Walnut Plywood

Here is the beginning of the sculpture. Ken laminated walnut plywood using a layer of Western, then Eastern, then Western. At the time I thought nothing of it..but this ends up being crucial in his design.. More tomorrow.

Sculpting on the Road, About the Road - Ken Newman

Well, for those of you who have been waiting for Ken to get back to work on a wood sculpture, he finished his two clays (The Trout-yet to be named and Curlew #2) and has started to glue all the parts of the Kenworth (c) Grill together and is grinding on it today. I will take a picture tomorrow and post it.

This sculpture is really about our journey. When we started traveling in the RV and doing art full time in 2000, we never imaged the places we would travel, the people we would met and the influence traveling would have on our lives.

Some of you know about the sculpture, others will see it for the first time. We would like to engage a conversation through this blog on the sculpture. This past weekend, the sculpture drew people into the booth and many suggested that we document the piece verbally. We thought it might be fun to share your thoughts about the sculpture as it progresses in this blog. So if you have any thoughts, initial or otherwise, please either email or post to the blog.

A little about the beginnings; the wood (Black Walnut) is from the several pieces and was gifted to Ken by an old family friend. Intimately familiar with Ken's work, George has given him walnut over the years for his bronzes sculpture bases and a couple years ago he told him the history of the wood.

George had retired and travelled to TN to visit another friend and he had the Eastern Black Walnut, he had it milled and drove it back across country to No California, he then had a Western Black Walnut milled from his home in CA. The wood made its final move to Idaho about 20 years ago and remained in the rafters.

A couple years ago, he told Kenny he could take as much of the wood as he wanted, Ken selected a number of 2x6, 2x4, etc and put it in the trailer. Then Ken's mind got thinking about the wood, its movement across the US, its uniqueness, Eastern and Western Black Walnut and the quality of the wood. So two years ago, Ken started this project that began with creating plywood planking, beginning the sculpture which will become the grill.

This will be Ken's first completely laminated wood sculpture.

More of the story tomorrow...

New Grandparents

We are new grandparents to Derek's and Tara's new yellow lab. Her name is Abbey! We hope to see her soon. Labs run in the family!

Outdoor Art Show - Marin Art Festival

Trout - Clay

Special Order - $1500 until July 15 (Retail $2250)

10-12 weeks delivery

Here is the final sculpture based on the hook in the last BLOG!

There is nothing like doing an outdoor art festival... Here is a quick run down on our weekend experience. We are in Ft Bragg with family and headed down to Marin on Friday morning to set up for the festival, winds were about 15 miles per hour and we drove onto the grounds and removed everything from the trailer, decided not to uncrate the wood sculptures, laid everything down and put up the tarps. It was 4:30pm when we left to head to our motel and for dinner. Chose the India Palace and had dinner, walked to ACE for some grommets and rope, then off to finalize paperwork for the next day.

We arrived at 6am on the festival ground to see that our tent had blown off one side and the crates had fallen over. Everything survived, apparently about 7pm a wild micro burst blew through the show, taking away walls, banners, etc. Spent the next three hours setting up the booth getting ready for the show.

This was our second year at the show and this year, we were next to the lagoon area, we had a nice breeze all day on Saturday, although at the end of the day it had turned cool. The crowds were good. Part our out tent was demonstrating and information on the wood and bronze processes... We enjoy the educational aspect of art and is a priority at these shows, the work sells on the high end and sometimes requires seeing the work several times before a purchase is made. We sold a wood commission and have a couple sales pending. The abstract metal artist next to use sold several sculptures, some good sized and of course jewelry always sells at these venues.

At the end of the day, the winds picked back up and we secured the tent for another possible micro burst that evening. Off to In and Out Burgers and bed. The wind and long day was draining. Back up and out in the morning for Sunday setup and show. It was Father's day and we had a number of family and friends show up. The show was busier and the garlic crab fries were outrageous! The Kenworth Grill was a real hit at the show, more people walked into the booth to look at it than you can imagine and many just stared at it for several minutes until one in the group identified the grill. At the end of the show, we packed up and were out of there by 8:30pm and back on the road to Ft Bragg. We arrived at 12:30am after having breakfast at Dennys. This isn't the typical show schedule but just thought we would share the journey to Marin and the wind can blow in Marin ... just as it blows all the time in Wyoming!

Marin Art Festival

Check out this completed sculpture at the Marin Art Festival this weekend in San Rafael in Northern CA. This is the armature for one of Ken's newest bronze sculptures, started in at Indigo Gallery show in early May, it is now done and heading to the foundry for casting in July.

The last blog as a link to a free coupon to the show. Print it and save $10 admission, print it twice and bring a friend.!

Marin Art Festival

www.marinartfestival.com/updatedocs/guestpass.html.

We head out this Friday to set up for the Marin Art Festival in Marin CA. On the Lagoon in San Rafael, adjacent to the Marin Civic Center it should be a great Father's Day Weekend in the Bay area.

There is a coupon on the website above, that offers FREE entrance, a savings of $10, so visit the site, check out the show and come on out.

Ken will have two new clay sculptures and if you were there last year, you will see his new Curlew sculpture, Observing Grace. This sculpture was just chosen for Birds in Art at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, the show opens in September and is slated for a couple other art shows this fall.

Check out the trout clay above, it will offered as a pre-cast at the Marin show and in Tahoe at Vista Gallery before it heads off to the foundry. Ken will also have a wood sculpture in process, it has been a year long project..we are sure you will enjoy seeing this one!

In the Trees one Day - In the Water the Next

We really are preparing for the next show, but when the water is calm, Ken heads out to the ocean to dive, something he has been doing for over 40 years in his hometown of Ft Bragg, California.

Redwoods!

