I cut my hand... down to the stone

But it also could be vertical..

It took about two weeks to first block out the hand and then gradually refine it. Initially I didn't know if the fingers were going to be flat or bent. But everything has to be exaggerated a little bit to throw shadows and appear realistic in the end.

Thumbs are the hardest as they face in another direction than the fingers.

I had a large chunk of rock remaining "under" the hand and at thsi point I was uncertain what that would be.

So I kept working on the hand and tried to figure out where the knuckles and finger bends would be. And started rounding off the fingers.

What to put beneath the hand? A bible? A heart? A boob? A basketball? Originally I was thinking another hand, but I wanted to finish this project within the month. I have a big show coming up in June and I need inventory. 

Because I had previously cut off pieces of the stone, carving one big book wasn't an option and that wouldn't be as visually interesting as a stack of books.

These photos are dated March 20 so I'm about three weeks in at this point. I don''t work every day as I need to rest a day between days in the studio. (Which gives me time to post ridiculous stuff on the Zomne in case you were wondering.)

I need to carve all 4 sides of the books in case the piece ends up  being displayed horizontally.

While carving I'm on my feet for 3-4 hours at a time. I try to work in the doorway of the studio so I get a breeze, but that means I'm all bundled up, as it has been in the 40s mostly. An N95 mask is mandatory. 

Been listening to a lot od KVHW, Phish with the words removed (there's a website for that), and Grateful Dead on Relisten random play.

Once the main shapes are there, it's just a matter of refinement. Sometimes I sand so much I lose the straight lines and have to go back and recut edges. 

Yesterday I started on the final steps -- adding fingernails and pages.

I'm trying to make the book covers thinner, but I don't want to make them too thin, as I don't want them to crack off.

I'm still searching for the perfect file to carve the pages with. I tried using a Dremel with a cutting disc, but it's not really made for marble.

But you get the idea.... to be continued...

In Feb I started this piece. It was a chunk of alabaster I had in the shed. It weighed 65 lbs. I had no idea what type of alabaster it was.... some of the stuff I have came from Utah and some from Colorado. Different quarries contain different colors.

Once I took all crap off -- the top layer of crust -- I was left with a shape that could be an elephant head. It had a nose and ears.

I wasn't going for a realistic-looking sculpture -- alabaster doesn't hold sharp edges very well, so it is better suited to more abstract shapes.

So an abstract elephant head it was... concentrated on a trunk and big ears

The ears were a big challenge -- seems simple but not really. I wanted them big to say "elephant" but not too realistic.

At some point I splashed some water on the piece so I could see what was underneath the gray. Thankfully, it was a very "animal-ish" color and pattern. 

A close inspection revealed lots of internal spots -- alabaster is translucent and it's the flowing minerals that give it it's color. But these surface imperfections will be mainly overlooked due to the underlying pattern. And lots of sanding and waxing in the finishing stages.

At some point I carved some tusks out of another piece of while alabaster that I had in the scrap pile.

I still wasn't to happy with this piece. But as mentioned, I need more inventory for an upcoming arts and craft show and I didn't have the time to make an artistic statement. This is intended to be a piece that would sell -- so the funky earls and wierd proportions would have to do.

I decided to give him some eyes to make it more personable.

I had already given him some mini-legs to make it a littl less abstract.

This was the fastest I ever produced a piece -- it took a month. I think he finally weighs in at about 35 lbs.

There's gotta be some well heeled art lover walking by my booth that loves elephants, right? Or quasi-elephants. Let's hope so.

This one doesn't have a name yet, so if you have any suggestions....

^ "Phil's Chair" is already taken. 

Are there any Grateful Dead songs that reference elephants or hands? Or books.  Nothing comes to mind right off the bat. Hand Jive, maybe -- but that's not really good for a classical stone sculpture.

"Working For Peanuts" is the best I came up with so far for the elephant.

And thanks for the positive feedback. Much appreciated. (As Backstage Social Engagement Coordinator and drug mule for the next jamband sensation "Phil's Chair," I get little to no compliments about my work. Say, maybe "Working For Peanuts" is appropriate.) Trust me, this stuff looks much better in person under good lighting and displayed on a nice pedestal where you can see all sides.

[And please excuse the occasional mis spelling and poor grammar.  Don't you hate it when you reread a post and then spot mistakes when it's too late to edit?]

Judit is definitely getting an all access backstage pass to Phil's Chair, even though, alas, there is no backstage in a parking lot. I can probably come thru with a bottle of lukewarm water, though.

Benway, the shag carpet is plenty but a bean bag definitely will be appreciated. Please bring your boom box for pre show tunes and some random vial from your Dr's satchel.

In fact, because you are a doctor, you can be the resident Rock Med guy and official band pharmacist. The position doesn't pay well, but there will be loads of laughs. 

^ well, Dave and Judit, "Wondrous apparition" is certainly a lot better than calling him "Doo, Doo, Doo..." But elephants do poop a lot.

though "Tambourines and elephants" has a nice lyrical ring to it....and they are "...playin' in the band".... so it has an obscure GD reference... but I don't want to carve another elephant.

Mike -- for the right price I will chop off a finger and carve DeadBase in the side of the big book.

Joe - a spanking sculpture would be quite awesome, but I don't want a bunch of frothing sex freaks clogging up my booth at the art show --- they don't spend money

Bss and ladies - thanks much. Wait til you see the finished version. Tomorrow should be sunny and a good day to carve. 

Face - that tune always takes me back to some very psychedelic show experiences 20+ years ago... when those guys were a lot younger. I should work to some early Cheese tomorrow. 

Noodler -- good limestone is hard to find on the East coast. Wish I was in Oregon rockhounding

^^ Jaz - hope all is well and have fun at the eclipse.

No booze when working -- don't want to get all sloppy and overconfident and bust something. I have found that a good sativa, Cinderella 99, is helpful.

I seldom start with a pre-engineered idea when I work with the softer materials like alabaster or soapstone -- mostly I clean up the rock and then see what shape is left for me to embellish. Many times pre-existing fractures will determine what parts of the core rock are usable.

Working with marble or limestone is a little different, then I often go for the path of least resistance -- for instance if I start with a long rectangular piece, I might say "sorta looks like a bathtub already -- then I carve the bathing lady part." 

I often reference photos if I'm doing something semi realistic. For more realistic, like when I carved an electric guitar, I will sketch stuff out. If I'm working on a commission piece or a grant project I will make a clay model in advance to get an idea about proportions.