Large Cement Outdoor Sculpture

I think you should do it and I want to see it.

Following your progress,Mario.
I can understand your fascination with a 'modern' ruin, as a form of expression.....about....a myriad of
thoughts to do with the 'ruins'....life,love,the past,the future, on and on..........very personal and deeply
important...for each of we 'creatives'......keep going.
Hope you've got photos,recording the stages ..... physical, mental... of 'the story'.

Mario,

HOW CAN ANYONE KEEP UP WITH YOUR UNSTOPPABLE DRIVE?

For most people, all they can hope for is a "Linear" progression in their artistic development


NOT YOU, MARIO

Your creativity, goes way beyond "Geometric" progression.

No one can ever predict, what challenge you will take on next.

I'm exhausted thinking about it

I'm doing it Lisa, I have to as I hate leaving any unfinished works lying around. :-)

Viva, I just might set up my camera with the tripod and do a few short videos of me sculpting, that is if I'm having a good hair day, oh wait, I hardly have any hair to worry about. Lol! Yes, I need to take my mind off health concerns and issues and just keep working and sculpting as time permits.

Tomorrow I have a chicken coop to builds for a customer, it's not exactly sculpting but it pays the bills and also keeps my mind off things that are beyond my control.

I will take a few pictures of the cement sculpture if I get a chance tomorrow, I might even try and move it tomorrow after work if I'm up to it and if it hardens enough?. Fingers crossed!

Will keep you posted. :-)

Hey Roger, I was typing as you spoke. Thank you my friend! It just seems that I get caught up in the day to day sometimes of life and it's challenges and feels like art takes a backseat especially when dealing with health scares and issues of recent.

But, somewhere in the back of my mind the creative juices just aren't ready to give in just yet and when I least expect to do anything it just starts to happen. I truly believe the subconscious is at work here at some level. It might just be the simple affirmation I repeat every day and is based on the amazing work of Émile Coué.

State of mind is a very important aspect to life and navigating it's adversities, this much I have learned.

As to the sculpture I am eagerly awaiting it's development, I hope it comes even a little close to what I envision, hopefully it will be a female face but I really can't be sure just yet.

This is in a nutshell why I picked you for the Tony! Love the idea, go for it!!!!

Thank you Ronald! If only the cement dries faster. :-)

Actually it's drying nice but it still needs to harden a lot more before I attempt to lift or move it or it might end up a pile of rubble so I'm going to give it several more days before trying.

Do you have to move it all by yourself or can you get help? Personally there is no way I could move it...perhaps why I am use to the swish swish sound of the brush!

Lol., It's very heavy and and the shape makes it very difficult. I'm thinking I will need to build a braced crate of some kind to support the the weak spots to move it. I will enlist the help of my son and my john deer lawn tractor or try to lift it on to my truck tail gate.

In hindsight I really should have placed the sculpture where I wanted it before starting and that would have eliminated this step of moving it but I got carried away in the moment with wet mushy cement in my hands. :-)

This sounds fun Mario! I can't wait to see a video of it! good idea using chicken wire as a substrate and re-bar for structural integrity. Your sculptures have always been my favorite of your art.

Make it and then break it as performance art -- symbolizing the fugitive nature of youth, life, etc.

Better still, make it, then advertise a party where you invite people to bring sledge hammers to bash it to pieces, and then sell the pieces on Ebay -- I'll let you figure out the angle to start the bidding at rather ridiculously high prices. (^_^)

Hey Drew! Yeah the chicken wire is very versatile and shapes really nice, the re-bar is more of a pain in the neck especially when welding with the flux core welder I have which is slightly under powered for the thickness of re-bar but I managed to get through it eventually. I really have enjoyed all the mediums I have worked with but I always come back to sculpture.

Cement is something I have some experience working with in my home repair business and as a youngster as my father was a master brick layer and I used to work with him and learned about the properties of masonry mixes, yet this is my first attempt at a sculpture.

Robert, I'm looking for a little more longevity to my work these days, something to outlive me and even though performance art might get me a quick fix following it will be to short lived I think. :-).

