"listening to my heart" I have been experimenting with clay, abstract figures this summer.

Raising kids I found that I could have all the facts needed to carefully  make a wise thoughtout life decision and still be unsure what road to take. I remember searching the Internet for facts and still not having an obvious path.  When this is the case I learned  to listen to my heart to make the right choice. This sculpture depicts a man taking a moment to listen, think and feel with his heart. He is relying on his primal instinct as opposed to his cerebral cortex. He is relying on the wisdom of his years. This piece is "listening to my heart". 

"listeningto my heart".                    unglazed stoneware.                                       Side and profile view.  

His hand is over his heart and  his head is tilted as he checks with his heart. 

He has a man bun which I think gives him a primal look. His head is extended up but tilted to one side. His chin points to his heart and his hand is covering his heart. His eyes are just sockets giving him the look of having his eyes closed as he connects with his primal instinct - his heart. 

Close up of his face. 

He has a buddy who is still in the kiln.

I will probably put a glaze wash on him next week.  

new wire sculpture "shake shake shake-jump".

 "Shake shake shake" started with 5 simple abstract drawings of dogs shaking water off their coats. Here is the back story-

Easter of 2015 - grateful to have both kids in town we decided to go to the Buffalo Bayou Dog Park - all of us. My son Griffin took a slow mo video of our elderly Labrador Kitty. Kitty loved the dog park and would retrieve tennis balls from the pond like she was a two-year-old pup.  She would consistently drop the ball at your feet and as you would bend over to pick it up shake all the water off her coat right on to all those standing near by. My son’s video inspired my “shake shake shake” series. In the drawings I used bubbles to express not only the action but the joy. The next  challenge was to capture the same magical moment in 3D with wire sculptures. I have completed two sculptures and I have 3 more in my head. Then I felt the need to capture the dogs intense hyper focus on the ball before he is released to chase it down so I made  "sit". "Sit " is on exhibit at MFAH Glassell studio school Interspace Gallery in the 2016 student juried show. This series of sculptures and drawings seems to continually lead to more work. I completed 6 - 50" X 60" drawings I call "fetch". The fetch pieces are more about the water as the dogs splash through water to get their balls. These pieces are all about ears and splashing.  Still I feel I need 1 more piece to complete the story.  The past 3+ weeks I have been working on another wire sculpture "jump".                                  My goal is to capture that moment when time seems to freeze for a split second, the energy is calm and focused before the big splash landing in a lake. The point of view is  from in the water and below the dog. Here is my drawing of "jump".

"Jump" 

30"X 22" 

ink, charcoal collage

Below I have documented the process of making Jump.  

"Jump" The sculpture will  hang off the cieling at least 7' off the ground. Starting was easy as I was able to work on a table. 

Step 1 make a design his face with  ears flying up and tongue hanging out. 

His head is now hanging from the runners on my garage door. Please no one open the door.  

Add a couple of hind legs, a tail and 1 front leg. 

Still working  

Hiding the garage door runner with paper. The wires get lost if the background isn't pure white.  

It turns out hanging it off the garage door was not a good idea. I have been banned from working off the runners.  Sorry Curtis. 

Here I am trying to firm up the piece. In doing so I have over worked the outline. At least it isn't falling apart. Working in mid air (no table) on a ladder is not easy

. ......trying to get rid of any structure I don't have to have and creative beautiful lines, symmetry, and create that moment of flying/jumping/floating before the big splash. 

Working in the sculpture room at Glassell. I am the only person here everyday. I am getting spoiled having such a great space to my self. 

Struggling

Tweeking  and struggling

tweeking  tweeking tweeking 

I love the legs - the head is much more challenging. 

Better

I like this angle  

I decide the tongue hanging out was ruining the focus of the dogs energy. Here is the new mouth.  

Getting better I think??? 

i am almost there.  

Reworked the face  

A few adjustments in his forehead.  

A few more ear tweeks tomorrow.  

"Jump"  

wire  

I will upgrade these photos when I get in my new studio.  

"Chickens can save the planet too......" Pentaptych of drawings

Inspired by Griffin and Alex's video "Chickens can save the planet too...."

 "Chickens can save the planet too V"

charcoal  

30" X 22" on Stonehenge  

 "Chickens can save the planet too IV"

charcoal  

30" X 22" on Stonehenge  

 "Chickens can save the planet too III "

charcoal  

30" X 22" on Stonehenge  

 "Chickens can save the planet too II"

charcoal  

30" X 22" on Stonehenge  

 "Chickens can save the planet too I"

charcoal  

30" X 22" on Stonehenge  

pentaptych

A few pieces from June and July

"Shisa the Japanese lion dog "

 After a few weeks of straight wire work I need to loosen up - so I drew last night. I am the collaging the pieces  today. 

"Shisa the Japanese lion dog" s

46" X 54" 

Collage, ink on Stonehenge.  

"Jump"

I was struggling with a wire sculpture "jump" so I decided maybe I should  R e l a X and draw "jump" . This would help me have a clearer understanding of the lines and the energy I want to project with the piece. This is the drawing

#abstractart #abstractdrawing #labradorretriever

"Jump"  

30" X 22" ink and charcoal on Stonehenge.  

Accepted-

I am so pleased to have my work selected by Eric Lee Director of the Kimbal Museum for the regional juried.

 https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10154257767402485&id=57224432484

"fetch"

I have decided I want to be able to show more splash,  more energy more action that the 30" X 22" paper is allowing. I though about redrawing them on larger paper 50" X 60". After considering all the options  I decided to collage them to the larger paper. I was not sure if I would place each one on the paper the same or vary the position. In order to figure it out I set up 6  50" X 60" sheets in a room. 

