Category: Bob Madden’s News
Bob is chipping away on this white marble. Come by the ArtEast Open Studio Tour in October to see the finished piece.
Karen is working on making this area next to her metal studio into a sculpture garden.
Want to have some fun? Try making making some music while weaving marble. Ask Bob how he did these pieces at the ArtEast Open Studio Tour event in October.
Got a big boulder to move? Better get a big excavator and someone who knows how to drive it (not me!!). Took a surprisingly short time to get it moved and up into position. August has been a pretty rainy month so prgress slowed, but did not stop.
Got a big boulder to move? Better get a big excavator and someone who knows how to drive it (not me!!). Took a surprisingly short time to get it moved and up into position. August has been a pretty rainy month so prgress slowed, but did not stop.
And the beat goes on, the boulder is getting smaller and close to final shape. Down to a very svelte 9 tons. Getting close to the point where we’ll tip it up on end and I’ll start the detail work. While I’m anxious to see this beast standing up at 10 ft tall, then I’ll have to hold the angle grinder over my head to make some of the cuts I have planned. Better be careful what I wish for.
A very tough piece of stone, it’s not nice because it’s gneiss (that’s a stone carver joke, perhaps a little esoteric). Many a worn out diamond saw blade and dulled chisels but the work continues. The rough shape of the sculpture is getting closer. Perhaps another 2 weeks or so and we’ll bring in the heavy equipment to move the monster to it’s final site where I’ll finish the design.
This 20 ton boulder is giong to be the big project for 2018. I expect the final piece to stand around 10 feet tall (it’s BIG!!!) I’m carving it at the client’s location (not going to bring this monster to my studio) and will be working through the summer on it. If you’re interested in seeing the work in progress, emaill or call me and we’ll arrange a site visit.
Three years ago I had a chance to see the iconic Moai statues on Easter Island. This year we paid a visit to Machu Picchu to see how a different culture made use of their abundant stone. I feel a kinship with both of these cultures because I understand how difficult it is to carve stone and shape it to your will. But I will always stand in their shadow because they worked in such a large scale with very rudimentary tools compared to what’s available to me today. Visiting these ancient sites puts me in awe of these very “old school” stone carvers and sculptors.
Some folks go to the mall and browse for hours to find exactly what they want. If you’re a stone sculptor you still browse, but the crowds are much smaller. Looking for the right stones for 2018!
Bob@RockandASoftPlace.com Karen@RockandASoftPlace.com Poughquag, NY Phone: 845.206.3298