Abstract Flower

Sorry for the delay in posting the progress of the abstract flower. I've been preoccupied stripping wallpaper for the last 3 days. You may or may not have recognised that I have decided that this is going to be an abstract flower. As I am focused on producing souvenir artwork for international visitors to NZ the design will also reflect that in it's title once completed. (The timber is also native to NZ, Totara).

Due to not have done the scalloped effect I am trying to create here, you can see that I still have quite a bit of work to do just on these two. The top scallop needs to have more curvature, which, once I started the 2nd one began to become clearer as to how to accomplish this, I can now work with more confidence in reproducing each segment.

A slow weekend

I spent yesterday stripping wallpaper in the dining room and will start again tomorrow night. Today I spent most of my time sanding my recent wood carving. It's such a slow process. I suppose as long as I take my time and keep in mind what I hope it will turn out like it should be enough motivation to keep me going. I hope to have some new photo's to show tomorrow.

Flower

I've finally rounded the outside. I used my belt sander and although I don't like machinery I'm a bit surprised it's turned out the way it has. I'm going to further alter the inside pattern but you won't notice it when I do as it is subtle. It still has a pinwheel look to it but that will change soon. I intend to do quite a bit of sanding over the weekend before I start carving some detail. I'm still thinking of the idea that this will be a contemporary abstract flower

New carving

Still lost on a title I thought this resembles a flower in an abstracted kind of way. It might not seem like that to anyone else but don't forget I have seen the sketch so know what it will look like. One other thing. Although the carving seems like a scalloped windmill, only two of the fin like shapes are higher than the others which are recessed. So sometimes the camera does lie or is an illusion an exception.

Dip(honours)Art

Yesterday I sent in my last folder for my Diploma (honours) in Art. I look forward to the last lot of comments from my mentor. It has been a long arduous journey this time around. It will be good to relax and focus on some free time to do nothing. I have enjoyed myself,  don't get me wrong, my break will still involve art, just at a slower pace. I've got plenty of projects to keep me busy for a good six months and will take what I have learned and put it into practice.
I think it's time for a coffee.

Unity

This is my 2nd design. I'm not sure what wood it is. I love the way Maori art has some spiritual sense about it. Although I'm not that knowledgeable about specific meanings I do think about the designs I do. To me this carving interprets a family uniting. Almost like a spiritual energy unting a family.

Walnut carving

This piece is for my mate. She loves elephants and butterflies so I combined them both into one image. I did have help from GOOGLE search engine,lol. The wood is Walnut. I haven't carved walnut before Even though the sketch is done I won't be carving it for another fortnight due to a busy schedule.

Cookbook illustration

Here are a couple of the illustrations I did for a cookbook. All up I completed 13 illustrations. These are the rough designs before they are placed on blackboards in the cookbook. I will upload some approved images once I hear back from the company that hired me.

So here is my reproduction of Picasso's Head of a Woman sculpture. It's been really hard to paint ummmmmmm.....like a child.  A commissioned artwork. I'm waiting for a reply to see if it's what he is looking for.

Latest sketch

My latest sketch for my sister. She has always loved the moon and decorative gates. I was a bit too hesitant to do too fancy a gate. An old styles street light sits to the right with a single stemmed rose to give a sense of romanticism.

Unframed.

Sculpture Commission

Well, I've been asked to reproduce a sculpture from one of Picasso's works. I have been given the image and dimensions. I spent today mapping out the design onto marine plywood. As the reference images I had were  one dimensional I chose to make a 1-1 scale of the sculpture from polystyrene to make sure I understood how it all went together. Finally I had made some decisions that lessened the possibility of messing up. Like a jigsaw puzzle it all fitted together nicely. Tomorrow (weather permitting), I shall cut out the shapes with my jigsaw and apply a sealant/undercoat. The approximate height of the said sculpture will be 700-750mm. I will keep you updated as I progress.