Posts Tagged ‘garden’
Introducing A New Look on April 16
Friday, April 8th, 2011
We’ve been working hard to develop a new patina for my designs. We will be introducing the new look at my Spring artist signing on April 16. I think the new patina highlights the details in each of my pieces. In the past directional lighting was crucial for detail to “pop”, but with this new finish the sculpture comes to life in any environment. We posted some images of the new patina on our Facebook wall and received an amazing number of positive comments. People that have enjoyed the content of my plaques are now blown away as they discover all of the subtle details I include. I’m pleased with the dimension the new patina adds to my designs.
If you look at my sculptures, they almost have a children’s book quality. Every piece has a little story going on. Look closely for added details. Insects, tiny flowers, tiny objects and most of all, eye contact and body language. With all of these subtle images, most people are drawn into the scene by something THEY can relate to. I’m not choosing an audience. I’m piecing together images that tell a story. Sort of a snapshot, or starting point. Now it is up to the audience to dig into their memory bank and imagine what the rest of the story might be.
What do I hope to communicate? My goal is to share stories and images that make me smile. As I said earlier, my sculptures have a storybook quality to them. The viewer can observe all of the subtle clues sculpted into a scene, and feel as though they can relate to what is happening. It reminds them of something they might have seen or experienced. I’m sure you noticed that animals, nature and folklore are the themes that turn up in most of my sculptures. I guess I’m still a small child at heart…in awe of nature.
I’d love to invite you to join us for the artist signing. The event will be held at Garden Smiles, in Waterville, from 10:00 AM-5:00 PM on April 16. Call 419-878-5412 or click here for more information or to get directions to Garden Smiles. Hope to see you there!
Tags: American made, art, artist signing, Carruth Studio, garden, Garden Smiles, George Carruth, gifts, home decor
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Stone Carving of Saint Clare: the process continues…
Tuesday, July 13th, 2010
I’m working on a stone carving of Saint Clare of Assisi for a memorial garden. We have been documenting the project in order to share it with you since many of you are unfamiliar with stone carving. I started as a stone carver but now spend most of my time sculpting whimsical designs for the garden art we sell through Carruth Studio and our retail gallery, Garden Smiles.
It’s great to be carving again.
George Carruth making a hand tool for stone carving
A word about the tools I use during the carving process. I use a variety of tools including electric saws, pneumatic drills and hammers and many different types of hand tools. I tend to manufacture some of my hand tools because I have specific requirements for them.
After the stone has been prepared for carving, the next step is to develop a rough sketch of the carving. I use the sketch to think through which elements of the design must be carved first. As I carve back different things have to be carved out at different levels. For example the first thing that may need to be carved is the nose or the hand, which in this piece is stretched far away from the body. The sketch helps me clarify the spatial relationship of each element in the design and where it comes into play. After I have finalized the sketch I transfer it onto the stone.
George Carruth traces the sketch onto the stone.
At this point I begin to slowly take away the surface using pneumatic and hand tools. This step is usually a little unsettling because I’m trying to get a handle on how deep to carve. I know it all looks very shallow, but if too much is removed in an area, it totally affects the relationship of how everything else relates in space. Once the stone is removed, there is no magic tool that puts it back. The only option is to make everything deeper into the stone.
This might not sound like a big deal, but depending on how far along the carving has progressed, it all has to be re-sculpted at a deeper depth, face, hands and everything else.
The scene is of Saint Clare holding a monstrance in her right hand with her basilica in the background. As the carving unfolds, I’ll describe exactly what all of the images mean. Remember, this will have a rough medieval appearance. But until then, I’m just trying to put all of the elements in position at the correct depth. Saint Clare’s nose will be a little smaller when completed, but for now, a little extra stone is left on in case I accidentally bump it with a chisel while working on an adjacent area.
That’s all for today, but if you enjoyed this, check back in a few days to see how we are progressing. And again, if you liked this post please share it with your friends and networks. If you’d like to learn more about our company, visit our website or join us on Facebook and Twitter.
Thanks.
Tags: arts, Carruth Studio, carving, chisel, garden, garden art, Garden Smiles, George Carruth, hand tools, memorial, memorial gardens, plastic arts, saint, saint clare, saints, Sculptor George Carruth, sculpture, stone carver, stone carving, stones, the process, visual arts
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