And now, time for something completly different!

Title:  iPODoFONE  #1
Date of Creation: Nov. 1912-2012
Size: Height 33", Width 11", Depth 11.25"
Materials: White Oak, Walnut, Copper, Brass, Glass Lens, Telegraph Key, 1904 Edison Record, Power Switch, Thermal Plastic Speaker Bell, Porcelain Insulator, Rubber Victrola Feet, cloth insulated wire, vintage rubber appliance plug, iPod and auxiliary speaker and charging port, + 100 hours....more or less.

  Sometimes, I just need to switch gears and go off on a tangent... surely this qualifies as a tangent. Last Summer I came upon this early Atwater Kent radio speaker at the local flea market. I had no idea what I was going to do with it but it had lovely proportions and unrealized potential. I few weeks later, my wife was talking on her iPhone with "speaker" on....I was amazed at the amount of sound that came from that tiny hole...then it clicked, I held the antique speaker up to the tiny hole and shazam!!!, the sound exploded 10 fold! After some experimenting I decided to create a charging dock and amplifier for an iPod....how clever was that! A bit clever perhaps, but not unique. A quick search on the Internet showed me that many others had this same idea.

  This creation is certainly in the Steampunk genre but with less emphasis on superfluous gears or staircases to nowhere. I designed this in the Arts & Crafts style circa 1900-1920, as if it were made by Roycroft Studios or Gustav Stickley....with a little help from their friend Nacola Tesla and Jules Verne....but careful not to show the design to Thomas Edison, (reputed intellectual property thief).

  As I write this, I am listening to it play. The sound is full and rich. I can't be in the same room with it unless the volume is less than half or else it just blows my hair back. On the front of the box is a thick magnifying lens, behind that an amber Fresnel lens and behind that a flicker bulb, giving it motion and light.

  My thanks go out to my old friend Bob. Bob is my hermit friend that always has a good suggestion when I'm stumped for an answer. I wanted a professional looking brass label for this contraption....something that had the quality of early machine age ingenuity. Bob suggested I acid etch a label...thank you Bob!

  As I look over my growing collection of early gears, insulators, flotsam and jetsam of early hardware, I realize my daughter is right, I truly am an eccentric.

Father's Milk

Title: Father's Milk

Materials: Black Ash Burl, Pigment

Size: 11 5/8th" tall, (29.5cm)

Date of Creation: 2012

"Fathers,---He is almost choked with grief. He asks for a little of his father's milk, to clear his throat." Quote by an elderly Chief on behalf of a young man.*
General proceeding under the Treaty of Fond du Lac, August 2nd, 1826. Sketches of a Tour to the Lakes, of the Character and Customs of the Chippeway Indians, and the Incidents Connected with the Treaty of Fond du Lac. pp. 468, Thomas Loraine McKenney, Pub. 1827

What an odd and interesting coin of phrase,"Father's Milk". This early phrase was oft spoken by Woodland Indians in reference to alcohol. Unknown to most Native American tribes until the arrival of Europeans, alcohol had a profound and devastating effect upon Indian culture.

My inspiration for this sculpture came by several known historic Native American effigy smoking pipes. Tobacco and alcohol were both considered sacred vehicles used to transcend one from this plane to a more spiritual plane of understanding. The sculpture sits naked and unadorned, a dark metaphor for alcohol.

Creating this sculpture was painstaking. I wanted to preserve the primitive posture of the effigy and work within the size limits of the burl wood available. Burls do not come in neat, square pieces, they are organic and oblique, requiring much contemplation as to how a form is to be extracted. My work always begins with sketches, the first of which are little more than cartoons but gradually, as the design is refined in my head so are my drawings. Realizing the complexity of this design, I created a clay maquette as a carving aid. It was my hope the clay model (see photo 2 above) would speed my work. It was helpful but still I was more than 5 weeks at carving. Quality burl is so rare and dear in cost I cannot afford to make a mistake. The time it takes to remove the last 5% of material is many times the effort it takes to remove the first 95%. The closer you get to completion, the more concentration is required.

The barrel and hair of this sculpture I darkened by scorching the wood with a hot iron, a traditional decorative technique applied by Native artists in the period. The earlobes of the effigy are slit and elongated as was the custom of Indian men in the early period. I'm currently carving an accompanying sculpture to Father's Milk. I intend to cast a limited number of the pair in bronze as bookends.

It's been a productive Winter and Spring for me. I found the inspiration to see to the creation of a new bronze, (appearing on this blog soon) and 3 major sculptures in burl; Supplication, Shaman's Wand and now Father's Milk.



* Thanks go to Scott Meachum for locating this reference and suggesting the perfect title.

Shaman's Wand

Title: Shaman's Wand
Materials: Black Ash Burl, Soapstone (base), Iron tacks, Pigment
Size: Height, 23" (58.4cm) (including base)
Date of Completion: April 2012

This is the first of  what I  plan to be a related series.