Robert,

RE: .."Make it and then break it as performance art -"

A Concrete Pinata .

If Mario goes that route, what do you think should be the goodies inside?


Mario,

I know and admire you for wanting to hold on to the tangible.

But maybe we're losing out to the moment, to virtual reality....Where everything is becoming ephemeral.

HOLD ON Mario, I'm with you HOLD ON !!

Roger, yes the tangible is somewhat less complicated,my venturing into the drip art unexpectedly opened a door into a realm of the unknown for me that demanded a lot of thought energy in it's quest to be understood, after much expended energy both physical and mental I can't say I was any closer to understanding the phenomenon.

It was a very interesting journey that had me on my hands and knees under the moon light exploring the images that nature produced late into the night in the series of drip paintings which I played a small part creating.

Yes, I'm ready for the simple tangible and figurative to enjoy rather than the infinite and unknown to contemplate, at least for the moment. :-)

Tame say hey friends Mario, Drew, Ronald[smile].
Tame like big face made of cement. Mario make big cute things.
Ronald say This is in a nutshell why I picked you for the Tony!
Is Mario trapped in a nutshell? Is Mario new name Tony? Tame want Mario out of nutshell so Mario have fresh air.

Mario, I think we are all somewhat amazed at your fearlessness.

Even Lame Fake Tame doesn't know how to process it, much less say it.

This quote keeps coming to me about about you Mario: BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME!

Tame, don't worry Mario have plenty of fresh air and plenty of hot air at times as well. Lol!

Hi Suzanne, Thank you! This made me laugh! "BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME! LOL!!!

Well "The Face" as I will call this sculpture for now has been drying really nice so this afternoon I decided it was time to try and move it. I was not sure how to approach this as I had concerns that it might crack when I tried lifting it.

The good news is it did not crack and I was able to move it to the location where it will rest. I used a hand dolly and it worked just fine. I was able to stand the sculpture and brace it in the position I wanted it.

I was on a roll and everything was going as planned, I formed up a mold for the concrete base I decided on and made a run to home depot for 10 bags of concrete to pour the 4" slab.


It was still light out and I decided what the heck I'll just mix and pour now before it gets dark. So I began mixing the concrete bags 2 at a time in my mixing bin. Everything was going great I mixed over 600 lbs. of concrete by hand and was down to the last bag and just as it was getting dark the power went out, NO LIGHTS! and No more water, so I had to finish the troweling on the concrete using the head lights from my truck as the neighbor hood was pitch black.

So here is the video from today's adventure. After all was said and down the outcome was good and the sculpture will support it's own weight with out braces with the concrete base I poured around it. The metal poles I will remove once the concrete slab hardens.


Finally the light just came back on after 2 hours.

BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME!

Oh Mario, it takes a special man to take on a project like this. My hat is off to you. Nothing else, have fun with it all. Looking forward to seeing your progress.

Thank you Bill! I just went outside to check on it and wouldn't you know it? It's raining, RATS! I scrambled to find a tarp to drape over the freshly poured slab base, actually I was going out there to run a edge trowel to knock off the sharp edge against the form of the base not that critical but I couldn't risk getting a down pour and washing the portland cement from the concretes gravel and marring the surface of the slab.

I just covered it best I could and will have to hope the concrete base set up enough not to let the rain ruin the surface otherwise I will have to pour a hydraulic cement over the slab to smooth out any rain damage. Not using that edge trowel which rounds the top edge of the slab means I will have to be extra careful when I remove the forms to avoid chipping the sharp edge. I am happy I took the extra step to lubricate the wooden form on the inside with WD 40 so that it won't stick as much to the form.

Unexpected power outage and rain that wasn't even in the forecast, unknowns that make the task more challenging and eventually more rewarding as well.

Oh great Mario. I hope that it didn't mess anything up. I suppose such are the trials of a true artist.

I just went out to check on it after a night of rain and it looks good! Can't wait to get home from work today to start trying to make a face emerge.:-)

Tame, nutshells are fairly small and I doubt many people could fit in one. I guess someone could create one that was big enough to fit Mario in but since all I do is swish a brush around that would not be me. Aside from that even if Mario was placed in a nutshell I suspect he would find away out of it fairly quickly!

