Wednesday, November 29, 2017

17P-8 (November 29)

The tide window opened today. Low of 1 foot at 12:19. It would be even better the next day, so I decided to go take a look at the sand. Given how bad it was the last two times, I wanted to have some idea of what to expect.

I took nothing but keys. Walked over the hill and down to the beach, then south. Currents and waves, along with growing tides as the full moon approaches, have caused erosion of the beach south of Ocean Park. There's a four-foot-tall bank in places.

The day was calm and cool. Sunlight through high thin clouds. Water clear, surf moderate. At times there were scatters of pebbles, and I picked up a few and put them into pockets. I didn't expect any sculpture so wouldn't have to worry about sitting on them.

The south side of the isthmus had a top layer of fine sand, along with shells, sand dollars, fragments and pebbles. I dug some sample pits. The sand was finer than what I'd used for the last sculpture, but there were the usual rough items. Moving east made it worse so I tried farther west than I normally go. Here I found, under about 5 inches of decent sand with shells, a thick layer of fine clean sand.

I'm not dressed for it, not prepared for it, but there are some mussel shells for carving. Fine sand is a gift. Accept it while it's there.
   
Build number: 17P-8 (monolith with extension and earthworks)
Title: none
Date: November 29
Location: Venice Breakwater, south side littoral, closer to breakwater than usual
Start: 11:30, construction time approx. 2 hours
Size: about 24 inches tall, base roughly 22 inches across
Digital Images: none. No camera brought
New Tools: none
New Equipment: none

The sand I built with wasn't completely clean. As the borrow pit became wider the sides fell in, but I could dilute that sand with the better sand from underneath. I wasn't equipped for overburden removal.

The pile was good but variable. Layers made after some side wall fell in were rougher. Layers made from the fine sand were good.

Carving was done with mussel shells and hands for the deep spaces. The top part had a strong lean to the north which I trimmed a bit to balance. There were spaces underneath that, and a big hollow through the lower center.

I shaped earthworks to go with that. On the west I added a long ridge sloping up to the sculpture's end. On the east the earthworks were separate, and wrapped around, with my handprints on the south end.

It worked out well. Some nice details that fitted with each other. Shaped mostly by hand after rough carving with the shells. it was a much more fun piece to work on than 17P-7 with all those rocks.

I wish I'd had a camera. Not just for the sculpture, either, as the way the beach had eroded left beautiful patterns behind.

Santa Monica
2017 November 29

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