The posture of the hands is based upon effigies found on several early Woodland Indian pipes. Looking through my eyes, I see this gesture as one of prayer, supplication or perhaps honest parlay.  Historically, this gesture may have some very specific meaning I am unaware of. I would welcome any input from anyone that knows.

The Supplicant

Feast Bowl
Black Ash Burl
Pewter
Earth Pigment
Wood Smoke
D. 16.5" x H. 8.75"

The Supplicant faces the Manitou with his appeal, "Please, more." He knows to ask politely, with ceremony. He knows too well hunger. Despite all of his cleverness and labor he knows there are no guarantees. Perhaps there will be more... He takes nothing for granted.

Manitou is the Algonquin word for spirit being. As can be found on early Native American bowls, the Manitou on this bowl is represented in the abstract by the raised area of the rim. A Manitou on the rim of a bowl is a simple metaphor to understand.

This bowl is not a reproduction of any known original, it represents my desire to create something unique based upon my study of elements found in historic Native American allegory.

The bowl and effigy are from one solid piece of ash burl. The interlocking grain of burl gives great strength to wood allowing a bowl to be made thin and the effigy delicate. This was not a simple carving, it required that I make tools to reach the areas around and under the legs as the curve of the bowl restricted my knife. The arm bands are pewter cast in place. The smooth surface was achieved by many hours of scraping. The color was achieved by long exposure to wood smoke.

Hoyaneh in Bronze

"Haudenosaunee, (Iroquois) 'chiefs' are called 'Hoyaneh' and on their headdress they wear the antlers of authority...it symbolizes that the people depend on that leader like they depend on the deer for sustenance." **

It is with a feeling of pride and a deep sense of historic continuity that I present my first artistic expression rendered in bronze.

I am excited to see my conscious and sub-conscious ideas and passions melded together in this sculpture. This union of the artistry from the New World combined with the Old World tradition of bronze art manifests the mystique I have always felt for our ancient world and the whole of human history.

This sense of reverence and appreciation for historic cultures began when I was five years old the moment I found a beautiful stone arrowhead. It was lying in a patch of dirt, surrounded by grass as though it had been framed for my personal education. I was so young that I'm not even sure I had ever actually seen a real Indian arrowhead before but I instantly knew what it was and I had a feeling then that the land upon which I lived held many mysteries from the past. It was a magnetic moment; the past was drawn forward into my time. It remains one of the most indelible memories from my childhood. And to this day, I want to pull the past forward by bringing it into the future through expressions of contemporary art.

For this first venture into bronze, I decided to create a very limited number of sculptures -- only six, plus the "artist's proof." By utilizing the ancient "lost-wax" casting technique, every minute detail and grain texture of the original burl-wood carving has been captured and translated into each bronze sculpture. I have learned that it is rather unique to cast a bronze from an original carving made from a lasting and precious material. Most castings are traditionally made from impermanent materials such as clay or wax. I chose to custom patinate each bronze myself in order to create a unique coloration that most closely resembles the character of the rare black ash burl.

Although they are cast from the same mold, each bronze is unique in many subtle ways. As with the original Hoyaneh burl-wood carving, (see July 31st 2010 blog entry) I have attached real deer antlers in the same manner as the early European artists who incorporated organic materials such as ivory and various metals to accent their bronze sculptures.

Each bronze is adorned with a pair of handmade sterling silver ball & cone style earrings hanging from the stretched earlobes. I did not randomly select this style of earring. Ball & cone earrings are a very ancient design and they were a favorite trade item of Native Americans, worn by both men and women. The "ball & cone" is also the overall geometric theme of this sculpture.

My sculptural bronze works are available exclusively through Lord Nelson's Gallery Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. http://www.lordnelsons.com/welcome.htm

My most sincere appreciation goes out to John and Shannon Watts for their support of my work, their enthusiasm toward my inspirations, and their encouragement to help me see this project through. I would also like to thank Thomas Poyser and staff artists of SinCerus Bronze Art Center for their talent and advice. Lastly, thanks to Patrick Kipper, master patineur and author of "the book" on bronze patina.

It is all about the process. Everything is a process.

** Quote of what a Hoyaneh represents by Michael Galban.

Patina

It's a hot July day in Indiana, not just hot...humid. Here I am; long sleeves, trousers, apron, rubber gloves, mask. I've been at this for hours. The gas mask is percolating with my own humidity. The air is toxic with fumes from Cupric and Ferric acid generated from the propane torch that roars in my head like a jet taking off...and I am in bliss.

About a year ago, I decided I wanted to create bronze castings of my burl work. My burl carvings are so time consuming and the burl so scarce that I wanted to see if these sculptures of mine would translate well into bronze. The castings have far exceeded my original expectations....and so has the effort required to make it happen. A year ago, I was totally ignorant of the bronze casting process. I had never given much thought as to what the process, the effort required. My ignorance was probably a good thing...what is that old saying about fools go where others fear to tread?

