Black Locust Studio

As of September 2009, I've named the studio (and any potential business commissions that may arrise from it) the Black Locust Studio, simply because the farm property is surrounded on many sides by tall, dark Locust trees that filter dappled light in summer, and create scratchy, twisted profiles in the skies of other seasons. They are strong, subtle trees, leafing out late, that stand up to most heavy weather.

The studio is approx. 750 sq. feet of cathedral-ceilinged space; just enough room to imagine the possibilies of paint and sculpture.

Al Purdy, 2009

During the late Winter I began to cast another ciment bust of poet Al Purdy. I had to move the entire operation inside my cramped basement, as the studio never achieved anything like a consistent temperature for curing. Now, with the breeze brushing the long grass, and wrens and vireos building fragile nests in anything firm enough to call home, that entire exercise seems a very long time ago.




Cast ciment fondue, mounted on a steel rod in concrete,
(weighing approx. 25 kgs), painted in black acrylic spray paint.

"King of Thugs", 2009

I'm sure it doesn't hurt to have some 'security' around the place when I'm out earning a living. I carved this mask to help keep myself warm in the studio during the chill of last Winter. The little demon was a piece I did many years ago and I have waited till now to give it a home and a narrative purpose...Sometimes ideas take a long time to be born.

Carved from White Cedar, with painted Pine figurine, approx 14"x8", weighing less than a pound, and preserved in used motor oil.

"Figure behind a chair", 2009

"For the girl with the hour-glass figure, time runs out very fast." (Billy Bragg)

Here is a small figure based on a sketch from the model. The woman is standing behind a wooden chair, guarding herself.There is a small crown on the chair, as if fallen or torn from her head. There is tension, strength and vulnerability all at once. Her identity is unknowable, as if shame and circumstance had made her no one and everyone. Maybe this is too much to expect of a figure, but I am surprised how complete an allegory emerged from the original drawing session.

The figure is approx. 32 inches tall, supported by a chair constructed of maple and pine.

New sculptures

Middle of March and Winter has broken open. The studio has again become a place I want to work in, not forced to. The plaster works continue to develop on the theme of Royal Absurdity, flowing I think, from the sound of the fall of all those millionaires dropping from their towers.

I have also withdrawn a fresh new Al Purdy that will be used in a fund raising auction/raffle (TBA) in aid of the preservation of Al's A-frame house in Ameliasburg, Ont. The final work will need to be finished and mounted, but here's the ciment cast fresh from the mould.

Plaster work(s) in winter

It is often difficult to heat my work space for short durations in the Winter. I usually swing out of bed early, run out and light the woodstove, return to the house to make coffee, and tentatively approach the studio again in a couple of hours. It also hard to work with water-based materials at this time of year, namely clay. I just removed a clay bust from its mould and found the original a solid block. It was easier to withdraw from the silicon, but I wondered if I'd damaged the whole operation.

Currently I'm working on several plaster figures, building up layers of density in order to start shaving/sculpting the form. They are proving to be images of men and woman who are dressed as kings and queens, but performing some ordinary act or behaviour.