This is the finished self portrait in clay. My original intention was to make a mould of plaster then cast it in concrete, but that was before I bought a kiln.  Now I am considering hollowing out the sculpture and firing it in my new kiln. I haven't completely made up my mind, but I am leaning in that direction. I have a sculpture of my father I did in clay and was fired in a kiln by a friend, so there is a continuity that I like.

I decided to do a less complex sculpture before making the mold and committing to a concrete mixture for the Kate  sculpture. It is the first self portrait I have tried in clay. It was a little strange actually forming my mouth, my nose, my eyes, my ears. It isn't finished yet, but I like how it is coming together.

This is the latest work in the Kate series. It is about 28" tall on a 24" x 24" platform. I'm guessing it is between 200 and 300 pounds of water based clay. The next step in the process is to make a plaster mold and eventually cast it in concrete.
One of the problems I confronted in the design was what would she be sitting on. The model was sitting on a step stool, but that was never intended to be in the sculpture. I thought about a rock or a log. I wanted to suggest "outdoors" because that is where I see the sculpture being. I decided on the tortoise to suggest a symbolism beyond the figure of a young woman.

I took some figure drawing classes recently at
the Englewood art center. I thought it would be a good way to
 meet fellow artists and I hoped to find a model who would be willing to work for me at my studio. Unfortunately, the art center hires models  who  work for the Ringling School of Art and Design which is in Sarasota. That is an hours drive from here, and  too far to drive for the amount I could afford to pay them. I needed someone closer to home. Then it occurred to me that I might ask a friend of my nephew's. I had met her several times before. In her mid twenties, a little adventurous, not your typical model figure, but the more I thought about it that could be a good thing. We were friends on facebook but I had never privately sent her a message.

DAVID  9:08 am
Hi Kate,
I would like to do a series of drawings, paintings, and sculptures with you as the model. We would begin with one three hour session, one day a week. I expect the series will take six months. I can pay you $10 an hour. I realize $30 a week isn't a lot of money, but you will have an opportunity to keep some of the drawings, and have stories to tell your grandchildren. I have a lot of experience working with models and assure you our sessions will be kept on a professional basis. What do you think?
KATE   10:42 am
Oh, that sounds like fun! I wouldn't mind modeling for you, but I don't want to do nudity.(I don't look good naked anyway,lol) I would need a ride though, but if I could get a ride and no nudity, then I would love to do it!
DAVID   12:38pm
It is fun. There are all kinds of beauty. If your figure wasn't the kind of beauty I was looking for I wouldn't have asked you. Throughout history great art has celebrated the female figure. I am looking to do great art, and great art to my mind involves tasteful nudity. I hope you will reconsider. You could bring someone with you if you are concerned about being alone. Besides, what kind of story is that, "an artist asked me to model for him once, but I didn't want to take my clothes off."
KATE   1:58pm
I think I'll do it. It's OK if you say no but could I wear my underwear still? And could I get a ride from you whenever you decide it's a good time to do this please?
KATE   2:37 pm
If I can't wear undies, I understand, I'll still do it.
DAVID   2:46pm
How about, you try it the first time in your underwear, experience what it is about, get more comfortable, and we will see how it goes from there. We could start tomorrow if you like. How about I pick you up at noon. You should bring a house coat with you to wear during break times.
KATE   2:56pm
OK, that sounds fine.
                                                 
I have been working with Kate now for four weeks. She is a beautiful young woman and a hard working model, and I think I have gotten some really good drawings so far.

This is the armature for a sculpture I have started
of Kate. It is about 26 inches tall. I did a full size
sketch of the sculpture idea, and from that drawing
estimated the proportions for the armature. I have learned from experience, without the armature the clay willl eventually collapse under its own weight.







Here is the sculpture after the first day of work. There is about 200 pounds of clay, and still much work to do.


                                                                                      

 

The First Painting of My Oak Tree

This is the first painting I have completed at my new home here in Englewood Florida. This grand oak tree in the middle of my back yard is an important reason I bought the house. At least once a day I walk under her mamouth branches and watch her reach up to the sky. At 16"x20" the canvas is smaller than I usually  work with. It started out to be more of a sketch than a finished painting, but once I got started I couldn't leave it alone until I felt it was complete.

     I finished the painting today in time to enter it in the upcoming show at the Englewood Art Center. I have the frame already made. A friend was moving and had a 10"x 60" board of African mahogany that he had been hanging onto for a while and asked me if I wanted it. Of course I wouldn't pass up such a nice board, butI didn't know at the time that I would find a use for it so quickly.
    I struggled with the portrait of the drummer. If you look back at the work in progress you will see the drummer is much different. I think with his head slightly down and in profile it makes a nice counter point to the other faces, and also suggests more movement.

After three days of painting I feel like I am making good progress, but there is still much to do. I want to brighten some areas, and tone down others. I still need to work on the cloths, and continue to add detail.

I have been the photographer for my brother's band "Forbidden Fruit Farmers" for the two years I have been in Florida. Over a year ago I did a pastel of the band using a compilation of photographs with the intention of eventually doing a painting. I bought the canvas six months ago and am just now getting started.
    I decided to start now because I am in a holding period waiting to get started on the next mural for the Punta Gorda Historic Mural Society, and because there is an opportunity to show the finished painting (if I get it done in time) at an up coming show at the Englewood Art Center.
    I feel I have made a good start. My initial problem was getting all the band member in the painting. Typically the keyboard player pictured in the back left would have been to the rear and further left of the bass player. I wanted a more compact grouping so I based the grouping from a photograph taken from sharply left of the band and then moved the keyboard player between the bass player and lead guitar.

This is an oil painting I just finished, commissioned by my niece Sarah of her son and daughter. It was done from a photograph on Wixom lake in Michigan.The painting is 24"x30" on streached canvas.

Here is a close-up view of Danny and Ella.

A friend told me a story of Picasso pointing at a room full of his paintings and asking a friend, "What do you think these are all worth?" The friend knowing that Picasso was at the height of his career, said, "Why they must be worth millions." Picasso responded, "They are worthless, because I have not yet signed them." Someday maybe this will be worth more than the commission.

I went back this morning to take a picture under better light conditions. The colors in this photo better reflect the true colors in the sculling mural in Punta Gorda.

I spent 7 hours today finishing up the Sculling Mural for the Punta Gorda Historic Mural Society. At one point I got so engrossed in my painting That I stepped into my bucket of water for cleaning my brushes! I carried on with a wet foot.

 The first thing I did today was finish the frame by painting the gold band. That was my least favorite thing that I planned on doing, so i got it out of the way.

 Then it was painting the people on the beach and the people on the sailboat, and adding contrast to the water in the foreground.

 Finally I added my name

I am not happy with the overall photo; the light was coming from the back and the colors are washed out. I will go back another day and take a better picture.

 The holidays are over and I am back to work. I spent some time working on the figures today. They are almost done. Interestingly, I see some things in the photographs that I didn't see before. For one thing, I want to add some blue under the left arm  like I did on his face to suggest light reflecting off the water.
I made the boat in the foreground brighter, and added color in the boat reflections.

A man stopped his car today and got out and took some pictures and asked a few questions about the mural. He was the first person I handed my new business card to. After the last time someone stopped and I had to write my e-mail address on the back of my brother Tom's card for his band Forbidden Fruit Farmers, I decided I needed one of my own. Tom had printed his own, so after drawing a logo for my card, my brother printed some up for me.