4/7
I worked on the left pants leg today. Adding the blur from the movement.
The before on the left and after on the right.
Score- #33
April 2 - a days progress
I focused a lot on the back side
I also spent a fair amount of time on the hands holding the bow. I might add more.
“score” #29 a meditation
Photo of wires coming off the bow depicting the energy created by sound.
I have no idea whether what I am making is “good art” or “bad art,” but I do know that my brain loves painstakingly placing each and every tiny piece of delicate wire exactly where and how my imagination envisions it, and the sounds that come from the strings of the violin, as the horse hair bow, drawn in a focused and precise manner, moves across them. The energy that this sculpture is depicting is both physical and emotional. The work on this part, for me, is a meditation. I don’t really think about it; I just listen and imagine as I twist and attach the wires.
“score” #26 adding some icing
My favorite part of a cake is the icing and my favorite part of this sculpture is the part I am just getting to - the icing. The little pieces, that create the quiet moments. The little nuances that add the extra flavor and detail that will hopefully make it sing. The pieces that will visually depict those tiny, fragile notes that are unique to the violin.
“Score” today’s progress.
I made a lot of progress today. All those wires that were making me crazy because they were in my way were very useful today. They came in handy for creating the movement of the right arm pulling back as it moves the bow across the strings of the violin. They also worked out well to add motion to the left leg as his body sways to the sound of the violin, in creating the motion in the upper back of the figure and the movement of the bow.
I also added the violin bows
I listened to a playlist of violin solos on Spotify. I was working on the bows when Massenet: Thais/Acte Deux Meditation religieuse came on. It is a tear-jerker. I kept thinking about my 90-year-old Dad who is not doing well and was just approved for hospice. It is ironic that the piece I am working on during this sad time is titled “score”. The title today has a double meaning; it not only refers to the music score, but for my father's love for sports and scoring on the football field.
https://open.spotify.com/track/2TkpA2qsGI60157gXszMg0?si=Hma56nj1ToiImjelxQsn4Q
Below are a few of my favorite pics of the day.
The motion of his right shoulders it moves back and down.
The head focusing on the strings of the violin.
right hand movement
Right hand movement.
view from just left of him
the right hand and bow in motion.
upper body
“Score” - a change of plans
3/6/2018
The entire time I have been building the armature, I have been wrestling with which media to sculpt it in, concrete or plaster. There are pros and cons to both.
Pros and cons of Concrete and plaster-
- I have a lot more time to work with the concrete, before it sets. Working in plaster is very fast and does not have to hydrate while it cures.
- The color of concrete is not as bright as plaster.
- The concrete I would pour at home, and then allow it to hydrate for five days between layers. This would tie up my welding space, and keep me from starting a new armature.
- If I make it out of concrete at home, then I will have to hire movers to get it to my studio at Glassell, in order to photograph it, and then pay to have it moved again, as we are moving out of the building in May. That is a lot of extra expense.
- I have never made a large plaster piece.
Plaster it is, now is the time to try new things.
one last look before I start mixing the plaster.
The left foot- plaster and cut up pieces of wire and broken wire cloth.
The right foot and leg.
Detail of right leg
“Score” #18 the lath
I know have supports on the ground and I am comfortable that the piece is not going to fall on me. In the end I may cut them off. Right now they stabilize the piece and they are not visually distracting to me.
Now to start adding the lath.
I started with the right arm and hand.
Jumping around I next added his right coat tail then his left arm.
Left arm
Left back of his jacket
1/16/2018
working on the folds in the fabric of the left pant leg.
“score” #17 un doing
1/14/2018
The rebar bar I attached to provide stability to the piece (so it will not fall on me) is visually distracting me. I anticipate the sound will engulf him from head to toe but it needs to start from the instrument and hands and then expand out. I just st can’t start from the outsideand work back to the instrument. I am going to cut off the pieces I attached for stability and re attach them more discretely.
before Cutting off the distracting pieces.
The reattached pieces are flat on the ground and only in the direction I think it might fall.
Score
Loading him up for my last studio visit of 2017.
I love the shadows he makes on my brick wall.
“Score” #14 armature of the face and head
11/15/2017
And just in time as I have a studio visit tomorrow with Patrick Palmer the master of heads.
full face frontal.
Below is the head and body from every angle
Front right
front
Front left
left
back left
Back
Right side
Front right
close up
“ Score” #12 armature/fingers to hold the violin.
Here is a pattern I made to Help me gauge how big each finger section should be.
Here I have tacked the first and second joints.
Once I decide if I like the placement of each joint then I will strengthen the welds.
The fingers on both hands seem to be ok. Hopefully when the lath and concrete are added I will still be happy.
“ Score” #13 armature/tails
11/14/2017
The figure is wearing a tux with tails.
View from the backside of the piece- I added the back of the pants leg and jacket tail on the left side of the figure.
full body view
Both jacket tails welded in.
“ Score” #11 armature/fingers to hold the bow.
This piece is abstract but, in order to capture the gesture I really have to understand where the musician is exerting his energy in regards to how he holds the instrument. I found the below link online that talks about the proper way to hold the bow. I also researched how to hold the violin. It is held with the chin and chest leaving the fingers the ability to move up and down freely.
http://www.singingwood.com/violin-bow-hold/HowToHoldTheViolinBow.html
The fingers that hold the bow.
The left hand is missing all the fingers. That is the palm and back of the left hand. I will work on the fingers tomorrow.
“score” post #8 winging it.
11/09/2017
I decided to weld the arm pieces onto the torso. I started with the left arm and the palm of the hand. I am totally winging this. Since the piece is in motion I want the arm position to reflect movement. The left shoulder dips and the elbow digs into his side. The left forearm has to be free so the fingers can to move up and down the violin. The violin will be held in place between his chin and his shoulder/chest.
Next I decide to trace my hand to determine how long the finger pieces of steel should be. Then I draw in the bones and measure how long each finger bone is between the joints. My hand is smaller than the figures would be but by the time I add the lath and cement it should be the right size.
My hand pattern with bone measurements.
The hand pattern with two pieces of the palm of the hand bones cut.
Detail of the left arm and the palm of his hand.
The bones in the palm of the hand.
Now I need to see if I am anywhere close on the angle of the forearm and back of hand. I will do this by holding up a violin to the figure.
No, I missed it. Tomorrow I will cut the forearm off and reattach it with the wrist right under the violin. Then I will look at the angle of the hand. That might also need to be altered. Totally winging it.