Now that the clay model is dry, I really wanted to get a picture of it on the wall, so I used a hangar on the wall in my bedroom which formerly held a very heavy sculpture which is now on the wall in my gallery, it was just right for hanging this model on the wall for some photos.

Now that the clay model is dry, I really wanted to get a picture of it on the wall, so I used a hangar on the wall in my bedroom which formerly held a very heavy sculpture which is now on the wall in my gallery, it was just right for hanging this model on the wall for some photos.

Starting on this model today The Cable Building Acanthus Leaf Frieze by fb210 Cable Building acanthus frieze 1-25-2014 by fb210

I wanted to touch on the topic of this sculptor again after working my way through the book on him “Christian Petersen remembered,” specifically I wanted to address the part of the book where the author mentions that the various terracotta works were “refurbished” and repaired or restored around the 1980s after “40 years of exposure to the harsh Iowa climate” there was deterioration to the terracotta she stated. I find that very puzzling that these terracotta panels and sculptures were showing deterioration after only 40 years! I have had hundreds of pieces of architectural terracotta from the 1880s and 1890s that were on building facades  in New York City…

Now that the Commodore mask is done, I figured out the size of the model I will make for the Cable Building acanthus leaf block, it will start out in the clay master model at 20-1/2″ x 26″ and after shrinking when that’s dry it would wind up about 18-3/4″ x 23-1/2″, but if I make a plaster mold to hand-press clay into those would start out at 18-3/4″ x 23-1/2″ and shrink to about 17-1/2″ x 21″ which I have calculated out in reverse so as to wind up with a dry pressed sculpture that will fit my 18″ x 23″ kiln. I could make the model a couple…

Now that the Commodore mask is done, I figured out the size of the model I will make for the Cable Building acanthus leaf block, it will start out in the clay master model at 20-1/2″ x 26″ and after shrinking when that’s dry it would wind up about 18-3/4″ x 23-1/2″, but if I make a plaster mold to hand-press clay into those would start out at 18-3/4″ x 23-1/2″ and shrink to about 17-1/2″ x 21″ which I have calculated out in reverse so as to wind up with a dry pressed sculpture that will fit my 18″ x 23″ kiln. I could make the model a little…

I anticipate finishing this model this weekend, I did a little minor refining here and there and on the left side today, there are four of the left side petals (egg and dart) attached to the face that need refining, shaping and cleaning up yet, that’s mainly what is left to do this weekend. I’m still not happy with the nostrils and transision to the upper lip area yet, not very easy to transistion convincingly because obviously the lips and mouth are highly stylized so there’s little in the way of reference examples to go by, however, I think building the nose downward on the tip and nostril edges a…

Back in October I had an unfortunate health issue with one of my dogs that necessitated taking him to the big veterinary teaching university hospital- Iowa State University- for an exam and MRI, over the two trips I made there I became aware of some art work on the campus, naturally, wanting to know more I looked up their web site to see if they had any history on it. I didn’t find anything on the interesting larger than life styled bronze dog in front of the emergency entrance, but I did find information on pieces I didn’t see, as well as made a mental connection between a story in…

More progress today.

This terracotta panel is in the Brooklyn Museum sculpture garden and dates to around 1885-1890, I had never seen a design quite like it, the building it came from was on 3rd Ave and 68th Street and had been demolished. I’m quite tempted to make a model after this because it’s so unique, I calculated it’s size is about 19″ tall and 22″ wide. Maybe after I do the Cable Building acanthus panel I’ll do this. It is a panel originally from the Mulcaster Building formerly at 1156-1162 Thirdrd Avenue at 68th Street, Manhattan, circa 1885 This delightful image of a butterfly girl sipping nectar from blossoms through a straw…