The foundry that made the castings for me could not apply the patina I desired due to safety concerns with the toxic chemicals of the formula I selected. I wanted the bronze to appear as much like the original burl carvings as possible. I was left with only one choice, learn as much about the process of bronze patina as I could as quickly as I could. Again, here treads a fool....but I've discovered something of myself. If I'm not learning something, I'm bored.

Not to bore you with all the details, the process of patina went like this;
Buy a book. Consult the experts. Order the equipment. Choose a patina formula. Order the chemicals. Create a work space. Bone up on chemistry. Experiment. Practice.
Take a leap of faith. Slow down. Concentrate. And some days, the magic works.

I'll post images of the finished bronze soon.

Mishi Peshu (Underwater Panther)

Title: Mishi Peshu
Materials: Black Ash Burl,Copper,Bison Horn,Deer Antler,Quahog Clam Shell,Pigment.
Size: 17"tall, 20.5"long,5.5" wide.
Date of Completion: May 2011


Mishi Peshu (Underwater Panther)

It was my sincere effort to render this cultural effigy in a way that not only possesses artistry and craftsmanship but also a sensitivity and respect to those who hold this design as sacred.

Mishi Peshu is only one of the many names in the Algonquin language for the entity known in English as the Underwater Panther. For some of the tribes near the Great Lakes and surrounding regions, Mishi Peshu represents the physical manifestation of and the ultimate metaphor for the mystery of the Great Lakes and a symbol of the power and danger of nature.

The Underwater Panther is a deity that has been honored for many centuries through offerings of tobacco into the waters in hopes of safe passage and as a sign of respect. By what I have read and understand, the Water Panther is not a malevolent entity, no more so than nature is malevolent. Indeed, some days the weather and the waves are violent, but never to be considered evil.

I drew my inspiration for this sculpture from a variety of early Woodland Indian sources. I have always loved the Underwater Panthers depicted in quillwork, beadwork and twine-weaving on early Indian pouches. There are also a number of 18th century effigy pipes and ball-headed clubs that depict what may have been intended to represent Underwater Panthers. The universal features that I understand to depict an Underwater Panther are: a cat-like torso, buffalo horns or deer antlers, and an unusually long tail. These features are commonalities shared among many different tribes. There are also charactoristics that are unique to various depictions, such as a "human-like" face and a tail terminating in a fish fin. This effigy is so ancient and shared among so many different tribal groups that many variants are to be expected. This deity is also known as having portions of its body composed of copper. It was thought that the chunks of copper ore found along the shores of the Great Lakes were parts of the Underwater Panther, being pieces of its hair or scales broken off during a battle with a Thunderbird.

My favorite pre-historic image of Mishi Peshu is painted upon the rock cliff along Lake Superior at a place known as Agawa Rock. There are more than a hundred effigies preserved upon this cliff face and they are estimated to be 500 to 3000 years old. Alongside the Underwater Panther painted on the rock are horned snakes. Snakes are often associated with this deity; some of the depictions appear to be a hybrid of the classic Water Panther design combined with the body of a snake. I do not pretend to understand all or even most of the significance of the spirituality of this iconography. What I have learned in this study is but a starting point.

The shape of the tail was suggested to me by the illustration (see top image) rendered by Jean-Baptiste-Louis Franquelin, the first official cartographer in Canada and it dates to the 1670's. Franquelin drew this image based upon the description by the missionary Father Marquette:
"As we were moving along the side of these dreadful rocks - for their height and length - we saw on one of these rocks two monsters painted which at first scared us and on which the bravest sauvage dared not set eyes on for too long. They are as big as a calf, they have horns like deers, a dreadful stare, red eyes, a beard like that of a tiger, the face as something of that of a man, the body covered in scales and a tail so long as to go all around the body going over the head and coming back between the legs ending as a fishtail. The green, the red and the “blackish” are the three colors which make it. These two monsters are so well painted that we cannot believe them to be authored by a sauvage because the best French painters would have a hard time to make them so well and that they are so high on the rock that it is difficult for the painter to reach them. This is roughly the shape of these monsters as we have traced them."

I forged the tail, spine, necklace and claws from solid copper. I find the marriage of copper and burl visually harmonious. Historically, black ash was the species of burl often used by the Great Lakes tribes for making both domestic and spiritual artifacts.

I am not certain that the scalloped design along the back represented spines; it may have been an abstract way to depict the power or energy radiating from the deity. I like to think of this pattern as a representation of water. Many of the tribes surrounding the Great Lakes incorporate this same wave pattern into pipe stems, pipes, pottery, birchbark and engravings.

The silhouette image I included above illustrates the negative space, one of my favorite aspects of this sculpture is the harmonious play of geometry, being almost entirely composed of repeated elliptic curves, spheres and cusps.

My sincere appreciation and thanks to Scott Meachum for his insight and guidance throughout this project as well as his help in drafting this body of text.
I would also like to thank Steve Delisle for his exact French translation of Father Marquette's historic description.