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Multiple Things Happening In The Studio
The parts of the legs and head have smaller
tubing than the part that runs through
the entire body. This is really a very
incredible armature building that came
with the foam and was provided by
Across the Board. Once the pieces slip
into each other there is a bolt that secures the pieces.
Then we must be sure that they have been
sculpted correctly as they are attached.
plates so that we can weld to these for more
structural support in an armature.
Home Stretch- Crunch Time
It is Tuesday. I’m writing this post from the warehouse. I am ever so thankful that a welder is coming this afternoon after 3:00. Our job- to complete stripes on the back of the head and then take the head and front paw off. To lift the tiger up onto part of the rock and have it ready for the welder to secure it. Then we can put the head and paw back on. Head and paws are heavy and it is hot up at the top of the warehouse . We are all praying for the safety of the tiger and the workers in this part of the process.
The head can not stay on the body for long. It is so hot in the warehouse we are afraid it will melt way up there. Sometimes I wish everyone had an artistic eye and could picture it together even though it is in pieces. Still , I’m excited about seeing all the pieces
Together, or at least most of them. We will not see the entire thing together until the foundry . You must visualize 3′ of height. the tiger climbs higher than we can see in the warehouse. Our goal- l today to take pictures and receive an approval within 24 hours. The problem is… The clay acts differently at 3:00 then at 6 a.m . So moving things must be coordinated with the coolness of the clay.
Onward!
Making The Rest Of The Tiger
cover the foam with a foundry wax
We have only been in the warehouse for less than a week and we are really making some progress. Here is an update on what is happening.
all of the wax and clay on the torso. Now to put in detail.
and clay. About 3-4 brushed on layers are applied
to get the feeling back in my fingers. Here is the kicker-after we raised the tiger, I didn’t like what we sculpted upside down and did it all over again!
and lower it as needed.
We have sculpted everything in pieces now lets make it look like one piece!
So glad that the head and arm come off easily.
A Progress And Weather Report- We Are Racing And Worrying About Warm Weather
I’m paying close attention to the weather report these days. In Houston it is always hotter than it appears in the weather report. Some say that is because of our humidity. I must tell you, being in a metal warehouse with no AC it is even hotter. Yesterday, as we worked on the clay, we did not even need a torch to make it malleable That makes me a bit worried. I’m glad the tiger is swinging from the winch instead of up in the hottest part of the warehouse. This will soon change. We need to put the tiger back up for approval. We are working diligently to get an approval of the sculpture as soon as possible. Once it is up in the air it is best if it does not have to stay there long. We hope to have approval this week. Then we can take apart the pieces and bring some of them back to my air conditioned studio to get them ready for the foundry.
See the photographs for a recap of what we have done this last week.
we had to work on scaffolding to reach the
shoulders. And remember we are not using the
first 3 feet of the rock.
Our goal this week:
1. To finish the stripes- Monday
2. To put the sculpted tiger back on the rocks- Tuesday
3. To secure the lower armature – Tuesday
4. Check over all details-Monday- Tuesday
5. Take pictures and receive approval for the next step. Wed- Friday.
at the taking of this picture. I was wondering… I’m in a metal
building, on a metal scaffolding
holding a metal hoist, this can’t be smart.
the armature for the sculpture. There is a lot of weight.
winds and the jet stream. It is not. It is to help the interns
know how the hair grows. The clay will be put on using
these directions.
Raising The Tiger
The winch is in place and takes little effort to raise such a massive structure. There is, however, a balancing act. We have decided for both the safety of myself and the interns not to put the tiger on all of the rocks while working on it. You can see by the digital sketch there is a good 3 feet of rock that we have from the bottom of the lowest foot to the bottom of the sculpture. This has already been sculpted and the sections come apart so that we don’t have to raise the tiger on the entire rock to sculpt it. Instead, the lowest foot will rest on a rolling base while we sculpt. The other two paws will be put on the individual rocks they go with. The lower portion of rock will be added at the foundry.
is sitting on a ledge that is about 3′ off of the ground.
This ledge is not. under the
cat at the warehouse but off to the side.
We are doing this for a couple of reasons. One is the safety of being so high when we are working on a piece. The other is that is much hotter at the top of the warehouse than it is on the ground. This clay will melt at a higher temperature and so we are opting for this solution. Actually, I have to commend my vendor who milled my design in foam. It was a good solution to a problem I had not anticipated.
finishing of the sculpting.
Installation Of Dallas Baptist Sculpture
How wonderful to receive this email from Dallas Baptist University executive Vice president Blair Blackburn. Glad to see it now has a name “Called to Pray.” I really enjoyed this piece. Prayer has always been important in my life and it was a blessing to be able to put that in a sculpture.
Stay tuned to how you can purchase a small replica of this statue. We are working on that now.
Bridgette,
Thank you for your faithful dedication to complete the “Called to Pray” sculpture for Dallas Baptist University. We are grateful to God for your partnership to advance the Christ-centered mission of DBU as we seek to transform the lives of our students as servant leaders.
