"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I have also withdrawn a fresh new Al Purdy that will be used in a fund raising auction/raffle (TBA) in aid of the preservation of Al's A-frame house in Ameliasburg, Ont.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.

Teacher, Gazing in Wonder

I decided to challenge myself to making a representative work of someone I know, aswell as admire. This is more difficult than it first appears as you end up being influenced by all those little factoid imaginings and personal history about someone, when the objective is always to leave as much out as possible. It is sometimes easier to build an image up from nothing, than to distill from complex experience. The work is life-sized and the final casting (upper left) will be mounted on a stout pedestal.

Al out-of-doors

I've hung the finished bust facing West, towards an unkempt woodlot echoeing sounds of jays, hawks and coyotes. The work is sprayed with several layers of commercially available paint to bring out a metallic patina as an experiment to see if its appearance and physical integrity will be maintained throughout the coming Winter.

I hope the stern look of this rural poet can keep the wind and snow at bay.

Young, Gritty Al

This is an imperfect, partial cast of the late poet Al Purdy. I have learned just enough from my mistakes in this process to make the next sculpture that much better. For instance, there was no need to create a barrier dam when I first administered the silicon, nor was it necessary (or advisable) to pour on the mixture immediately. But the ciment is approximately 1.5 inches thick on all sides and weighs over 20 Kilos. In the near future I will be painting the sculpture a uniform charcoal grey, and I am planning on hanging the work outside, encorporating grapevines into the final piece. More to follow.