Wall sculpture of 14th century knight on a horse

I posted about this as a work in progress over a week ago, and finally finished it and was able to photograph it today. It's based on a stone carving of a knight on a horse from the 14th century. Mine is done in hydrostone and painted in acrylics to look like weathered stone.



It measures just over 6" x 6". Watch for these to be offered on my web site and in my etsy store.

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Wall sculpture of 11th c. knights

I finished another piece which I posted about last week. This one depicts a pair of 11th century knights on a horse, and is based on a seal from 1168. Mine is done in hydrostone as a wall plaque, and is about 4-1/2" across:


Because images of the actual historical example in books are copyrighted, I cannot include an image, but there is a picture of the original seal online here if you scroll about 1/4 of the way down the page.

Tonight or tomorrow I also hope to finish the 14th century style version of a knight on a horse I've been working on. When that one is finished, I will post a picture of it as well.

Soon I plan to add these to my web site, as well as to my etsy store. :)

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Two sculptures completed!

Yesterday I finished two of the sculptures I had posted about earlier. Both are based on historical pieces, and created in hydrostone painted in acrylics to look like weathered stone. Here is the griffin wall plaque:


This is about 6" wide by about 4-1/4" high.

The other one is based on a 14th century carved ivory mirror back, and depicts two lovers on horseback:


This one is about 4" wide by about 3-1/2" high.

Both of these pieces will soon be available on my web site, as well as in
my etsy store.

I'm still working on two other sculptural wall plaques, and hope to have those finished soon.

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New abstract painting!

I finished this abstract painting the other day, but have been so immersed in sculpting, I forgot to post about it! Maybe I've had pirates on the brain lately, because the title is PIECES OF EIGHT:


Original acrylics on gallery canvas
8" x 10"
This painting is currently available on ebay. Click here to visit my ebay store.

I've been painting a couple of the historical sculptures I posted about earlier. Hopefully I can finish them and get pics of those to share before the weekend.

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More historical themed sculptures

I have been working on another historically based wall sculpture. This one is based on a 14th century bas relief of a knight on a horse. Here it is in progress, with the basic shape roughed in and some of the detailing completed:



I also finished one of the 14th century cat sculptures, which is based on a wood carving from a church:



In case you are reading this and wondering why so much of my work is influenced by the Middle Ages, I actually majored in Medieval English Literature. As a child I had a fascination with this period of history, watching reruns of old movies like Robin Hood, and playing in a friend's barn with a wooden sword. It's funny how some interests stay with us our entire lives.

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Sculptures in progress

I took another pic of the griffin sculpture after I finished detailing it:



Since then, it has received about 8 coats of latex, which means I still have about another 8 coats to go.

I am also working on a wall plaque of two knights on a horse, based on a lead seal from 1168. The design is only roughed in at this stage, so I still have a lot of detailing to do:



The detailing will take me most of the rest of the day, since I still have to carve in all the details and smooth it off. Then it will receive 12-16 coats of latex, and will be ready to be cast in hydrostone after the latex cures for a couple of days. Then the hydrostone gets painted. Although the originals for these were wood and lead respectively, I will probably paint them to look like stone.

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Griffin sculpture- work in progress

I spent the weekend working on this, and I snapped off a pic of it this morning to post (even though it's not finished yet.) This is based on a 14th century wood carving of a griffin. I have the basic shape completed, and am finishing all the details now. Eventually this will be a hydrostone wall plaque, painted to look like stone.



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Artistic ramblings

Someone asked me today how long I've been an artist. This always strikes me as an odd question...I mean, is one an artist from the time one first begins creating? From the time one begins publicly showing one's work? From the time one begins sellings one's work? Or from the time one passes certain artistic milestones, such as winning awards or having solo exhibitions?

I've been showing my work since 1989, and doing art full time since 1992. My mom tells me that I first made efforts to show my work publicly when I was five. This consisted of me deciding that I was going to go sell my paintings and become an artist, and setting up some of my paintings out at the end of the driveway. I don't even know what those paintings were, and since we lived out in the country at the time, it's likely that nobody but my parents (and possibly a couple of curious neighbors) even saw them. But clearly, the signs were there even then that this is the road I would find myself on eventually.

Then there's the question as to how long it took an artist to do a particular painting. I once heard an artist respond that it took her whole life, up to that point. I imagine she said this because artists inevitably must first create works that don't live up to their expectations, which are destined to end up at the back of the closet, before they can create works they are happy with. Even then, for me, it's a constant evolutionary process to create. New techniques, methods, or materials must be played with, then eventually they find their place in the artist's work or are left behind in favor of further experimentation. Looking at the work of some of the great artists in history, one can see how their work, subject matter, style, or choice of materials changed and evolved over time.

I cannot help but wonder, though, if there is some resemblance between the paintings that little five year old girl had at the end of the driveway, and the work I create now. Perhaps there is. Today I was working on a sculpture, and remembered how my mom has a clay sculpture of a bear I made for her when I was about four. It remains in her curio cabinet, where it has resided since I gave it to her. So, I guess in some ways, I've been an artist my whole life too.

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Making sculpture & magnets

I'm still working on doing some designs for a friend of mine who makes jewelry. The designs are based on some 14th century wood carvings. I'm also doing a wall sculpture of a cat based on one of these. I'm still roughing it out in clay, so I don't have a picture to share yet. Once the initial shape is completed, I'll be sure to post a picture!

I've also been doing more magnets. Here are a couple of sets which are created using images from some of my artwork. One is a floral set, and one is a set which incorporates images from some of my abstract paintings:





Both of these, along with lots of other magnets I've made, will be listed in MY ETSY STORE

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blog,weblog,original artwork,wwao, abstract art,sculpture,florals