Fire Fox

(Red Panda)

Turkish Red Marble

on Granite

15 x 12 x 11 inches

December, 2011

The Red Panda, also known as the Fire Fox, is an endangered species living in the mountains of Myanmar, Nepal, and central China. If the Laws of Nature were survival of the cutest, the Red Panda would have no problems. Unfortunately . . . deforestation has destroyed much of its natural habitat and small populations are isolated in pockets of remaining high-altitude forest.

I first met the Red Panda in person at the National Zoo in Washington on my Platypus Delivery Trip. I was struck by the graphic beauty of its markings and very appealing face. You can’t help but smile when you see that face, and I knew I had to carve it. Red Pandas wrap their bushy tails around their bodies like fluffy comforters to keep warm—irresistible!

The stone is Turkish Red Marble, a very hard marble—in fact a real finger-buster. The block I carved was exceptionally pure and clear of the tiny white lines characteristic of this stone. Many thanks to my stone broker, Myles Schachter, who found a real plum for me! I used a sintered blade (a ridged blade with diamonds in the ridges) to cut it as the stone is very hard and it would have stripped a braised diamond blade. My studio was filled with awesome black-raspberry-colored dust during the cutting phase—the color of my favorite ice cream. The stone is pink when raw, and yields a deep maroon color when sanded. I took the finish to 2,000-grit, then used black rouge on the eyes, nose, and some facial markings to bring a high shine to parts of the face. The touch of the finished stone is elegant. Turkish Red is a challenge to carve, but yields a great pay-off for the effort.

This sculpture was purchased as a Christmas present, so I delayed posting it until now in order to preserve the secret. (My clients were so surprised!) I hope you all had a great holiday. May we all meet and surpass our challenges in 2012!

All text and photos copyright 2011 by Ellen Woodbury

Photo by Mel Schockner, www.melschocknerphoto.com

Male Quail

(California Quail)

Dolomitic Limestone and

Mongolian Imperial

Black Marble

on Granite

14 x 9 1/2 x 6 1/2 inches

December, 2011

This sculpture is made from the second half of the Dolomitic Limestone block from which “Save the Tiger” was carved. What a pleasure to revisit this stone! It is hard and predictable if one does not run into large vugs (porosities), and the color is that of milk chocolate with delicate black vein. Delicious! Every stone has a particular smell detectable only when the stone is cut: black marble smells like swamp gas, white marble smells clean, and so on. Often smells become “coded” and acquire a larger meaning when associated with another experience. Such is the case with Dolomitic Limestone, the smell of which is akin to home-baked cookies for this sculptor. . . . Allow me to explain. I had the pleasure of working in a professional stone studio in Denver for a year with several awesome sculptors. One of these artists is my friend and mentor, Madeline Weiner. Her stone of choice is Dolomitic Limestone, and on cutting into this block a month ago, I was immediately transported back to that time in 2010 when I worked in her studio---the wonderful memory came rushing back in perfect clarity and all at once from that familiar smell. What an incredible organ is the nose!

Male Quail was made as a private commission for one of my Disney friends as a Christmas gift for her husband. I instantly related to her request for a California Quail since they lived in the wooded areas of my old neighborhood in Valencia, CA. I loved seeing these funny little birds when my husband and I went walking through the natural canyon lands. They have their own rhythms of movement, bouncy and quick, with the head feather overlapping but also able to be controlled independently with tiny muscles in their skin. It is my nature to find humor in just about everything, and these quail were a delight to watch.

This sculpture was also a delight to carve. I worked as a Disney Animator for 20 years and was accustomed to acting out and “being” my characters while animating them. This practice carries over to my sculpture and I think of the carving process as a sustained performance much like my approach to animation. Consequently I have the huge pleasure of being the subject of my sculpture until it is done—so much fun to be a quail!

Design is obviously very important in visual mediums. Quail designs, all bird designs, can be composed of simple shapes if one is an informed designer/observer. Quail have no bumps or edges when running around on the ground—only the beak and top feather interrupt the smooth flowing lines of the silhouette. Different postures create different changes in shape and are so much fun to explore. I love discovering just the right pose to communicate what I want to say through the sculpture. I hope "fun"is one of the words that pops into your head when you see this.

All text and photos copyright 2011 by Ellen Woodbury

Photo by Mel Schockner, www.melschocknerphoto.com/