This is why we work as a team here, meaning my father, wife and mom. We all give and take. "Try this" and "that" are often heard. When sculpting Mark will ask what our thoughts are and I try to be humble enough to do the same. So in that thinking, here is another picture of my "owl" sketch. The future of this piece is not determined, but my dad turned me onto a website "Ustream" and there, live on this site is a nest of Great Horned Owls. A front row seat! How cool. So I took another hour to my sketch after viewing this for a few minutes. What a difference a live model makes. Here is this idea in clay, after another hour and a few minutes of studying an owl as up close as I will likely get.
Often I'm asked "how long does it take to sculpt something?" The answer is I don't know. Sometimes it's quick and other's take years. Here is an owl sketch I just did. It's about an hours worth of work. I'm not sure if I'll continue to work on it, but I wanted to see how it would look and so here it is. From here I can determine if my time is worth it to finish this piece or "melt" it down and start on something else. Owls are beautiful creatures, especially Great Horned Owls. A pair of them live outside the studio. During the short days in fall, around the end of October, I can hear the pair hooing to each other. They are quiet, skilled predators and much bigger than I expected. I've gotten close to a baby that I once ran into as it sat in a low branch outside the studio. Even with my affection for them, I'm not sure if this sketch will become a completed bronze sculpture. Just like artists use pencil and paper to play with ideas, I do the same but with clay. Although she'd claim she's not, my wife is skilled with a camera. Here is an image she just took of my new piece (shown in clay) compared to the other Juvenal versions I did with my cell phone. Photography can make or break us in the sculpting business. A piece can look nothing like it does in person if not pictured very well. In today's day and age with everything "digital" we can't afford to not have great images of our work. This piece now has a title..."Embrace". |
AuthorThese updates are written by Eli Hopkins. Archives
October 2013
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