THE SCULPTURE PROCESS BEGINS WITH THE MAQUETTE

 

 

 

The process for making a large sculpture for me starts with a Maquette  or a smaller clay model of what the sculpture will approximately look like. The model I chose is approximately 20" x 6" x 8".  I want to tell the story of an incident that almost happened to me in 1948.  I was 8 years old and was filled with the desire to fly, as during the war, bombers and war planes flew high above daily on their way to war.  A couple of years later we lived in Poteau, a small town in Eastern Oklahoma. I spotted a couple of wooden crates that looked like the ticket for my aeroplane at Westbrook's Store.  The grocer Mr. Westbrook let me take the crates home.  Soon after I fashioned my plane with a prop and landing gear from an old kitty cart and painted it red.  I enlisted my best friend Ray Martin also 8 years old, Ray and I lifted the air machine to the garage roof, aligned it on the roof peak, I climbed into the cockpit and yelled the command go!!!!!.  Rays legs and feet thrust me forward to launch.

Another voice my DADS... stop right there.  Where do you think you are going.  I just pointed up.

After convincing me to lowering the airplane to the ground he explained to me I needed an engine to turn the prop. I set to work looking for a proper engine.

 

I am offering the bronze sculpture of this as "The Test Flight" in life and smaller sizes.

 

And I thank my dad for me being here today. 

 

 

 

 

STONE CARVING AND ME

 

 

 

 Several years back I took a course in stone carving from a Zimbabwe Sculptor, Colin Newengombo. Collin is from a family of famous Zimbabwean sculptors and approaches stone carving very spiritually in that the stone has a spirit and should be asked what it will be. I was carving a piece of alabaster a relatively soft stone and Collin in passing asked me "did you ask the stone" in his soft warm inquiring tone.  I responded  jokingly "I told the stone, Collin rolled his eyes and moved on.  Later while chipping away the alabaster broke rendering the sculpture scrap.  Collin returned looking wise and down his nose. "you should have asked the stone", in his soft wise tone, after that I always ask the stone.

  

 

 

  "Cattle Egret"19" x 10" x15"

 Colorado White Alabaster with bronze legs and feet

"Little  Crow"
Canadian Chlorite
10 " x 5" x 14"






"Little Crow"  I met Little Crow one Spring while carving wood in my back yard.  I was feeding the birds and squirrels peanuts when a small group of crows started hanging around in the trees around me.  I put the peanuts on the table in front of me for an old female squirrel that I had been friends for several years. She would shell the peanut in front of me watching me carve, I would talk to her while she ate and watched.  This was a daily routine so the squirrels and crows would appear while I carved.
 I would toss peanuts out a ways for the crows as they seemed to stay away at first.  I noticed one crow, a very small one compared to the others kept getting closes and closer, then she swooped down on the table grabbed a peanut and flu higher into the tree to eat the peanut, pretty soon  I noticed her standing on a limb 3 or so feet above my head.  I would talk to her and put peanuts on the limb just above me, she would side step out to the peanut take it and move to a higher limb to eat.  She would make soft crow sounds when I didn't notice her, mimicking my voice.  Later she returned with a normal crow sized baby that she fed the peanuts.  I named her Little Crow and her offspring Bubba.  That was the first year, she returned the next few springs then she didn't come back again.

THE SORROW OF AMERICA

I just read an article about the 1,0000th wolf that was killed since congress has dropped the endangered species status on the wolf.  During this same period of time thousands of wild horses/ mustangs are being rounded up from their home grounds to dirty holding pens at tax payers expense to make room for cattle via the BLM , ALL at the expense of the wild horses and their eventual slaughter.
 Two things to remember:   (1) The natural lands of the wild horse are not very suitable for cattle.  Their land is browsing land consisting of shrub brush and sparse rough grasses. We must let them live without interference of man, let nature take care of itself.
(2) The wolf balances wildlife in nature and is good for the land and the games health by natural culling the sick and the weak.  Hunting alone culls the healthy stock not the sick, thus weakening the herd.  Less than 1% of livestock kills are done by wolves.

I cannot understand the thinking of some American folks that put this great country after their own wants.  When will we begin to realize that this generation will cause the death of our American Heritage, If we don't stop this selfish consumption of the worlds resources in the name of greed.  Don't they care what will be left to the future generation that will have an inheritance of a wasted world, or will their ignorance and selfishness prevail.

. 

"THE LAST GOODBYE"

Bronze 16" x 11" x 6"

 



I ran across an article I believe in National Geographic about wild mustangs that were rounded up, segregated into holding pens.  The two horses were in a strike 3 pen meaning that were to be euthanized.  They touched heads as if they knew each other and were saying goodbye. 

The greed of a few effects the lives of all mankind.

 

GIRAFFES IN THE WILD

"Twega" a curled up baby giraffe in the African wild.  waiting for his mama to feed him.

Twegas (Swahili for giraffes) ubiquitous to most of Africa. We were able to observe both in Kenya and Tanzania.
I watched a wonderful female at very close range as  she watched me with her dark eyes and with her long purple tongue stripped acacia leaves from between the thorns.





"Twega"  9" x 9" carved from African Wonderstone
for information stonelion40@gmai.com or 970-290-4615.

Young female Masai giraffe
Serengeti 2012