Back in CA, Ken has been working to clear some of the redwoods… Enjoy the images of the neighbor Mike, who has taken up climbing the last year or so and is taking on the redwoods. He is training a young neighbor and they are having a blast climbing and liming the trees. Ken is busy cutting firewood and kindling for his mom and I am dragging the brush back so it can be chipped. This is a grouping of five trees, we have stacked 1-1/2 cords and there are about two cords yet to cut. If you can guess Mike's age I will bake you a cheesecake. Mike you can't guess.

Wildlife Art Sculpture - Observing Grace (c)2009

Observing Grace was chosen for the 2009 Birds in Art Exhibition in Wausau WI, this is the number one International Bird Art Exhibition. Held at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in Wausau WI, the sculpture category is one of the toughest to compete in since there are only less than a dozen non-Master sculptors chosen each year. Check out their website at http://www.lywm.com/ Tale of Respect, Ken’s first bronze sculpture was accepted in 2005. There is an extensive opening/reception weekend in September; we hope to make a trip back for the events.

Oh well, you can’t win them all. Observing Grace was also chosen for the SculptureWalk 2009 an exterior exhibition in Sioux Falls SD, Ken has had three sculptures in this annual downtown event over the years. This year, Observing Grace was installed on a Friday in May, then cut off at the legs and stolen on Sunday, not for long though, it ended up in police custody and is now heading back to the foundry... It will not return to Sioux Falls, they replaced it with another sculpture… Not sure why it was targeted. Any ideas why a curlew (albeit on the endangered species list in SD) would warrant such destruction?

New member of the Audubon Artists, Inc of NYC

Another FEATHER… Over the past 15 years, we have continued to set goals and achieve them one by one. In 2008, Ken was elected to the National Sculpture Society, the Allied Artists of America and now in 2009 the Audubon Artists, all based in NYC. Ken has been a Signature member of the Society of Animal Artists and the Artists for Conservation for the past six years. These memberships provide opportunities for Ken’s work (animal/figurative) to be seen in venues not always available to sculptors, all but one includes all genres of art and works are typically juried into exhibitions. The Audubon Artists acceptance completes the membership goals set in 2000 and as new goals are set and met in other arenas we will be sure to share them with you. It is all part of the journey. http://www.audubonartists.org/ Ken's name will be added soon.

Ken is sculpting in marble above in Idaho.

National Sculpture Society Weekend in Loveland CO

During the NSS Weekend in Loveland CO, there were lectures, seminars, and just time to talk with other sculptors about the "business of sculpture". There was enlargement companies peddling their technology, since the majority of the events were focused on monumental sculpture. Several sculptors, Ostermiller, Ulberg, Rosetta, Mignery, Dedecker, opened their studios and or foundries for exploration. The Ostermiller and Lundeen compounds hosted dinner and a cocktail party.

We also enjoyed dinner with friends Mel and Jan Schockner (aka Rosetta-a sculptor) and Karen Richardson and her husband (forgive me I don’t remember his name). Karen is the owner of Sculpture Depot and great resource for sculpture supplies www.sculpturedepot.net and a wealth of information, her husband has a metal chasing business. Karen and her son hosted a seminar with several other guests on maintenance of molds, bronze sculptures and patinas. Mel Schockner is a photographer in Loveland and will have an opening at the Loveland Museum with photographs taken in Hong Kong in the 1960’s. Mel a retired naval photographer has taken some incredible images over the years, including Ken’s sculptures. Jan (Rosetta) is a wonderful sculptor and is known internationally for her felines. www.rosettasculptures.com.

Leanin' Tree Museum in Boulder CO

Here a just a couple of the exterior sculptures at the Leanin' Tree Museum of Western Art. If you are ever in Boulder CO, just outside Denver and you love western art, check out this museum, its FREE and wonderfully displayed. There is a new book out on the museum and how the collection was started by Ed Trumble of Leanin' Tree Cards.. The top image is a copy of the book. There is over 500 pieces in the Leanin' Tree Collection.

NSS Weekend in Colorado

National Sculpture Society Sculpture Weekend in CO

Arrived a couple days early in order to visit with family, meet with the new Society of Animal Artists President and to enjoy the Rocky Mountain National Park. Ken and I will also be attending the National Sculpture Society’s Sculptors Weekend, held in Loveland this year. This informative weekend was full of panel discussions on Monumental sculpture and bronze preservation, with tours at Loveland sculptor’s foundries and studios.

First off was our trip to the Rocky Mountain National Park. We have made the trip through here a couple years ago, this year we took a 7-1/2 mile hike in and out of Cub Lake and to the Pools. Beautiful scenery and nice easy trail. The only thing that took us aback was arriving at Cub Lake and having the wildlife rush over to see what we had in our lunch. The mallard pair came from across the lake as we sat down on the rocks, the chipmunks were not too far behind. No need to even coax them..they were there to stay until we got back on our feet. Only in a National Park can you see wildlife in a zoo setting. Of course, we saw elk, they saw us and didn’t even flinch. In Idaho, if you see an elk, usually you only smell them, they are gone before you can blink.. I guess the elk understand what guns are in Idaho. The only time you see the elk are from so far away, you need binoculars.

News on the Leanin' Tree Museum tomorrow.

Rocky Mountain National Park - Club Trail

Enjoy this brief video of the Rocky Mountain National Park Cub Trail. If it works okay I will post a couple more.

Colorado at 12,005 feet

Went to the top of the Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, I am working on a couple slide shows for the website, hope to have them posted in a couple days, one on the Rocky Mountain National Park, the National Sculpture Society Weekend and The Leanin' Tree Museum in Bolder. We are back in CA, Ken is pruning the redwoods on his mom's property with some buddies.. more photos of those soon too. I am off doing laundry in town at the coffee shop.

That is my cousin Jennifer and Ken at the top.