Sailing Right Along
October 6th, 2011 § 2 Comments
So much has been happening that this blog slipped through the cracks. That Won’t Do! So, this is a quick update on how things are going and what’s interesting right now.
I last wrote just before displaying ‘Blind’ and ‘Lure’ for the first time at the World Science Fiction Convention in Reno. The sculptures were well received, especially by my fellow sculptors — a real compliment. The next convention I’ll be at is the World Fantasy Convention in San Diego at the end of this month. World Fantasy is a smaller convention – less than 1000 people – but I like its intimate atmosphere. The art show is juried, so I’m excited to be in it!
In August I took a 4-day intensive class in improv at Bay Area Theater Sports in San Francisco. Next time you are there, check them out, either to see a show or take a class – I promise you won’t be sorry! http://improv.org
The picture above is one I took while sailing in Long Beach, CA with my good friends Erik and Kate. The wind was good and the rented boat in questionable condition. The sail ripped from one side to the other, but we still managed to put one edge in the water and whiz along smartly.
Getting ‘Blind’ and ‘Lure’ sculpted, funded, bronzed and displayed was my primary New Years Resolution, so the other important thing I did in September was take stock and think about next steps. Now that it’s October, I’m focused on getting those Kickstarter incentives finished up. I’m a slow writer, so it’s going to take some time, but I’m looking forward to settling into a rhythm and putting word after word.
That’s what life’s all about, isn’t it?
Postcards!
August 16th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
The World Science Fiction Convention starts tomorrow and I’m hanging out with my Uncle Nick and Aunt Leona about an hour south of Reno getting prepared.
Last week was wonderfully hectic – I performed improv on stage for the first time! – and so I didn’t get a chance to write a post about the photo shoot on Wednesday. I was in San Francisco, and was very lucky because Annaliese Moyer, an excellent photographer, happened to be in town – a rarity! I took some video footage of her photographing ‘Blind’ and ‘Lure’ which I’ll post when I get a chance to edit it. In the meantime, above are the photos we took for the postcards.
More soon!
The Sounds and Smells of Home
July 21st, 2011 § 1 Comment
Above is a picture of Lady, Kendall Mingey’s right hand girl, next to the molds they made for ‘Lure’ and ‘Blind’. Lady is an indispensable assistant in the mold-making process (or so she assures me). The molds are designed to replicate my sculptures in wax as many times as I like.
Into these pink beauties wax was poured and out came some very nice wax versions of the sculptures. I’ve been driving out to Calcagno Foundry, located in the poorly — but perhaps appropriately — named town of Boring, OR, every week day since last Wednesday to work on them.
I’d forgotten how different working with micro-crystalline wax is from clay. I’m out of practice! Textures in particular, are difficult to replicate. I was thankful to have so much advice and expert help in that department.
At this point the wax versions are all cleaned up and fitted to the bases. Today the foundry began dipping them in a slurry that will become the first layer of the next mold.
It’s funny how home-y the foundry feels. What’s funny about it is that I don’t even like the sounds and smells; the obnoxious whine of the grinder, the thump of the compressor driving hissing and clacking air-powered tools, the caustic smells of naptha and molten micro-crystalline wax all drive me outside. Whenever possible I do my work sitting on a stool just outside of the open garage door in the fresh air where the noise is more diffuse. All the same, the atmosphere is comforting.
Nicki Calcagno tells me several other clients have said the same thing. She thinks it’s because it’s a family owned and run business, which certainly is a part of it, but I think maybe it’s something that people who frequent studios and workshops come to find reassuring — the particular smells and sounds of the tools used to make their work.
Molds (or Moulds, if you’re British)
July 10th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
The work on Blind and Lure is moving along well. I met with the mold-maker, Kendall, and she pointed out a few areas that needed adjustment for technical reasons. I took care of those, and now the sculptures are in her hands. I felt a mix of panic and relief letting the clays go. No more changing them! They are in their final form, whether I like it or not (I mostly do).
Kendall’s job is to make a re-usable rubber mold of each sculpture. After that, the next step is to cast wax into the rubber molds, and when that happens, I’ll be back at the Calcagno Foundry to fit the wax versions to the stone bases I found at the stone yard.
I got to wander through the drizzle and mud at Smith Stone about a week ago and picked out 11 stones that look like they might make nice bases. Considering the rainy day, it was tons of fun, in part because the owner, Lou Smith likes artists and has a great smile. I’m excited about getting the waxes done, however, because my trunk is full of rocks, which doesn’t help the gas mileage!
I have no pictures of the process at the moment, but I will leave you with a picture of a print of a painting by a wonderful artist named Omar Rayyan. I’m planning on hanging it prominently in my new apartment – yes, I moved last week! If you’ve never heard of him, I encourage you to check out his website http://studiorayyan.com
Attn: Tessa
June 18th, 2011 § 1 Comment
Meet Rosco, the Calcagno Foundry shop dog. I met him yesterday when I took “Blind” and “Lure” to his bronze casting foundry. We won’t get started on the actual casting process until next week or so, but it feels good to have them that much closer to the next step.
In the category of news, Renovation, the World Science Fiction convention in Reno this August, have put up a page for me in the Artist Showcase! There are lots of other artists worth checking out there, too, especially if you are interested in fantasy.
Lure
June 15th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
With a unanimous vote from a jury of three, “Lure” became the official name for the sculpture formerly referred to as “The Siren and the Sailor”. Congratulations to Keith Baker for coming up with it!
