The problem with reproducing a sculpture such as "Weightless" is that with current skills and tools it would take about four hours. While that was a normal day in 1996 my expectations have changed. I like carving. What would I do with the rest of the day?
So, each attempt ends in excessive complexity. Many parts, narrow spaces, vertical sides. All of this works fairly well for the top half of a sculpture but the mass requires support.
The result has been a series of sculptures whose tops look good. The bottoms, however, have been there just to hold the top up with heavy default legs.
2. Progress
Constantin Brancusi said he was looking to strip away every part of a sculpture that didn't belong, to reduce the piece to only what is essential. As 1999 progresses I begin to think about this. I've always disregarded it, thinking his sculptures too simple.
Still, there's no denying my late 1998 sculptures were much too complicated. Lots of parts that didn't fit into a design. Why do it? Complexity is fun, and a challenge to bring together.
As 1999 passes I begin to learn about complexity. I don't have to have lots of parts in a sculpture. Maybe I'm learning from Brancusi: work harder on each element. Make each part of the sculpture contribute to the whole. Don't just accept shapes because they're easy to carve. Take control, but still let the sand sing. It's an interesting process.
3. Kansas
You can gain some insight into what McPherson, Kansas, is like in the winter from the fact that Barb thinks hauling sand in California constitutes a vacation. She was so eager that she was already on the beach by the time I arrived.
"It was snowing when I left!"
"Aren't you glad to be here?"
"Yes!" Even if the day is completely overcast.
Finally the storm drain rebuilders have done me a favor. The sand they've dug up and left in huge heaps has eroded back to a wall, with one little island left about ten feet farther west. It's perfect for a sculpture base; just throw some water on it and call it good. I set up the form and we go to work.
Having a helper changes the process. I don't have to go at full speed; time is water as it is constantly draining through the sand in the form. With Barb providing a steady supply of sand and water the form fills steadily and quickly, layer by layer.
4. Talent
By the time the pile is finished, George has arrived. He has to keep his hands clean for his part in today's project, which is video documentation. Today will mostly be an experiment, research wherein we'll both learn about what works in a video.
The purpose isn't so much instructional as a simple presentation of how I go about my work. It'll serve as an example for interested people. If we get some good tool shots for the Web site, so much the better.
So, once again, the camera roves around me as I work. I should have taken ham lessons from my sister. She's the real talent in the family. The thing I've learned about this is to cooperate with it. The camera is remorseless.
5. Shape
Step one is to remove most of the top. Torpedoes may be passe but they are graceful. George looks for angles as I do rough carving and then grade the vertical curve to smooth grace.
A tapering top is strong in itself. All of its parts lean inward and as long as the forces are in balance they will help support each other. The main thing to keep in mind is spreading forces near the bottom: like two books leaning against each other, there is a tendency for the bottoms to slide outward. I handle this with counterpoise, the fine sand's tensile strength, and mass. I have to leave enough cross-section to hold.
6. Burrowing
The overall shape is quickly done. To give it some more pizzazz I've cut overlapping panels at the tip, Under that will be big spaces.
This is the fun part. Grab the Loop Tool and dig hard. Sand falls, heavy and clean, thumping to the beach and growing in cones around the sculpture's base.
A little offshoot from one leg suggests an internal shape. I amplify this, undercut it and have a little twisting internal arch. It's a very good pile, which is the only reason this part holds.
7. Hollowing
With most of the sculpture's elements established it's time to refine them. This is a job for sharp tools; the sections' planned thinness demand delicate work. Sharp tools need less pressure. I lightly trim sand from the insides of the long leaning legs; they only have to be strong enough to hold against brushing.
The work is nerve-wracking. I'm not known for innate delicacy; this sort of carving requires steady, confident and light touches, following the long curves with my various tools. The remanent sand has to be thick enough to hold itself and any load above it, and strong enough to resist the tool's pressure. That's sand sculpture: an interesting mix of brute force, elegant grace, and gentle touch.
8. Finishing
Sand and daylight are disappearing at about the same pace. While the sculpture isn't nearly so open as its predecessor, it is also much more interesting to look at. Some aspects have a leggy aspect I don't care for, but other aspects are among the most beautiful things I've ever made.
Delicate brushing brings out the horizons and smooths the surface. A little detail work, undercutting elements to make them stand out, helps define parts. Subtle hollows here and there make even more subtle shadows in the flat surrounding light. Call it good.
9. Chill
"OK, Larry. The camera says five minutes remaining."
"Good. Thanks, George." The walkaround is a shaky one; I'm hungry and cold. Poor Barb is nearly shivering in her red sweatshirt.
I'm reluctant to leave. We're out of light, however. The day ends in a gradual fade behind cloud and cold vapor as I ride away north. We meet to the local Thai restaurant for a bowl of hot tom kah guy.
Technical Notes:
This rebuild got completely out of control, and it's all Larry Dudock's fault.
"Larry, 'Weightless 2' is a nice sculpture. Some day when you get some time you need to put up better images."
He was right, but I had no convenient source. Video had replaced 35mm photography for utility images, but I hadn't learned how to optimize it. I also, by the time the original page was made, hadn't figured out how to keep the proportions right.
So I lived with what I had, and cringed every time I looked at the page. Compared to the prints Steve made from my medium-format negs the Web images were ugly.
When I started working on editing the footage George shot I captured some frames to use for titles. I redid the sculpture images too, hoping that my improved skills would help. They didn't; we just didn't shoot for capture. But now the project was open again. Where could I get images? An's scanner was broken.
"Rich, can I borrow your negs of 00F-4?"
"What's the date?"
"January 30."
"Let's see. Oh, yes, here they are. Come on down!"
"Thanks!"
But I ran into my own scanner problem. The scan preview window wasn't telling me what the scanner was actually doing, and my scans were terrible. The color varied all over the lot. Useless.
"Larry, can you scan these for me?"
"What, prints? On what? I don't have a flatbed."
"An does."
"But it doesn't work, Gabe."
"Yes, it does. He fixed it. Got a new computer."
Well, that's one way. The primitive software still works reliably, and the old HP 2cx does its usual good job. The next day I bring my prints of 00F-4 in. Things were coming together.
While reviewing the video I discovered many nice detail shots. When these are resampled to about half their original dimensions they sharpen up dramatically. Any new page design would have to accomodate some detail images.
The final ingredient was boredom. I've made a hundred sculpture catalog pages, to pretty much the same design. If it works, why mess with it? But I'm more of a designer than a producer. I wanted something more dramatic for this sculpture, a one-off page that would be visually interesting.
It has been a long trip. I hope you enjoy the result.
