On my desk is a plaque with Juniper’s hand print. Below is the saying, ‘My fingers may be small but I’ve got grampa wrapped around them’ The same of course could be said of Phoebe and Henry as well. Each day, each in their own way, they continually do things that make me laugh, and make me proud. They also keep me young at heart and allow me to be silly and play continually for that is my most important job. There is truly nothing in this life more delightful and precious than grandchildren. I’m so very lucky to have them close each and every day. Life is good!
Two of a kind
It’s not often I repeat myself creatively but I’ve decided to do two similar pieces for the Sign Invitational next year. I’ve been itching to build this particular idea for a number of years and have been patiently waiting for the perfect opportunity. One of the sculptures will be my official entry in the contest and the other little truck will be displayed at the Coastal Enterprise’s booth at the International Sign Association EXPO in Orlando. The Coastal Enterprise folks have been supporters of the event since its inception and also good friends of ours for many years before that. The two little trucks will not be identical of course since they will be largely hand sculpted. As the builds progress the differences will be more apparent. They’ll be painted different colours as well. But at this early stage the two pieces still look fairly similar. I’ll be building the two little trucks assembly line style, working out the logistics and detail on the first piece and then following (with improvements and refinements) on the second. The hard part I suspect will be to decide which one will be my official entry and which one the folks at Coastal Enterprises will receive. That decision will be made soon as I am almost ready to begin applying the colours to the wheels and frame. The Coastal Enterprise folks have requested a particular hue which will be revealed soon. My official entry will be bright red with lots of weathering and patina from hard use. Stay tuned…
First assembly
The first few bits assembled on a piece often determine how successful a build will be when it is finished. Those first pieces determine if the piece has life and movement. Today, I spent a little time forming and welding up the Model T truck running gear for my next year’s Sign Invitational entry. The truck will appear authentic with tons of detail but will also be slightly ‘cartoonized’ - just enough to make it fun. The wheels are oval shaped and mounted at jaunty angles. The front wheels are turned to follow the steep and curved road .The axles are at a different angle from each other to suit the uneven ground (yet to be built up). True to the form of the original Model T the leaf springs go across the frame over the axles with a wishbone strut system to afford maximum flexibility. I’ve yet to sculpt rear end, front axle, the bottom of the engine and transmission along with the exhaust system and such which will all add detail to the bottom of the truck. As a point of reference the frame of the truck is about 12” long. The fun is just beginning on this build. Stay tuned…
