Process: Armature for Doves

Around late September I was approached by ECU sculpture undergraduate Trey Martin about working on his monument sculpture project. This was a commission through ECU for a sculpture student to propose a model, win the bid through a voting process, and build the monument in about a year. Trey's model won this competition and he has been working on it ever since.  I was brought in to enlarge "the doves" portion of the sculpture. Although I was already teaching a full load of classes at the local community college as well as getting a gallery/studio off the ground, taking this commission on would be an opportunity I couldn't refuse.

My Twitter and Instagram followers have been getting some process shots of this occasionally, but I figure I should post some to this blog, too. This post will feature photos of the armature.

Broken Circle with Doves by Trey Martin

Dove 1 begins

Dove 1

Dove 1 built up and attached to a stand.

Dove 1 looking good. My buddy Matt Amante using DirtyLam's special spray booth.

Dove 2 begins

Dove 1 outside while I weld Dove 2

Dove 2 welded onto Dove 1. Thanks Billingsley for the handmedown overalls.

Its a bit hard to photograph this, because it is see-through.

All three together.

Trey Martin comes by to give me the thumbs up.

Random notes:

- Its around this time that I got the Regional Artist Project Grant through Pitt County Arts Council to help purchase a welder. So I was riding high on that humble achievement.

- At this point in the process, I really enjoyed making a sculpture using 1/2" round bar. Just as an armature, this makes a pretty strong sculpture. Might have to more like it.

 -  This was welded in between teaching Art History Survey I and II. It is very satisfying teaching art and doing art. 

- oh yeah, I forgot that I know how to do this more than teaching.