Progress on the Sphinx has been slow, and somewhat painful. I added a lot more cardboard to create the underlayer of “skin”, in order to rough in the shape I want. Over the cardboard I have almost finished a layer of wire mesh that will hold and reinforce the cement outer layers.

The wire mesh layer is pieced together from various scraps and the new shapes cut from larger pieces. The process of wiring the sections of mesh together is physically painful. I cannot work in leather gloves, so I end up with many small cuts and abrasions, and it it difficult to connect pieces tightly. This is just not much fun, so I work only a an hour or two at a time, and now I am taking a two week break to recuperate from minor surgery. I can get back to this in another week, and look forward to the next phase: cement!\

It will be good to resume work and make some real progress on the Sphinx soon. In the meantime I am managing some artwork that is less intimidating & tricky.

It is summer, so it is yard art time! And I have been dwelling on ancient Egyptian art and Egyptian mythology. My effort to make a Horus stylized falcon was derailed by my own incompetence. But another Egyptian concept appeals to me. A few days ago I saw that an old Styrofoam and plaster head could easily be recycled, and my new art project was born. I decided it is time for a Sphinx, with this head serving as part of the armature. I will transform it into something more durable.

OK, I understand that the famous “Sphinx” of Giza may not be a Sphinx at all. As best I understand, the name Sphinx originated with the Greeks, many centuries after the carved stone creature of the Egyptian desert. The Egyptian “Sphinx” that we think of was cut in situ from “living” stone, probably over many years, and probably commemorates a god as embodied in a specific pharaoh. It is considered to have a male head, and to wear the traditional headdress (menes) and the cobra (uraeus) of the pharaohs.

The ancient Greeks described the Sphinx as a single fantastic winged creature with the body of a lion and the head of a woman. The Sphinx was presumably a creature to avoid! However I model my new artwork on the ancient Egyptian stone stature in Giza, so no wings. I still say that it is time for a Sphinx!

Now is the time for an Egyptian Sphinx in my yard. And it is time to work larger. My Sphinx will be 4-5′ long and about 2.5′ high at the head. The plan is for ferrocement, once the initial cardboard armature is complete I will wrap this with wire mesh. It will be large and heavy!

https://www.wonders-of-the-world.net/Pyramids-of-Egypt/Great-Sphinx.php

I am something of a birder: I own and use binoculars, I have the Audubon App and the Merlin App on my phone. I put out modest servings of birdseed and peanuts in my yard every morning, and I welcome my regular bird visitors. So it has been suggested that I focus on birds in my artwork.

While I have completed a few birds in my work, this has not generally interested me. I carved and cast my little fat baby bird, and have a few drawings & collages featuring birds on their nest. And I did complete a small sculpture based on these. This felt like enough until I decided to try combining my interest in things Egyptian (mostly ancient Egyptian) with my interest in birds. The Egyptian falcon god Horus seemed like a natural choice. So I decided it was time; now let’s make a bird!

This project has not gone well. My goal of a stylized streamlined falcon has been swallowed up by a chunky awkward lopsided hawk. I have attempted to rework this weird heavy set bird too many times, and I think I may just paint it and stop there.

And then what? I really don’t think I can put this bird in my yard! My crows and small birds will just hate it! What on earth was I thinking when I said “Lets make a bird”?

Still working on this bird, however… not sure why! I have added to the legs & tail to create bit more symmetry, and will need to reshape both wings if I want it to look a bit less ridiculous! Tomorrow!

Sometimes artists just want to have fun! And it is that time for me. I am making silly fun things currently! Making my “mocktails” is totally frivolous: and I enjoy this as fine fun summery project. In a new work I embedded translucent beach pebbles in clear epoxy to make a lighted circle. This is an experiment that could lead to a more serious project, one that is just a wisp of concept. Or then again it may not. Instead I may just make several light fixtures, TBD.

Here you see “Stars in Margaritaville”, both sides of my first circle of stones, and “Not your Mother’s Manhattan”. Fun?

I think I am reacting to the artworks that I completed earlier this year. Making art can be difficult, and sometimes artists just want to have fun.

This year I completed two difficult projects, and it is a relief to be finished with them. These were wonderful but also painful to produce. The subjects of the artworks are disturbing, the topics uncomfortable to consider. I worked with new techniques, and I followed so many steps requiring care and attention. Both pieces are actually triptychs: they each have three parts. So in effect I made six artworks, each very time consuming to complete.

Also I don’t know if my two serious triptychs “work”. By “work” I mean that I don’t know if viewers would be attracted by them. Also would viewers understand and consider the topics the works refer to? Or would they be so disturbed by the references that they will just want to look away?

I may never know, because these pieces may never be displayed. I don’t really know how to find a venue. And I don’t try very hard to show my work. I make a little effort, get no results, and give up… sad!

Anyway I know that I was exhausted and emotionally drained. Now I just want to have fun!

The final panel of this three part work is startng to come together! My third panel, Oceans Rising for The Struggle to Rise triptych, now has a theme and a plan for how I will finish the base panel. My “beach babe” cyborg figure will soon have a home base.

I have chosen a different primary image to apply to the panel, but I will use the same concept and parts that I was already playing with: ocean shoreline, wire waves, pieces of glass, etc.

The new primary image is of sky, a house and phone lines reflected in a murky puddle. This image is soft and vague, so the figure will be the main focus of the work, and the interpretation of the imagery does not hit you all in a single glance. Instead the viewer needs to take a little time to explore and recognize all the parts in order to fully understand the story.