Thanks go to everyone who participated in the contest. I had so much fun reading the thoughts behind the names submitted, and it was lovely to hear from your creative side. The contest worked out so well, I will probably do this again. And I will, of course, post a picture of the sculpture Keith will receive, as soon as it is finished.
Fully Funded!
June 11th, 2011 § 1 Comment
My Kickstarter Campaign is fully funded!
Thank you to everyone who contributed in any way – donations, spreading the word on Facebook or Twitter, writing a post on your blog or throwing a name for the Siren and Sailor sculpture Naming Contest. I’m truly overwhelmed by your support. Sometimes I have to stop and breathe a bit.
Now the real work starts! I’m rolling up my sleeves and getting to it. I’m going to document the process of getting the sculptures cast in bronze here, so check back every now and again if you are interested in that sort of thing. If you have any questions about the process you particularly want answered, post it in the comments.
June 9th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
Clay for 'Blind'
I am so lucky to have such good friends! For the last month, I’ve been sending emails to everyone I know, asking them to donate to my Kickstarter Campaign to help raise funds to cast two of my sculptures in bronze so that I can take them to WorldCon this August.
An amazing $2951 has been pledged! I’m 3/4 of the way there. I need $949 more in donations by June 12th – only three days! - to reach my $3900 goal, or I won’t receive any of the donations so many people have pledged.
If you’ve come here from the Sleeping Hedgehog because you enjoyed my review of The Writer’s Tale, I’d love it if you would do me the huge honor of contributing.
Here is the link:
In return for financial support, my backers receive incentives; anything from a handwritten thank-you note, a booklet with stories, to one of my original illustrations. Just click on an incentive level on the right hand side of my Kickstarter page and you will be taken to Amazon.com, which handles all the transactions for the Kickstarter website.
Every single one of my backers gets special, backer only updates on how this project and the incentives are coming along. They’ll get the biggest discount I can afford on the sculptures, should they choose to buy one. But the best thing they get is the opportunity to be part of the process.
Why? Art is communication. Until it’s filtered through someone else’s brain, the process of communicating isn’t complete. I need people who are curious. I make things to express myself, to explore ideas, and to challenge my skills, yes, but without an audience, without people who find the things I’m exploring worthwhile, the whole exercise is wasted. I’m not interested in working in a vacuum, and I’m not making things because I have to. I’m making them because I want to engage YOU in a conversation.
So please, join me! Become part of my process! If only so I can move on to posting fun stuff, like reports on visits to the foundry, working with actors, and tango dancing.
Valence Bonds are Funny
June 3rd, 2011 § Leave a Comment
It was Memorial Day last Monday here in the U.S., and that means we had a long holiday weekend. A small group of friends and I kicked it off with Argentine Tango dancing. I haven’t laughed so much in one evening in far too long – not at my partners dancing, nor my own, although it’s been quite awhile since I’ve put on my dancing shoes. All my partners were cracking jokes! One lovely fellow specialized in physics jokes, which just lit up my night. Valence bonds are funny. Trust me!
As of today, my Kickstarter Campaign is 50% funded! This makes me happy, but I’m aiming for 100%, and there are only 10 days to go! If you’ve been meaning to donate or tell your friends and relatives about how worthy my sculpture is of support from them, now is the time.
I spent a good part of the weekend writing the story to go along with the Siren-Sailor sculpture and sketching ideas for illustrating it. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, click here to go to my Kickstarter Campaign, look along the right side of the page at the incentives to donate, and pick one. A fabulous illustrated booklet of stories based on my sculptures, and full sized prints of the illustrations are among what’s offered. At the very least, I’ll write you a good old fashioned Thank You Note – the kind the mailman brings!
Bones
May 27th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
I just got a heart-warming email from a friend who sent her sister to my website. Her sister turned out to be so enthusiastic about the sculptures that she’s going to throw me some “bones”!
17 incredibly generous souls have pledged $1515 to my Kickstarter Campaign so far. This feels Fantastic! Every day I check, I send out more emails, I show everyone I meet what I’m doing.
I love showing off this work. It’s so much fun to see the smile of understanding as the implications spread in their mind when they ‘get it’; when they see that the sculpture is a single bust that creates a relationship between 2 characters. One fellow’s face went through such an extraordinary series of emotions so quickly that he actually appeared to be chewing! It’s wonderful to see your work have that sort of effect. I really do feel lucky.
I’m working to be extraordinary, and word of mouth is the best measure of success in that department. Although my Kickstarter Campaign is 38% funded, I don’t receive any of the funds if 100% of my goal of $3900 isn’t pledged. That’s the way Kickstarter works. It’s a real-world barometer of worth. It answers the questions, “Is this project worth funding? Do people like my sculptures enough that they’re telling other people about them?”
If you think my work is interesting, or beautiful, or simply worth it, please do me a favor:
Tell a friend about my sculptures. Ask them to donate. Here is the URL for my Kickstarter Campaign:
Your friend will get good value for their donation – $10 buys them 2 lovely postcards and a nice note from me on a beautiful card featuring one of my illustrations. For $25 they’ll receive those plus 2 audio stories.
In order to succeed I need you to help me get the word out. Once this is funded I can stop being a sales-person and get back to sculpting! If you’ve already donated and told your sister, you’re now officially one of my heroes. Or heroines, as the case may be 
Thank you!
