynmic tension and potential action to the calm scene. Something that should do well from a ballance and interest point of view. But the connection to fantasy art could offset this. Having the sword wrapped in its sheath might help.
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April, 2007
Getting back to this work.
I have thought of a title, and am planning the details of how I would like to finish the figure.
The Title is "Weary of War", as above, but it only just came to me as I re-examined the piece. The classical, almost biblical warrior, weary and resting by the roadside should convey several symbolic meanings.The finer details are next.
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hope you find it of interest,
[Click here]for a look at the finished carving.
I will eventually finish, and post the final results.
thank you for your patience,
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Clifton
