Unrelated to art but still fun

So, I'm buying myself a canoe. A 16 footer to haul around on my 16ft10in Ranger xlt.  Looks like I'm going to have to build myself a homemade rack.  Now, I do have a trailer hitch and I could utilize my welding knowledge to make one of these adjustable hitch mounted racks that hold the canoe from the hitch to the cab, but I think I'll take a different route and pack one on that fits in my truck bed and is a little sturdier.  Any suggestions?  Please, feel free to leave some ideas.  Here's the canoe if you're wondering, fiberglass, paddles and seats included.

Rosen National Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition

I'm excited to announce that I was accepted today for the Rosen National Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition in Boone, North Carolina.  My piece "Entrapped Imagination" is going to be installed sometime during the first week in June, probably the weekends of either the 1st or 7th.  Im quite excited to earn my "I left my art in Boone" sticker.

The Aluminum Propeller (still thinking about a title)

Here are some final shots of the Aluminum Propeller piece I've been steadily, too steadily, working on.  I'll be applying this to the Rosen Outdoor Sculpture show in Boone, NC.  Fingers crossed it will get accepted.

To add to this propeller fun here are some videos of the mold wash burn. Thanks to Pandora on my phone at the time of taking the video for a soundtrack. (Warning, it's a little loud)

I've also been working on the cast iron pieces and will hopefully have some in progress photos coming soon!

Down East part two

Yippee! I received honorable mention for my outdoor piece in the outdoor section of the Down East Sculpture Exhibition!  Mad props to Kevin Vanek (www.kevinvanek.com) for winning first place.  I've not heard who won second or third but congratulations to those folks as well.

Down East Sculpture Exhibition (Indoor)

The Down East Sculpture Exhibition indoor portion awards were announced by juror and visiting artist Thomas Sayre (www.thomassayre.com) and I was announced first place with my piece, "An artifact of the departure from the biological old regime."  The piece is cast iron and it is one of my favorites made under the tutelage of Araan Schmidt, now teaching at Colorado Mesa University, my last year at BGSU.

Also congratulations to Kevin Vanek (www.kevinvanek.com) for second place, Talyor Browning (www.mc1design.com) for third, and Hannah Brown for honorable mention.

The Aluminum Propeller

 I cast this giant hunk of aluminum a while back after watching a video about propulsion and how propellers are made.  I loved the form so much I decided to utilize it in a sculpture. Here is where I am with it to this point. Its final orientation is shown. Still working on the base.

Iron Pour Pictures

Here are the pictures from the ECU Iron Pour that I have.  If you have any questions about the process feel free to ask in the comments.  I'll get back with you as soon as possible.  There aren't really many pictures of pouring since we had a small crew this day and I was taking part in much of the action.

Kevin Vanek (www.kevinvanek.com) Getting the bottom sand ready.  The bottom sand helps to not only keep the bottom of the cupola from melting but helps in creating a proper slope for the well (reservoir area where the molten iron accumulates) so the iron moves toward the pour spout.

One of the many iron breaking stations.  Iron has to be broken down in to small enough pieces for melting.  The size we look for is around that of a tortilla chip.

Here is FaRu, a cupolette built by Carl Billingsley (www.billingsleyatelier.com), in full swing with the main blower on.

We had many scratch block molds this time around and  t seems they outnumbered the students' molds.  This wasn't much an issue however because it shows great community involvement here at ECU. 

A few of the ECU student who showed up to help out with the pour.

Keeping the slag hole clear is a never ending task.  The slag hole is where slag, the impurities in the metal, exit the cupola.  The slag hole is situated at the top of the reservoir area, being less dense than the iron the slag floats to the surface.  The slag then drips out the hole oozing like molten glass.

A mold line in good form.

Another ECU student ready to pour.

Here are my molds.  They each required a double tap and one and a half ladles.

Professor Hanna Jubran (www.hannajubran.com)

My molds where poured amazingly and went as planned, minus the first.  It did not fill all the way, but still works out.

Bottom drop.  

Breaking open molds is much like Christmas morning.

Here are my castings ready for clean-up.
More in process photos coming soon!