Tag

I have been tagged by Scott and Eni to talk about a type of work that takes a long time and about the process. The hard part was deciding which type of work I would choose because just about all the work I do takes a very long time to create. Once or twice a year I get commissioned to do one of my 3-d buildings that is a sculpture and a clock. They are very unusual and I have done many shapes and sizes. One of the styles is pretty popular and I think it is the shape, colour and the shutters that appeal because I seem to get more orders for this one. It looks like a flying building and it is whimsical. These buildings are so labourious and I am at the end of this one so I can only show you the ending stage. But it starts out as a blank white sheet of formable foam core. Then I randomly create the shape. I have to fill in all the edges and open seams with modeling paste, it takes hours & hours of filling in the paste, letting it dry then sanding . Just like drywall and spackle in a regular building only this is the mini version. I paint an overall colour and then I spend hours cutting out shutters and painting all the details. My buildings are between 3-5 ft. long and 6 inches wide. I create a room inside that houses the body of the clock.The back of the clock has a hinged door to change the battery and to make time changes. I paint the clients cats, dogs , flowers, books, furniture and pictures in the windows. I pour a two-part polymer resin on each side of the clock that makes it look like shiny candy, sometimes I need to pour more than one coat per side. The resin takes days to cure. It is an enormous undertaking but I enjoy making them in between my drawings, paintings and illustrations. It would be difficult to gauge how many hours go into these clocks but needless to say it is a lot. I stopped trying to figure out by the hour a long time ago because every piece of work that leaves my studio is like a piece of me and I take great pride in making it the best it can possibly be no matter how long it takes. It would be upsettting if you commissioned me and I ran out of time because you paid only X amount of dollars. So when people ask if I make a living at this I smile and say it is my life.

The finished clock is different than the one in my studio. The finished clock is hanging in a restaurant in Topanga called "Roccos". M y artwork has been hanging in this restaurant for over 20 year. It is like my private gallery and people get to enjoy it along wih their Italian meals. The clock in my studio is unfinished it has a coat of resin on the back and is ready for the front to be poured. The finished clock at Roccos is 6 ft. long. I always put a special quote about houses on the back of the clock.

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