Monday, February 22, 2016

16F-4, "EngineEars!" (February 22)

Build number: 16F-4 (lifetime start #339); monolith on short riser
Title: "EnginEars!"
Date: February 22
Location: Venice Breakwater, isthmus
Start: 1200, construction time approx. 4.5 hours
Size: about 36 inches tall, 21 inches diameter, immersion screened intertidal sand (Latchform, Rectascreenus B, Waterscreen)
Helpers: none
Digital Images: 18, EOS70D and 24-70 L, equipment, completed
Photo volunteer: none
Video volunteer: none
New Tools: none
New Equipment: none

Click on an image to enlarge it.
















Saturday, February 20, 2016

16F-3, "Three Ears Ought to be Enough" (February 20)

Build number: 16F-3 (lifetime start #338); monolith on short riser
Title: "Three Ears Ought to be Enough!"
Date: February 20
Location: Venice Breakwater, isthmus
Start: 0800, construction time approx. 4.5 hours
Size: about 32 inches tall, 21 inches diameter, immersion screened intertidal sand (Latchform, Rectascreenus)
Helpers: none
Digital Images: 24, EOS70D and 24-70 L, equipment, process, completed
New Tools: none
New Equipment: Cart-portable Table

Click on an image to see a larger version.

When I used a bicycle-towed trailer to haul my equipment, there was room for luxury items such as a roll-up table. That gave me a place to put things that were really better off being kept away from the sand. That table is too big and heavy to fit with cart-based sculpture, so I thought about designs for a more portable table and came up with this. The legs friction-fit onto tenons at the ends of the top.


Both table and tool tray are designed to fit inside the cart, along the bottom. They're just big enough for their jobs.



I was still rather besotted with Gimly's ears. Although I'd decided to leave the ear motif behind, Gimly must have reached out and nudged me back onto the track. Sort of. This is one of those sculptures in which multiple ideas compete. It's a tad confused.







 




Tuesday, February 16, 2016

16F-2, "Gimly's Other Ear" (February 16)

Build number: 16F-2 (lifetime start #337); monolith on short riser
Title: "Gimly's Other Ear"
Date: February 15
Location: Venice Breakwater, isthmus
Start: 0800, construction time approx. 7 hours
Size: about 37 inches tall, 21 inches diameter, immersion screened intertidal sand (Latchform, Box Filter 2)
Helpers: none
Digital Images: 26, EOS70D and 24-70 L, equipment, process, completed
Photo 35mm: none
Photo 6X7: none
Photo volunteer: Larry Dudock (multiple cameras, time-lapse)
Video volunteer: Larry Dudock
New Tools: none
New Equipment: Back Saver Sand Cart 2; Tool Tray

Clicking on the images will show full-sized versions.

The old sand cart, built in 2000, was ready for retirement. I spent a week building this new one, and testing it in various ways. Now it's on the beach for its first real test. Named "Richard," for Rich Johnson, who helped with many aspects of sculpture until his death in early 2008. I still miss him. He used to sit on the cart's soft wheel.


Originally intended to haul sand from the low-tide area to the build site, it soon proved itself capable in many other ways. Here I've picked up a load of water.


I'm ready to start packing sand. Water is in the orange buckets. The form is the grey upright cylinder. Sand from the finer low-tide deposit is piled on a tarp.


The sand has been packed and the form removed, leaving a cylindric pile. Here's a shot that Rich normally would have gotten. I had to clean off my hands and face to take this.


I used to have some plastic tubs for concrete mixing. used for storing sand and for keeping tools together. I noticed that they were all broken, so I made this tray to fit inside the cart under the rest of the load.


A few hours later, the sculpture is finished.