Seoul — one day in Insadong

Insadong is always interesting — this was Sunday, October 3, 2010

“Please Comfort Me”

Insadong — this girl held this “Please Comfort Me” sign as people walked by and a few stopped to hug her.  Then she slowly, somberly proceeded through the crowd….

My stone

This is not my stone……

 

my stone — bringing it down from the quarry above

shaping the stone — this stone is very hard and must be carved with water…

Arrival at Boryeong

In Korea for the Boryeong Black Sandstone Sculpture Project

September 6 – October 6, 2010

Participants:

Giorgie Cpajak, Serbia/Italy  **  Liu Yang, China  **  Carole Turner, U.S.A.  **  Salah Hamad, Egypt

Park Soo Kwang, Korea  **  Choe So Dong, Korea  **  Kim Tae Jung, Korea  **  Eo Ho Sun, Korea

 

The view from our hotel:

Entrance to Bochang Company

 

Entering Bochang

 

Stones everywhere!

We all searched for stones — here and in the quarry above

Beautiful view from our hilltop work site

Still looking for stones

The road leading up to the quarry

Jindo “guard” dogs

Truck wash — many trucks everyday left with loads from the quarry — each one stopped here as they exited and water jets automatically washed the underside of the trucks

Always happy with my morning travel “cup” of coffee as we left for work site

 

International & U.S. Projects updated

Thanks to Monica at Giddyupdesign.com for updating the  “International & U.S. Projects” page of  TurnerStudio.com !!  Now when you click on a photo it opens a larger image with information.

http://www.TurnerStudio.com

While the Cat’s Away……… Potato Mouse !

It seems that while I was away for several months last summer/fall, a lone potato hid in my cupboard until it  morphed into a mouse!   I’ve certainly had a potato or two shrivel into something ancient looking in the past, but this one grew a full hairdo !   A quick roll  of clay for a tail and voila!

New Pic of “Old” Sculpture — in Poland

“Lullabye Polonaise” by Carole Turner

This is an “oldie” — a marble sculpture I carved in 2006 in Opole, Poland.   But I just received this photo by Piotr Dziedzic of the sculpture installed.  I need to visit Opole again…. such a charming place…..

Casting bronze in Mexico.. unsuccessfully this time

Attempting again to cast “Haven” in Puerto Vallarta.  Last time there was a serious problem with pitting and problems around the head.  Suspect related to gases, heat and contaminants, but Hector ordered a magic powder from Guadalajara that was to alleviate or mitigate the problem (skeptical) and they were to use a different gating system, allowing for venting from the bottom up.  When I saw this sprued wax I didn’t even know what was happening…  tiny pour cup (“no problem”) and too small gates coming from it (“no problem”) and not sure what was going on around the head and shoulder — although they did attach some vents from this area at the end….

here is the “burn out oven” — I am seeing some problems already…

uh oh.  plaster obviously did not set up long enough and cracking and… look at that tiny pour cup …. and you can’t see it but the core looked not right hrough the hole.  And upon questioning, turns out that the burn out did not take place with the pour cup at the bottom!!  “No problem” — that big gate off the head?  that was where wax exited!?  and it burned out the top too, I was told ?!  really?  and how is the bronze not going to exit out the same hole at the bottom?  A plaster cork had been inserted.  Oh.  Too late.. let’s go…

Wrapped and sand secured.  The pink things are the plates that cover the bottom of the sculpture.  Nice finishing touch.  Better than our Bondo….

Meanwhile, time to melt some bronze… well, a lot of copper and some other stuff….

Copper and other stuff melting ….

That is some hot bronze… very clear with floaty stuff… I was the scraper during the pour….

ayiyiyi…  I was re-thinking my decision to wear my lime green Crocs…

It’s show time!  All seemed to go well but….

… the top of the head didn’t fill, the globe she is holding didn’t fill — the core had slipped substantially, leaving no space for bronze at the bottom (the head) and same problem at the globe.  The top of the pour (the bottom of the sculpture) was very thick and heavy due to the large void left for the bronze when the core slipped.  Too heavy — with this technique needs serious core rods to keep core in place….

Luis worked for hours welding, etc. to try to fix it, but, of course, it could not be salvaged.  This is a start up foundry and I may be willing to continue to cast small pieces there as they basically turn out fine but not going through this exercise again with big, smooth pieces  — took the mold north and casting in Oregon, with ceramic shell and controlled conditions.

New smaller version of “Memoria” (Memoire)

In May I carved a new, smaller version of “Memoria” (Memoire), the sculpture I carved in larger form for the Puerto Vallarta International Sculpture Symposium (PVISS).  The larger version was acquired by the Peter Gray Museum in February and is on display on the Museum’s grounds.  This new version is 28″ x 12″ x 12″ (70 x 30 x 30 cm) and is carved of the same cantera limestone.

Coco, of Coco’s Kitchen, generously hosted the opening dinner for PVISS and I promised her a sculpture for the restaurant’s courtyard.  It is also for sale….

“Memoria” (Memoire) in smaller scale

Beautiful Garza Blanca

A few photos from Garza Blanca Resort and Spa in Puerto Vallarta… all from the infinity pool where we were actually having a meeting (really!) re PVISS 2011 — beautiful views of the Pacific Ocean, Los Arcos, Puerto Vallarta in the distance — a very special place….