On April 6, we celebrated the 25th Anniversary of Dr. Gary Cook as President of DBU. We have enjoyed this wonderful milestone in Dr. Cook’s presidency and in the life of the University. I want to share with you the pictures of the “Called to Pray” sculpture as it is currently mounted in the garden and will be for years to come.
Bridgette, the students marveled at the new “Called to Pray” statue dedicated in Dr. Cook’s honor as they entered the sanctuary for Dr. Cook’s 25th Anniversary Chapel Service on April 8. We are so grateful to you for your creative talents, led by the Holy Spirit, to craft this sculpture for the DBU Family. The “Called to Pray” statue will stand as a tribute to Dr. Cook’s legacy as a spiritual leader, but more importantly, this symbol will serve to remind all of us to be on our knees, submitting to the Father’s will and seeking His direction for our lives.
We enjoyed working with you on this special project. Thank you so much for diligently working with your team to accomplish this task in a remarkable amount of time.
Bridgette, your investment will forever shape the generations of students to come to study and to be transformed on University Hill. May the Lord abundantly bless you as you serve Him through your time, talents, and relationships.
Sincerely,
Blair Blackburn
I have moved on to a new project that is as consuming, if not more so than “Called to Pray” . Having this e-mail come in today really raised my spirits as my head is spinning with the new project and raising a 13 1/2 foot tiger in a warehouse space. Here is the project blog on the Grambling State University Tiger project, for those who are interested in following along with my work.
Moving The Tiger
Well we have moved the entire studio. The cat was muzzled and all of the sculpted pieces wrapped. Remember we have to move, not only the pieces, but an entire studio to another location. Our reason for this is to be able to lift the tiger on a wench and put it together. We still have not sculpted the torso and we need to see how all of the pieces go together. If all goes well we will only be in the new space a short amount of time. Grambling has been notified that we expect that the final approval will take place in the next 3 weeks. Then the tiger must go through the bronze process.
everything into the space. But then we had to come back in
and get things organized.
the floors and our different work areas set up.
We Are Moving The Beast!
Here we are at the first of May and we have the following sculpted:
1. A very large rock
2. 4 incredibly large paws and legs, with tiger stripes
3. 1 large tail- with tiger stripes
4. 1 large head growling- with tiger stripes
to give us a bit more space when sculpting pieces. It will
be nice to uncover it again. We will however, miss eating
lunch at the pond. Instead we will be eating in a dark
warehouse.
The only thing left is for us to put the pieces together and carve and sculpt the torso of the tiger. This means we need 13 1/2+ foot clearance, which we do not have in my studio. So, we are moving. Yes, Sunday morning we will be hauling sculpted paws, rocks, tail and heading to another location and assembling them in the warehouse.
1/2 of the torso. it got wedged between a tree and a waterfall.
Waiting for male interns to come rescue us from the situation.
This may be a foam armature, but the reinforcement inside is
making it very, heavy.
This is a little unnerving as I don’t want to harm any of the work that we have already done, but it is also a part of the process.
We will miss the atmosphere of my studio. We love to have lunch at the pond with the turtles, instead we will be in the belly of a large, non air conditioned warehouse space, with no windows.
We are motivated to finish this last part quickly as there is no air conditioning in the warehouse, and we are in Texas, and it does get hot, and my clay melts! So the clock is ticking. The final countdown begins.
The hoist has been installed in the new/old warehouse space. I am happy to report no one was injured hanging this hoist 20 feet in the air. I have had nightmares about this part. I must say, when looking up at how high this sculpture is going to stand I say the same thing over and over, “That is a really big cat!”
in the warehouse. We are
lifting the tiger next week!
I’ll be sure to post some pictures.
Moving
One of my interns and I tried moving the back end of the tiger foam, and well… it is very heavy and we are waiting for ( male ) assistance as we now have it wedged between a tree and a waterfall. This rear end is headed to a welder to modify the armature. Then it will be brought to the new location with the rest of the pieces on Sunday.
Our goal is to get the sculpting done and the sculpture approved in 3-4 weeks, or less. Remember we are motivated by working in the heat. Then we will take the sculpture apart and send it through the foundry process.
This is the tiger mascot created for Grambling State University. This entire process can be found on this blog by searching the category Grambling Tiger. You may also visit the process blog created for this project at http://gramblingtiger.blogspot.com/
STUDENT, TEACHER AND ALUMNI CHALLENGE
While visiting the Houston Alumni group I was able to hear their song and some of their cheers. Boy, when we are working late nights in the studio, being able to listen to a cheer would be just the thing to get us into that tiger mode. So here is your challenge. Shoot a creative video of yourself or a group doing a cheer and send it to us so we can listen and post it on the blog. Be creative. Show us something that depicts your school spirit and help to make this tiger roar.
Spending Time On The Head And Paws
behind the Tiger?
We have lots of paws and legs around the studio. I’m alternating from head to paws. Here is the progress from the last few days.
