Dancing MoraysHello again art lovers and fellow artisans. Once again it was the shape of the rough block of timber that alluded to the shape it desired. I discovered two heads in the wood, and two bodies entwining each other. It is by far the most ambitious project I have attempted and there were no guarrantees that I could accomplish the task. My partner was pleasantly surprised when I explained what I had in mind for the solid lump of Birch that I found. She, being an artist in the field of mosaics, was quite proud of this left brain thinker when she saw the twisting shapes emerging
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ImaginationThere are no limits to what can be produced from a piece of timber as I am finding out on my artistic journey. There are only limits to the imagination if you do not allow yourself full rein, believe in yourself when all others may doubt you. That is a line from my favourite poem, "If" by Rudyard Kipling. It is a credo of sorts that I long to cling to, to aspire to without ever having a chance of fulfilling its challenging ideology.
I saw in my mind what I wanted from this piece, and as I started to whisk away some of the excesses, I began to realise that I could possibly bring it off with some luck and good sense. I say good sense because I am usually one to just get right in there without the stepping back process so essential to a project like this. I used a chainsaw to make several cuts on the block, then used a pinch bar to lever a few chunks out of the way when I could not reach far enough, or did not feel confident of reaching it, with the chainsaw. |
Crucial MomentHaving eked away at the block of wood with the chainsaw for what seemed an age, taken off chunks with a chisel where the chainsaw would not reach, I found myself delaying a crucial moment in the carving; the time when this project could become nothing more than fancy firewood. I had to step back many times, inspecting the block from every angle to determine where the cut should start and at what angle it should be, to separate the two bodies from within the block. It could have ended in total disaster and I held my breath as I plunged the chainsaw through the timber. I had procrastinated the moment so long that my muscles were tiring from extended chainsaw use, I perspired profusely through the safety equipment,(Goggles, earmuffs, dust mask, vibration gloves, etc.), my nerves were jangling as tight as piano wire as I drove the bar home...and through. I breathed a great sigh of relief when I collected the nerve to view the piece from the opposite side. Day one was nearing an end.
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ShapingDay two saw a worn and weary artist struggling with muscle shock to begin the lengthy task of shaping and honing the piece with chisel and rasp. It was a very difficult process due to the proximity of the two major bodies emerging from the wood. I struggled with head shapes and beak-like mouths. There is no right and wrong shape as I found out while researching the subject. A Moray Eel comes in a great variety of shapes and is apt to display infinite permutations of its original shape, therefore, its shape was not crucial to get exactly right. Proportions are the essential element I feel and even then, it is meant to be an artistic representation not a scientific study model. Little advance was evident by the end of day two even though I toiled at it solidly all day. I also employed the 4" grinder with a 40grit sanding disc adding to my muscle shock of the previous day.
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