@Ronald, LOL!

Today the weather was not cooperating so I got a late start on the sculpture after work and after the rain. I removed the forms from the base and the braces and was pleased with how it all came out.. I then drew out the face shape very loosely with some charcoal sticks as a guide to where I have to builds up the facial features with more wire and cement. I also cut out the shape of the ruin face with a rotary tool with diamond tooth blade.

Every thing went well today accept for a piece of wire and cement that flew off as I was cutting it and it wacked me in my face causing a small cut, nothing to serious.

Since I am working on this in my front yard I had a good amount of people stop to watch the work in progress, some were people I knew others were total strangers and some were kids from the neighborhood. The face was well received by all.

Again it was dark when I completed but I managed to take this video.

Mario, I am certain you recognize this piece as most impressioning; a wonderful iconic presence. I can easily envision a growing collection of them - as they morph and take you beyond the experiment. The treatment you have for displaying them is really a plus [in my opinion]. I wonder how many would be too many? I see a series... Great adventure! tdp

Tame say hello friend Suzanne.
Suzanne say Even Lame Fake Tame doesn't know how to process it, much less say it.
Suzanne say nice things to Tame no.
Tame becomes sad[cry].
Friends Mario and Ronald say funny things to Tame[smile]. Tame know what nutshell means no. Tame make universal translator and universal translator work all the time no.
Tame like Marios video too much. Tame see face too. Sometimes Tame see face it slice of toast too. Happy face like Tame see with Marios cement.

Thank you Robert! I sure will post a photo once I give it the patina.

I think I have finally decided on using liquid iron which I will apply by garden sprayer. First I will try it on a sample to see what kind of results I get. I will also test a water based sealer over the patina, I'm thinking a wet look sealer over the patina but again I need to see what it would look like first.

I want a chemical reaction not any kind of paint.

Very cool.

Thank you Jean!

Well today it might not look anything like it did when you last saw it Jean. I just completed mixing my concoction of 17 cooking spices and cuban expresso coffee with beat root extract and with a full gallon of liquid iron sulphate with 5% iron and other minerals and applied it in various combinations and layers to the surface of the sculpture to give it a reactive patina.

Now I wait for the chemical reaction to occur with the portland cement and hope that once it dries I like the results. Fingers crossed!

I will post a photo of the results later today once it dries.

And suddenly something went horribly wrong. Mario watched in horror, as his painstaking artistic efforts melted away into an unexpected acidic blob, with only the nose protruding vertically from the otherwise amoebic, bubbling mass of utter destruction. (^_^)

Let's hope not.

 

Fab, & fun, Mario!   :)

Robert I just woke up from a nap and saw your post, I had to go out running to make sure this wasn't true. Lol!

Thank you Carmen! :-)

Not the color I would have gone for, but still really good.

I would have aimed for something not so orange, probably more toward the gray or gray/green [which I have ZERO clue how to do].

So, hey, everybody's a critic, right?

NICE! I really like it, Mario.

Fearless.
Bravo, Mario.

Robert, I like blue green patina a lot, it's often called verdigris and common with copper and bronze sculpture and occurs naturally over time. I think it's Iron(II) sulfide Fes and is also available as a garden nutrient like iron oxide which I used. I think it can easily be used on concrete or anything with portland cement to achieve the green/blue patina.

I will certainly consider using it on my next sculpture. :-)

*Note, the photograph of the sculpture was enhanced as the sun was right behind me when I took the photo so the color is appearing more orange than it really is, it's more of a brownish olive drab color with hues of natural rust and if you get close enough you can smell the turmeric and cinnamon and other spices I used. Lol!

Thank you Joe! Thank you Mary! I was very pleased with the outcome and so much so that I am in the planning stages for the next one. :-)

Good thing the weather will start to cool soon or it would be a deal breaker in this humid Florida heat.

Wow! Wonderful Art, Mario! You are so creative and talented. You should write a press release for your local news!

