The Journey Begins
Wednesday I finished my first hand-carved alabaster piece. I was very excited. Mostly because it turned out 1) completely unexpectedly and 2) as something I actually like. See, here's the thing, this first sculpture, made from a very small piece of pretty crappy alabaster, was supposed to just be a "test piece", a "get my feet in the water piece", a "remember how to carve alabaster piece". And it was exactly that. That it became something better than I expected. Well, that was quite a nice surprise.
Here's a not very good photo of it:
It's really small, like six inches wide. And it's two separate pieces. I have never done that before. I actually made the two pieces individually without any intention of putting them together. But they fit quite naturally. It was like it was meant to be. Alone, neither piece is very complete. Interesting how that works out.The title is, for now, "The Journey Begins" and I am not going to talk about what it means or what it's about or what this body of work is all about. Not yet anyway. I need to get more into it, get my thoughts in order, work on my new artist statement before I can really discuss what is going on here. But I will say that elements of Nature, the Universe, Human Existence are all a part of the concept. Not really a surprise given my previous work and ideas.
Anyway, things are going just great. I am excited to be carving even though it's only two days a week. Working up in Petaluma is going well. I really like being there where I have no distractions. And the weather has been agreeable so it makes working outside great. Talk to me in January. But hey, I'm used to working in bad weather. Hell, I spent two months making art in Mendocino. Not exactly Warm.
I've made some very interesting discoveries in the last two weeks, about the challenges of hand-carving alabaster. First was the realization that what I thought was going to be the most difficult aspect of this whole endeavor has turned out to be not that at all. I figured that the biggest challenge would be the part about Carving By Hand, No Power Tools. Not so. I forgot how incredibly soft alabaster is. You do not need air or electricity. Ever. Really. I don't care how fast you want to crank out that sculpture - Don't. For one thing the stone is to easy to bruise and also, what's the rush?
No, I am doing okay with the hand tools. What is giving me trouble is the raw, natural state of the stone. I don't know what to do with it when it's like that. Okay. Let me back up. When I first learned to carve stone it was on alabaster. And I got used to working with the rocks in a natural, rough state. It was practically half a sculpture already. How easy is this?
So, when I moved on to marble and was faced with this very cubic chunk of stone I was completely floored. I couldn't see what was inside it. There were not clues. It was a Block. What do I make of this? But time and practice and experience taught me how to deal with that challenge and now I like to think that I am pretty darn good at bringing out the shape that lies within the Block.
Now I am back to the chunky, natural rocks and I'm floored all over again. What is inside? I can't see it. How do I begin? After doing this first piece I think I am starting to develop a process, a pattern on how to start. I am figuring out a way to discover the sculpture that lies inside. What a fun process this is so far. I really think that good work is going to come out of this. I am very excited!
Show Recommendation of the Day: Clark and Michael
This is an Internet "reality" show and it is Hilarious. Michael is Michael Cera who played George Michael on Arrested Development. If that television show was your preferred brand of humor, or maybe you really dig The Office (BBC or the American versions) or The Larry David Show, well then, this is for you. Check it out!