The six drawings push pinned on bigger paper.  

The large Stonehenge is not as white as the 30" X 22" stonehenge I did the drawings on. In order to integrate the two colors of white  I collaged large circles of each color of Stonehenge on both the drawing and new paper. I think the two colors is gong to be great. 

Getting ready to collage.  

 adding the ink and  bubbles.  

Bubble detail.

The before and close up of the larger drawing. 

shake shake shake - fetch IV

50" X 60"  

ink, charcoal, collage  

The brighter white paper the dog is on really makes him pop in person. The larger piece looses something on line but in person where you can get close it works great. Now just 5 more to finish. 

Shake shake shake - fetch I (sparrow)  

50" X 60" 

"fetch"

A few weeks ago I started a series of drawings that will be apart of my "shake shake shake" body of work. "Fetch" captures the moment and the energy when a retriever jumps into a lake. Water sprays and splashes in all directions, ears fly, and tails wag yet  eyes and energy are focused on retrieving the ball. Fetch will be a number of drawings and at least one wire sculpture. 

 Below is the start. 

shake shake shake - fetch drawings I - VI

ink, and charcoal on Stonehenge. 

30" X 22"  

shake shake shake - wire I and II

I have decided to see if I can come up with a better way to express the water shaking off their coats.  

First I have collected everything I can think of that might work. 

Bubble wrap of two sizes

plastic tubing of every size 

A variety of threads

wire of many colors and sizes

Potential materials  

Can you see it on the far right?  

Water shaking off  

This might be a solution. I need to step away and re look at it tomorrow. 💧💦 

"happy dog - tell tail" video and details

Detail

Detail left leg/foot  and tail

Detail - right leg and tail

Detail of chest 

"dog star - Sirius " is born

The last sculpture I made was a "happy dog - tell-tail" wire sculpture. I over worked the piece and then took the head, ears, neck, and front paws off. They were laying on my work table and begging me to do something with them. All the parts were still wired together as one piece. I looked around my work space and found a black piece of foam board. The foam board has some nicely placed clear packing tape on it. I decided the metallic wire piece might look nice on the black foam board especially with the reflective clear packing tape. I used clear push pins to attach it and voila! "Dog Star - Sirius" is discovered. 

"Dog Star - Sirius" 

wire and found object

30" X 22" X  10"

How I know when the piece is finished?

Knowing when a piece of art is finished is a very important part of making art and not as easy as you would think. The luxury of sculpting in wire is you can over work a piece and then undo what ever you like. In this case I have decided the tail, hind legs, and abdomen tell the viewer everything they need to know. The head, ears, neck and front paws were fine but I think the piece in the below state makes a better piece of art. 

 The viewer knows that this is a dog. The dog is in a relaxed, happy non aggressive state of mind. Removing the head, ears, neck and front paws really expresses more energy and more excitement. I guess you could say it has a "happy ending". In fact "happy ending" could be a great title.

 It also works really well on a wall and or on a pedestal. 

"happy dog - tell-tail "

wire  

32" X 28" X 13"  

Have I gone too far- "happy dog -wire"

I was loving this unfinished- a little raw and deconstructed ish.  

I was in the sculpture room at #glassell and their is a flood light on the ceiling that shone beautifully on the wall right where I was working.  

 I decided to finish knowing if I am unhappy I can cut out the new wires. 

I don't have the nice lighting to make the shadows like in a he first picture.  

What do you think................ Keep it or go back to the more abstracted deconstructed piece.  

"happy dog - wire"

I am going to sculpt a life size piece in the same pose as my "happy dog" bronze sculpture. I have a new torch and I plan on brazing some of the joints. If the brazing works it will allow me to work in much larger scale with the same gauge wire. 

New acetylene torch and tank

Wire ready to go  

Tail and leg started  

It is hard to know when to stop.  

"happy dog deconstructed" 

wire  

hung on wall with fabulous lighting.  

The brazing works. A bit Hot when it is 110 outside but it works.  

Brazing  

shake shake shake - body of work.

My "shake shake shake"  series has taken on a life of it's own. It started with 5 drawings (see portfolio/drawings), then led to drawings of chocolates and goldens,  lenticular prints, and wire sculptures. Once I start a project it is important to me to finish what I have started. "shake shake shake" would be incomplete without these next drawings and sculpture. 

The title of these pieces will be  "shake shake shake - fetch" or maybe "shake shake shake - splash" . 

I started with 6 drawings. Sadly they will not all make the cut.  

Trying a new bubbles technique. 

Bubbles bubbles bubbles  and white ink. 

Hummmmm.  

Three of these made the cut but that is another post.  

These are the keepers of this batch.  

"Sit!"

"Sit!" is on exhibit at MFAH Glassell Studio School juried annual student show.

This piece captures that hyper focused - on the edge look a retrieve gets when they are waiting for their ball to be thrown. You can make them sit before you throw their ball, however it is all they can do not to start running at the first flench of your throw.

Tail detail  

@MSFAH Glassell Studio School Juried annual Student Show.  

Presently I am using a real tennis ball   for the dog to hyper - focused on. I am going to replace the tennis ball with a bronze ball.  I will start it this summer. 

That will be another post.  

"the last straw"

Detail

Wondering what will be my next burnout.  

"gust"

Doing a head count- I mean hat count.  

I should finish by spring 2018. I will have 12 plus in the series.  

Artist talk at TXRX labs.

   When the complete series is Installed they will blow off walls, pedistals, the ground, maybe even the cieling.😑

These just need the patina.  

Anniversary bench

After five years the patina is really starting to look nice. The wear and tear from the elements is highlighting the textures and lines of the piece perfectly. 

End of seat