All Tucked In
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Sculpture by
Ellen Woodbury
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Silverdale Limestone
on
Rojo Azteca marble
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10 1/2 x 14 x 7 inches.
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Completed Oct., 2009.
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This is my latest sculpture, a private commission to celebrate the birth of a little colt named Mingo. I have been a horse person most of my life, and this project was a joy to sculpt. My client shared stories and photos of little Mingo with me , and I feel like I know him even though we never met face to face.
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The stone is Silverdale Limestone, formed from the build-up and compression of billions of seashells in the ancient inland sea which is now Kansas. It is a very soft limestone, but holds an edge beautifully. There are many bits and particles of fossilized shell and protozoa in the stone which give it a subtle pattern and vary the hardness of the stone. These fossilized inclusions posed no challenge when carving, but the finishing phase had to be done with diamond jewelers files and diamond sanding pads in order to maintain a smooth surface despite the very hard particles mixed in with the very soft stone. The sculpture is sanded to 180 grit to keep a soft matte finish to the stone. I learned from my client that a young foal's hair is not shiny, so this was a happy coincidence.
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The sculpture is about light and life. I played with the planar and curved design in the little colt to create many angled surfaces such that the forms are described with light and shadow as light moves across them. The overall color of the stone is consistent biege and the shadows and highlights provide color and interest. The sculpture comes alive with the introduction of light.
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"All Tucked In" is the first scupture I've made in my new studio space at the Purple Door Studio, located in Denver. It is a wonderful, magical place to work. I share a huge warehouse space with 8 professional fine art scuptors, and it is totally inspiring and educational to sculpt there--Stonies' Paradise.
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My next piece, in progress, is a squirrel carved from Vermont marble. This is a gorgeous, hard white marble with delicate gold and black vein. I am most excited to sand this stone as the crystal is really beautiful--smaller than the snowflake crystal of our own Colorado Yule, but equally as pretty. I am wondering if it will sparkle like snow, the way the Yule sparkles. I'll let you know . . .
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Copyright 2009 by Ellen Woodbury
Photo by Mel Schockner
