This newest sculpture has been a delight, for 9 days I worked in short periods on it, each day being a Yes.

First cutting the stone with a saw then grinding the disk shape smooth ready to polish*. Then carving the graphics. The second process was steel work, the fixture needed to hold the stone in place and as it evolved will hold the stone in an embrace, while adding a character of whimsy.

In the beginning standing the stone the natural broken edge at the top, drove the design of the piece. Having a circle, a disk with a bite out of it, then to polish the disk to a high shine with the other graphics textured in chisel strokes. The surface of this stone is extremely rough so the contrasting of textures will be nice.

As the steel work progressed bending the flat iron with a heating torch was a challenge and the struggle shows in the lumpy handmade character of hoop, which I like. Then the trailing off in a squiggle like form to end in the small steel sphere is a ‘laugh’ caught in stop motion. Blackening the steel and sealing the stone presents the finished piece.

This sculpture has a personality: it shifts from burly to humorous. The stone becomes a jewel in a far out setting, the organic steel hoop holds the stone like a setting; while the character of the stone is a jewel still in the farmer rock. The standing piece suggests a figure, hand on hip the other wiggling out in expression; there is a rough strong stance with a crisp polished disk and well detailed graphics drawing me in to look closer and around the piece.
                                                  2013

• This stone is a very hard sandstone that has been hydraulically hardened to the extent I can polish it to an 800 grit shine, about the same as a car finish.