Crouching Cougar update
 

This started life as a 120 lb piece of Orange Calcite, it sure still needs a lot of work. The head, the body, the legs, everything. It's in the stage now where I don't much care for it, a couple more weeks and I might like it.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1479674025.jpg
I finally realize I should do a clay mock up first, my wife tells me that everytime, I just don't do it. I think the next time I will, get the shape down a little better before I start.

Almost looks like the wax my grandpa would build up before doing a bronze casting...

What





http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1479676684.jpg

Gotta do her in clay first, even Dean's wife knows that :)

Oooh, clay. Kinky. ;)

Don't they call that mud wrestling?

Looking forward to following this thread. :)

In the south, for the red neck, beer drinkin' crowd, yes. Dean hangs with the artsy-fartsy, wine sippers though...

Doing them in clay is preferred there :)

Boy am I getting old, she don't look like no cougar to me.
More like a young spotted beaver.

But then I wouldn't want to see a cougar in the senior set, yikes

Cheers Richard

Whoa!!! Subscribed! :D

I like the cougars you people play with.

Janet Mason?

Alexis May (UK)

Thinning out, still needs a lot of work.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1479950302.jpg

That' nice....but you've got a lot of nerve derailing your own thread if ya ask me :(

Oh wait...you didn't...

....bush's fault :)

hey, I didn't complain about the pictures.

I apologize; I didn't want to detract from the artwork with different artwork.

If the arteeest extrordinaire don't mind, then rock on piano man :)

Thats a beauty! Both of them! :D

I appreciate your art.

No offense intended Dean, you ARE good....but it's hard to beat Mother Nature's finest pieces :)

Unsurprisingly, this thread already got 1300+ views. :D

Hey it is fun to watch the piece progress and become refined and shapely,
The cougar that is.

Cheers Richard

COGAR'S Cougar is responsible for 1,295 of them, but mine is cheaper in the long run

No doubt. :D

I've personally clicked on this thread eleventy dozen dozen times ...hoping for more updates from Dean of course :)

not the hot Cogar Cougar but an update, as of Saturday afternoon. I don't hate is so much anymore, I kind of see a light at the end of the tunnel. Maybe by Christmas.http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1480261587.jpg

Dean,

Any pictures of the different tools and process to make a stone carving?

Excellent work on it!

I haven't taken any but If I remember I will take some Monday or Tuesday.

Looking good Dean!

The orange calicite appears already polished at the base, and other places, as if it were ground and polished.
It looks to be a solid material without any grain to crack off.
I assume you're using an air grinder but the wet look is spectacular as is.
Is this an easier material than others you've worked with?

The wet look is because I sprayed it with the water bottle before the picture. But, that's more or less what it will look like when polished and waxed. This Calcite is pretty hard, sort of like carving glass. I use air grinders/stone on it. If you used a chisel you could end up with a lot of little pieces. I like marble the best but this stuff looks so good when it's done it won't matter much what the cat looks like, people will like the stone. There is still a lot of shaping to do, the head, the legs, the feet and then a LOT more sanding. I sanded it a bit yesterday just because, I do it sometimes for a more finished look to see where I need to fix things. I think it will look a lot different when it's finished. not sure yet what to do with it.
Thanks for looking.

Can't say the same for stonework...
But a picture is often painted before the first brushstroke.

Those are beautiful pieces. Nice work.

These are some of what I use, not pictured is an electric Makita angle grinder.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1480446724.JPG
In the front are a couple angle grinders, one with a diamond blade and one with a sanding disc. Then a couple standard angle grinders, the second one is extended for the hard to reach areas. Behind that is a pneumatic chisel, Italian made. Behind that are some diamond discs, on the left a cutting disc, then one for grinding flat and to the right a heavy material remover.


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1480446960.JPG
some grinding stones and diamond discs.
Later I will get some pictures of the carbide chisels and diamond files,

lol...D
was unpacking Christmas stuff last night...
and some of your early art in my possession...
you've gotten so much better..
and like most artist I know..
would destroy.. what I cherish...

Rika

It's still a work in progress. and still a lot to do. this is only about 18" long

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1481588966.JPG
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1481589018.JPG

Thanks Dean,

That's some serious piece of "kit" you have there; takes a steady hand I bet as damage to all the hard work could happen quickly.

Some update pictures, I thought I would be done with this for Christmas but I wasted time on other things. Wine and food. It still isn't finished and you may not even see the difference but there are a lot of hours in it since the last pictures. It is sitting on a black granit base, when it's finished I will epoxy it to the base. I was going with the built in base but there are too many facets/soda lines/fractures and I worry about it. I now think about another week or so because I think I can put in a show for February. The base is 24".
For anyone in the San Diego area, I will be in a place called Sparks Gallery, 6th st in the Gas Lamp District, it's a National Sculpture Society show and the opening reception is Jan 7 from 6 to 9. It's free and there will be a bar. If you have any interest at all just look up Sparks Gallery and RSVP for a free glass of wine. It's a very nice place and I have seen some of the sculpture that will be there, it's amazing.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1483491131.JPG
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1483491207.JPG
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1483491207.JPG
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1483491207.JPG

Misc random thoughts:
The face stone has too many splits.
Too delicate.
Don't try to carve it detailed and have it split.

The piece is telling me Egyptian alabaster stone.
Art Deco.
Colors vs. Angles.
Larger themes.

The left line on the base could be a cut-edge straight surface.
Add another flat elsewhere.
Swoop bang then boom. Color flourish.


(just one idea of many)

Can't help the split in the stone, the face is set, no detail.
The stone is orange calcite and very hard.
I'm not sure what you mean about the edge, maybe pm me, I like feed back just not sure what you mean, I didn't originally plan on the black base but thought I need to do it because of the flaws in the stone. And not sure what you mean by the other flat. Really, I am open just pm me what you mean.