I have enjoyed watching you create this, Mario. You are fearless! The color seems a bit bright for my taste, but I think it will age beautifully.

Mario I love it!

Thank you Gaby! Thank you Jim! Thank you Val!

It was very enjoyable creating it and sharing the process with everyone here!

Nice job Mario! I like the color it reminds me of the warm reds of tropical flowers, pink coral, pink flamingos and flaming sunsets in FL. An appropriate color for the semi-tropics.

Thank you Suzanne! I was very pleased with the color and it compliments well with the other outdoor sculptures I have. I'm in the planning stage for the next one, I'm debating steel or cement? The cement is more economical and somewhat more malleable than the steel.

Greetings Mario, this is such a superior piece of sculpture, it looks fantastic!!!!! I have kept up to date of the entire process and enjoyed the start to finish videos!!!! Your choice for the patina is just as you had described it for the final outcome. I was curious how did you finish the back side? Did you smooth out the finish? I recently ran into a long time world renown local sculpture who works in bronzes and other sculpture mediums....he thought your sculpture appeared as a clay sculpture, he viewed the clip of the back side made a suggest to smooth out the back side.

Your sculpture appears as a long lost civilization unearthed by archaeologist has a Hawaiian and America Indian appeal.... Also, I did not see you mention was this on your land, private or city land? Did you need any type of city permit? Your sculpture appears as a long lost Indian Civilization? Appears as a warrior? It also appears as a piece of jewelry to wear around the neck a hammered silver pendent, Your project has inspired me now to create an idea I have come up with to wear around my neck with a rawhide cord, My father worked with wood and created wood carving necklaces and sold them using rawhide cords. I have a few carvings which I inherited from my father and will take a photos to reveal the similar primitive faces he created, similar to your creation.....He was a descent of the Chitamacha Indians which I am a descent as well. They were the first civilization prior to 1700's and settled here in :Louisiana.



Thanks for sharing, great work!!!!

Hello Michael, thank you! I always enjoy your posts they are so uplifting. I smoothed out the back a little especially where my rebarr was slightly exposed and I did apply the patina on the back as well, I got a little lazy there, I may still smooth it out and just spray some more iron oxide when I have some extra cement from future projects. The sculpture faces the street directly in front of the house so nobody sees the backside which is on our property. :-)

Wow, working in bronze is something I have always admired, tell your artist friend. Some day I would like to give it a try.

I live in the unincorporated county and in a semi rural area where there aren't to many restrictions so I did not even inquire about a permit, it's a landscaping element so it should not be a problem, if they should ever give me a hard time I will seek to get a lot of publicity from it. Lol! The sculpture is next to a 20 foot tall PVC horse sculpture, a 15 foot giraffe and my pole man climbing his pyramids. I did have to take pole man off the utility pole I had him climbing and was visited by the director of the electric cooperative because he told me his crews were talking about this artist that was hanging sculptures on the electric utility poles ( that would be me) Lol!

I titled the sculpture Nahum which is a biblical person,a minor prophet who wrote about the end of the Assyrian empire and it's capital city of Nineveh,so I did want the finished sculpture to resemble a ruin from a historical period of time.

Hello Mario, I also wanted to say your patina was also a perfect choice because it also reminded me of red clay. Found all throughout Georgia neighboring state and northern panhandle of Florida red clay pigments.... Good to hear about the permit not needed and in fact it is a landscape element. I have a suggestion for you, take your photos go to the prominent landscape garden centers and you just may have a new business venue, get commissions for others to achieve your sculptures......I do remember hearing about the piece on the ulitity pole or saw a video or still photo you might have posted......

My friend Randy I will show him your finished patina. Randy's work is sought after even Harrah's Casino commissioned his work which he designed for the outside facade of the casino here in New Orleans. He also designed many larger than life statues for Mardi Gras floats. His work is superior and the price tag pretty for the wealthy and museums.....

The name for your sculpture is beautiful adding if you do another attempt for a face, create hollow eyes the morning sun would pierce through the eyes and cast the shadow on the ground as well as a setting sun. As they say the eyes are the windows to the soul, and a sculpture with hollow eyes would then become part of the celestial change solstice of changing seasons.... I noticed the sun was behind you and figured the sculpture was facing east or in a eastern direction.

