Wednesday, July 21, 2021

setting up for carving, a hawk, and a flower bud


Starting on the next two pieces, the yellow angel trumpets. Monday I moved the wax pot and the plaster bats into the air conditioned studio from the third bay where I have had it set up for the past five years or so but I'm becoming more intolerant to the heat and just the thought of doing the next step in there made me woozy. So I cleared off the mold making table and set up on it. I cut a piece of cardboard the necessary width and length, soaked the plaster bats until saturated (so the melted wax wouldn't stick to them), set up the forms around the cardboard,



removed the cardboard,



and ladled in the melted wax.



Tuesday I cleaned up the blanks and rounded the corners



and then started cutting the layers out of the wax sheets I had made previously and building them up on the blanks. The design consists of four layers.

wax sheets


cutting out the first layer



building up the layers and scoring the details.



Now I'm ready to start carving them down and rounding the shapes. Wednesday's progress on the rough shaping.


The red shouldered hawk that came and perched on the top rail of the fence the other day is back with an attendant mockingbird screeching at it. They were in the cedar tree by the shop driveway when I went over there earlier. For some reason I think this might be a young one that it's parents have quit feeding. It's been hanging out in the general area for several days. Now it's flown to my neighbor's yard on the ground pecking at something. It keeps raising its wings and jumping around as if the little toads that still scatter with every step are freaking it out. And now it's flown off into the wild space.



The night blooming cereus has four buds on it and I think they might open tonight. I've set an alarm so I don't miss it.



So we got more rain Monday of course we did, a shower around 5 PM and then sometime during the night thunder, lightning, and hard rain, 2” worth, ditch half full this morning. All this rain and wind has caused the big branch to finally disconnect from the tree, held up now by only a thin strip of bark.



 

12 comments:

  1. I am in a time of my life when I so wished that I had artistic abilities. I am thinking about that a lot. To be able to do something that will still have meaning when I am gone sounds like noble effort. I admire you and your work and talents tremendously.

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    1. oh, Mary. we all have our talents. yours will leave a far larger imprint on the world than mine.

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  2. How I remember the day Mr. and Mrs. Hawk said "Enough!" and left. The abandoned juveniles across the street were loud. Vociferous as only teen agers who can't get the refrigerator door open could be. They could spend an entire two days before they did it themselves.

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  3. Interesting following your process, thank you.

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  4. I love following your work process. Thank-you for sharing.

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  5. My bluejays have been screaming their heads off for three days. I've not been able to spot any threat, but now I wonder if there might be a young hawk around. I had adults trying to feed on the visitors to my feeders last fall, so they might well have a young 'un. It's absolutely fascinating to follow your process. Glass blowers always have fascinated me, but I think you've left them in the dust for sheer complexity of process.

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  6. You have to be careful so you don't cut yourself or burn yourself while you are crafting. Looks like a slow, complicated process but so delicate and lovely to see. Thanks for sharing the process!

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  7. What detailed work. Thanks for explaining a bit more of your process.

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  8. We've been listening to a juvenile crow still calling out to her momma to feed her. Sometimes when she calls loudly I hear her saying, 'Ma Ma Ma!" Ma has stopped answering.
    I'm looking forward to watching the process and progress on our new project.

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  9. Very cool to see this part of the process!

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  10. Goodness... such a labor-intensive art form. That said, I bet it's going to be exquisite when finished. Reminds me of some of Lalique's art work.

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  11. Another interesting look at your artistic process. Show us the cereus if you get a picture! I hope the hawk is figuring out how to catch whatever critters it can, rather than just being freaked out by them.

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I opened my big mouth, now it's your turn.