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96F-3 "Weightless" | |||
| The sculpture two weeks ago was a disappointment, being heavy and earthbound. It had some new ideas, but lacked the delicacy I wanted. |
| Build number: | 96F-3 (lifetime start #72) |
| Title: | "Weightless" |
| Date: | January 27 |
| Location: | Venice Breakwater, center of isthmus |
| Start: | not recorded; building time: 4 hours (estimate) |
| Height: | 3.5 feet |
| Base: | 1.7 feet (cylindric, second stage 1.25 feet) |
| Photography: | 3 rolls TMX120, Pentax 6X7 w/135mm handheld |
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Small piles take less time to build, leaving more time for carving. Another possibility is to use that extra time to dig up better sand around the low-tide line and carry it to the building site. Small sculptures had shown great promise in a few earlier efforts, but lacked polish. They also seemed unimportant to me; this was just a way to keep my hands sandy until I could make a full-scale one. A slow transformation was taking place. With my new tools, in particular the #1 Loop and the #4 Big Loop, I was able to carve with a delicate downward stroke. With the delicacy, I could get a big sculpture's details into about one-third the sand. The #4 tool had sharp edges, making it particularly effective for trimming inside. With that in mind I headed out for a more serious small sculpture. Good sand was available below the storm drain and I carried it high enough to stay out of the rising tide. Piling didn't take long. The two-stage form uses what was an extension for its main section, and a wastebasket for the extension, with a total of about 7 cubic feet of sand required. The resulting sculpture still amazes me. It has an elegant, delicate grace that I rarely achieve. I walked around it, looking. It floated there, somehow managing to stay together. It was a delight to carve. Passersby appreciated it too. I don't know where they all came from; usually the breakwater area is deserted in winter. Some were repeats, regular sunset beach walkers. I did the photography handheld because I left the tripod at home. I figured for a little sculpture it wouldn't matter; the sculpture itself isn't that important. This one started changing my mind, and I never forgot the tripod again. These negatives are all soft. It's very hard to hold a 7-pound camera steady after a lot of physical work. |
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Original (direct to HTML): 98-Sep-25
All contents copyright 1998 by
Larry Nelson | ||||||||||
96f03rpt.htm 2000 September 8