A prominent proletarian

[Gdog]

This is an attempt to attache a pic. of a piece I did awhile back it is sold,and the owner had the wood base,and book added.he owns a development called Raven Wood. the title is "A Prominent Proletarian", I told him of the book and he wanted to add it to the piece in conjunction with the wood. From the wood up is how the piece was originally presented. I read most of the book ,and trust me it gets old, asthetically though I thought it was a nice addition. The material is African Black granite with Emerald Pearl accents,this was my first significant piece.


I've downsized this pic. according to the suggestions of Rubert,thanx Big Guy!

[fritchie]

A nice piece, Gdog. Show us more as you are able. How about a little more detail on the carving and finishing. We don't have many stone carvers here, and I'm sure people would be interested. (Jwebb may be the most experienced who contributes regularly.)

[Gdog]

A nice piece, Gdog. Show us more as you are able. How about a little more detail on the carving and finishing. We don't have many stone carvers here, and I'm sure people would be interested. (Jwebb may be the most experienced who contributes regularly.)


I am grateful fer the good word fritchie, I must confess I've been a human router in the marble and granite industry, 17 yrs. free hand edge profiling. [Big whoop!, trust me] however there has been some serendipity in the situation, I've developed a lot of confidence working with the tools, and what used to take concentration has now become second nature,on the other hand I'm not twenty anymore,and I often find myself in my free time too pooped to pop! after grinding granite all day, it can often be tough to go grind some more. I've been looking in to every other medium ,clay, plaster,I like working clay, and I'll be experimenting with some molds n such,which is why I'm here, I have no problems sharing anything I know about working stone,I'm still learning and have a strong desire fer learning, and it's often through sharing I learn the most! I'll work on some more pics. thanx again!

[jwebb]

Welcome aboard. I work in the Investment Casting industry to make a living, which quickly took all the fun out of casting sculpture, so I now carve stone as sort of an antidote. Maybe bronze casting would be a similar antidote for your stone working job. Actually, I do a bit of welding, still make a few castings, assemble found shapes, carve wood, have made some ferro cement pieces, and am up for any other technique that grabs me, too. It's all like turning from one dish to another in the feast. I've carved some Columbia River basalt, which is a very hard stone, but have not had access to much granite. It seems that most stone carvers gravitate to their own sites, where they dance around their fires and beat their chests, and as Fritchie says, not many are on this one. I'm not sure why.

[Gdog]

Man you hit the button Jwebb, I bet ya in lineal feet I've grinded to California,or better yet Oregon and back [ aint it great] I'm from Pa by the way. I could talk to you all night because I'm fascinated by the casting process! I love stone work also, however it's laborious, no exagiration, and as I mentioned I'm not twenty anymore.

I'm a talker in fact I'll talk yer head off, not that thats a desirable trait, However I have a tendency to spill my guts on just about anything I know, I've given up good fishing spots, techniques, n such. [ I always figure you still gotta do the work Hoss!] or ya still have to know how to present the bait, I've met a lot of rabbits in my day , I'm a tortoise so to speak, which is alright with me,frustrating at times, however I am enjoying the journey! And if I'm not mistaken the persistent tortoise ultimately Wins! I've got a piece goin in plasticene and I'll probably need some advice.Have you ever tried to share your enthusiasm with somebody who could give two licks about what it is that you do? I'll bet ya have. It'll be great to chat, thanx!

[Gdog]

"A dog in the hunt, don't know he got fleas", ain't it great! :D

[Gdog]

These seem to be better images, thanx!!

[earl farabaugh]

Hey Gdog,
Great job. What are the feet made of? Also, what did you polish the stone with?

[Gdog]

Thanx Earl!! The feet are made of steel rods brazed with brass.
the granite was polished using diamond pads on a disc sander/ hand pads.

[gschnapp]

The second set of photos really show the detail in the work, granite is difficult to work with, awesome job.

Greg

[Merlion]

It is a beautiful bird, and beautifully done with shinny black granite.

But I am very puzzled why is this black raven sculpture called 'a prominent proletarian'. Is there a story behind the title?

[Gdog]

Thanx! Greg, I appreciate the word.

Merlion, you are the first person to ever ask me about the name of this piece. I suppose there was a time when I couldn't wait to be asked that question. , I am a literal granite grinding fool (proletarian for sure). I guess at the time I was Identifying with the Raven. Not a very respected bird, however it does possess a degree of Prominence when it stands alone.

However I've come to the conscious awareness, that "every man in his best state is altogether vanity" . I actually thought the title would stick out as much as the piece at one time, and was puzzled when no one asked. Thank you for asking, after so much time I realize there is no significance about the title at all, nor should there be. " it's not so much our lives that are at stake, it's our perception."

By-the-way Merlion is a bit peculiar. Meaning?

thanx! again Gdog

[Merlion]

Merlion, you are the first person to ever ask me about the name of this piece. ...

By-the-way Merlion is a bit peculiar. Meaning?

Gdog, I was a bit curious and did a Google search. It showed me that the two words 'prominent proletarian' are heavily linked to terms like prominent proletarian revolutionaries, leaders, and thinkers being used to describe Marx, Engels, etc. Of course I can't think of any connection between them and your black raven.

Oh, the search also showed me you won prizes with the raven. Congratulations.

But you are also the first person to ask me about the name Merlion.

It is just the word that crossed my mind when I was keying in the info to join this sculpture.net Forum. It is the name of a sculpture being used as the icon to promote tourism to Singapore. The word combines two words mermaid and lion, as the sculpture shows a mermaid with a lion head. Further details given here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merlion).

Strictly speaking I am not too proud of the artistic merit of this sculpture. But this Forum is such that once a name is chosen, one has to stick to it (unless one wishes to change identity).

[Gdog]

Hi John, looks like we have a discussion here.

I did a little searching myself, and was able to find an acrylic canvas titled "Wagalvladiyv" meaning
most prominent one. I must admit at one time I think I thought I was the first one to put those two words together (funny eh?). I actually thought the same thing about another piece I titled "Bootless Fury". Strange thing perception. It can become borderline delusional ( just watch an episode of American Idol ). Very prevalent in the art world ( delusion that is).

I've visited your site by-the-way, and intend to go back and take a more thorough look. Very impressive. You are a hard worker!

What used to motivate me doesn't, and it seems I've lost some gumption.
My LORD has redirected my path, and I am content to take my time,and enjoy Life and my family. I do have a few pieces that have been on the burner for quite some time, they're on slow cook.

I appreciate your work and time, thanx again John!
Kindly , john