Early Winter Studio Update

After a successful fall show in October I am settling into my studio and working on a number of new commissions. The first project I have embarked on is a dining room pedestal table that emulates a cluster of Stag Horn Coral. This is an exclusive piece that was commissioned by a client in Los Angeles. Continuing with the table theme I am in the final stages of completing a new giant octopus sculpture that supports either a round or square coffee table top. The coffee table is expected to be completed by early January and will be on display at the Shell Aero Centre at the Victoria International Airport.  

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I am also working on a life-size sculpture of a mountain lion that is posed in a lying position with a slight flick to the tail. This piece will be cast in bronze this December.     

 This winter I will be sculpting a commissioned life sized White Sided Dolphin that will be installed at the entrance to the Nimmo Bay Wilderness Resort.

My next scheduled show  is on April 6 and 7th at the Pacific Brant Carving and Art Show in Sidney BC. Followed by the Saanich Peninisula Studio Tour on June 9 and 10th.  Visitors to the studio are always welcome, just phone in advance to make arrangements.

The recently completed Pacific Octopus sculpture shown above is 13 x 10  x 3 inches and is the first in an Edition of 25.  The Giant Octopus designed as a coffee table is shown below in painted wax. 

Fall 2012 Update

This is a picture of the White Sturgeon Sculpture that was commissioned by the Shaw Ocean Marine Centre in Sidney BC. The bronze sculpture is 6 feet long and it has been mounted on a piece of maple driftwood. The sculpture will be used as part of the Centres’ public education program bringing attention to this mysterious and ancient fish that plies the waters of the Salish Sea and the Fraser River. The sculpture will be on permanent display in the main atrium of the Shaw Ocean Marine Centre. The sculpture was created as an Edition of 3.

New Octopus Sculpture

My next major project that I plan to have completed by late October is a new Octopus Sculpture designed as a coffee table support. This piece will be on display at the Pier Hotel in Sidney in November and then at the Shell Aero Centre at the Victoria International Airport.

Fall Studio Tour

I will be participating in the Fall Studio Tour organized by the Saanich Peninsula Community Arts Council this October 20 and 21. My studio will be open from 10 am to 5 pm on Saturday and Sunday. There will be a large selection of completed bronze works on display as well a s number of new works in progress.  Refreshments will be served.

August 2012 Update

My sculpture of a British Bulldog riding a skateboard – “Board Dog” – has now been installed along the Sidney Art Walk in Sidney BC. Check the Art Walk next time you are in Sidney, there are some great sculptures on display. Twelve artists were selected by the Town of Sidney for the first phase of the Art Walk Project. All works displayed are available for purchase.

Early Summer 2012 Update

This is a picture of my entry into the 2012 Kingsbrae Garden Sculpture Competition in St Andrews New Brunswick. The sculpture garden show opens  on June 14.

“Toadstool” 

Toadstool was inspired by my love of the spring and the fall seasons. The spring chorus of frogs and the arrival of fall mushrooms are touchstones for me and I wanted to celebrate these events in a sculpture. I also wanted to create something that was fun, a little whimsical and magical, and perhaps able to bring a smile to a garden visitor. 

The sculpture was done as an Edition of 3. The bronze sculpture weighs approximately 280 pounds.

Saanich Peninsula Studio Tour

The Spring Tour is on Saturday and Sunday June 9th and 10th. My studio will be open from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm each day. Come for cookies and a beverage and see the latest projects as works in progress: Grizzly Bear – New Coffee Tables – New Octopus Table – “Boarddog” (Bulldog skateboarder) and a large White Sturgeon Sculpture that will be going into the Shaw Ocean Marine Centre in Sidney this summer. There will also be a large collection of completed bronzes on display.

Spring 2012 – Update

New Octopus Coffee Table

I am very excited about this project which is nearing completion.  Another octopus sculpture, and once again I have it fashioned as a coffee table. This is my 7th octopus sculpture and each time they evolve as I discover more about the creatures and the technical aspects required in molding and creating these sculptures.  This sculpture was inspired by some images we captured last summer during a halibut fishing trip while up at Nimmo Bay Resort. We didn’t catch any halibut, but we did catch a magnificent octopus and when we released it floated through the crystal clear water column as it descended back to the depths. It was amazing. The image left a vivid impression with me and I have been working on this piece over the winter.

I have constructed this one using a new method where the sucker detail is cast separately and then added to the body of the octopus during the wax casting stage. This has allowed me to capture a far greater level of detail in the suckers. And for those of you who are wondering, there are a total of 780 suckers on my sculpture.  The table design is such that the supporting sculpture base can be reversed with the suckers facing up and the head down or the other way around – two tables in one. 

This will be a very unique and distinctive piece. The glass table top can be cut as an oval or square and can be etched with a marine pattern selected in concert with the clients desires.

I expect to have it finished and on display at the Shell Aero Centre at the Victoria International Airport in June 2012.     

Drift Wood and Bronze – Coffee Tables

With a recent commission for a unique coffee table, we have spend lots of time beach combing these days looking for interesting pieces of weathered drift wood that can be fashioned into table pedestals.  A pair of bronze steelhead trout will be mounted into the wooden pedestals on each table and they will be finished off with an etched maple leaf pattern on the glass tops.  

Selwyn Lodge – Northern Saskatchewan

This year I am displaying one of my new sculptures of the Northern Pike at Selwyn Lodge in Northern Saskatchewan. I am also creating a new bronze sculpture of a walleye that I hope to have completed by the fall of this year.

Nimmo Bay Resort

This year I will be displaying several new works in each of the guest accommodations rooms at Nimmo Bay Wilderness Resort.

Kingsbrae Garden Sculpture Competition – St Andrews New Brunswick

The giant mushroom with a sitting toad – Toad stool – is almost ready for shipping out to the Kingsbrae Garden Sculpture competition with an opening event on June 16. We are hoping it will be well received as it is a long costly way for shipping. Check out Kingsbrae Botanical Gardens at www.kingsbrae.com.

Upcoming Shows and Displays

I will once again be participating in the Saanich Penninsula Arts Council Spring Studio Tour on June 9 and 10th.  There will be demonstrations on sculpting and mold making as well as a large display of new bronze works and several in progress projects. Refreshments and cookies will be served.   

Throughout the summer selected pieces will also be on display at the Shell Aero Centre at Victoria International Airport and The Pier Hotel lobby in Sidney BC.

Personal Note

On a personal note we have some made some changes around the house and studio this year. My wife Jutta has folded up her gardening business to focus on our newly expanded family and work in the studio doing much of the mold making and wax casting work as well as helping out with shows and marketing. We also did our first a joint sculpture project creating the giant mushroom sculpture last year.