You could in fact make a mold, using lightweight material to pour into the molds for shipping by the landscape company's to homeowners....

Here is a sculptured piece atop the front of a Mardi Gras float my friend Randy designed for one of the crews, just as your sculpture using the chicken wire and re barb for reinforcement. Float designs and sculptors design hollow frames using two by fours and chicken wire, then layers of canvas, paper then the artist apply the paint with sealers in the event of rain.....here is sculpture figure one my friend Randy design.....the second photo a cement sculpture which was part of the 1984 New Orleans Worlds Fair, now resting on its side in a public plaza directly across the street from the area the recent Hard Rock Hotel partial collapse......

Mario and fellow members here is my sculptor friend Randy and his bronzes which I have seen in person at one of his premier bronzes premiere show.locally, ...along with some of famous commissioned works for Disney World, Harley Davidson Cafe in Los Angeles, different Hotels, and many more which I am sure members who have visited those places remembered seeing his work.... Mario and sculptor members it truly amazes me the work you create using your hands and imagination to create the beautiful works you transform from the idea. The closest I ever achieved carving was a wood block for ink prints and the carving tool slipped and the entire sharp tool went completely into my leg to the wooden handle and never carved wood blocks again, I pulled it out myself...ouch, ouch, ouch....


http://www.morrisonsculpture.com/sculpture_commissions.html#


Mario and member sculptors it has always amazed me the patience and resulting beauty which you create by using your hands. Mario sooner than later I have a premonition your new sculpture you created as you said "build it and they will come" I can not wait to see your next master piece!!!!!

Thank for sharing the link Michael and for your kind words! You always manage to inspire and it keeps me wanting to create.

I really like Randy's sculptures, in particular I loved Andromeda bronze. I never am one to say never, who knows where life can lead us to next? Although I am doing my art for art's sake these days one never knows where or what that in itself can lead to. As an example I was speaking to my brother who has been in the automotive repair business for years and just purchased the building where he has his shop which is in the heart of our city on the main strip.

Anyway he saw my latest sculpture and has asked me to start to design a sculpture for his shop to make it landmark. No small challenge right? Like I said, I am now doing art for art's sake but if the right opportunity presents itself without having to chase after it and without a lot of hassle I am up to the challenge provided I am allowed to have complete creative say in the project as it's the only way I know how to create art.

If this pans out, I'm sure I would have ample opportunity to do the same for other local businesses, again provided it fits my criteria within reason of course. The last thing I want is to be a commissioned artist as I don't work well under pressure that way. I'd much rather create for myself and if someone likes something I have created they can certainly buy it from me. :-)

I live in a tourist destination as people come from around the world to view the manatees and fish here as well, might have to think up a few wildlife sculptures with marine themes.

Plenty to think about.Looking forward to the weekend to see what's next. :-)

Btw. I really like that really large laying down face you posted! Awesome.

Fantastic! I love it. Good job, Mario.

Thank you Jean, very much appreciated!

I want to thank you all for following the progress of this sculpture from start to finish it's been like 12 days now. The sculpture is complete and I have moved on to something new.

I will return to this type of sculpture again but today I started a totally new and different sculpture. I won't be showing the phases of this project but I will share some details about the endeavor. Here are some clues, it involves no cement but it does involve masonary cut nails, boxes and boxes, like 12 boxes that are about 1 lb. each box. Just think what one can make with 12 lbs of steel 3 inch nails...................:-)

This is my newest work in progress, I put down the trowel and took out my torches and welder. I started this one early this morning and just now finished for the day because I ran out of my flux core welding wire.

It's going to be an abstract ancient war horse head. It's going to be made almost entirely out of 3 inch steel cut nails except the eyes which I hammered out of steel sheet stock.

I am going to close this thread now since I have completed the large cement sculpture "Nahum" but I will open another on steel sculpture and I might see if I can capture some video to share as I work on the Ancient war horse head.