12/30/23 — THE MAKING OF FORM 12

I finished Form 12 in early December. It is my largest sculpture to date (33 x 33 x 7 inches; 43 lbs.). I made it from Peruvian walnut and soft maple, and I sprayed the cutouts with black textured paint for contrast. (In comparison to American black walnut, the Peruvian strain is slightly darker, softer, and lighter in weight.) I hollowed out the larger shape and weighted it with steel on the bottom for stability. I finished the walnut with hand-rubbed oil-base polyurethane, and I used water-base poly (buffed with 00000 steel wool) on the maple to avoid the amber tint of the oil finish. This heightens the contrast with the black paint and the dark brown walnut.

The photo series starts with me cutting and sanding the outline of the large walnut bottom segment. I neglected to photograph the glue-up process, but there were five pieces laminated from thin boards. In woodworking, gluing laminated stock is common and straightforward, so nothing unique is left out.

The first five photos shows the laminated pieces temporarily fastened together, with a template on top.

The sixth and seventh photos show the middle piece separately, also with a template, being cut and sanded to establish the shape at the ninety-degree vertical centerline. The light colored pieces are throwaway, and I used them only for establishing an accurate elliptical contour.

Photos 8–13 show the five pieces reattached for rough shaping.

Photos 14–15 show the pieces separated again—before and after being hollowed out.

Photos 16–17 show the final, glued together and finely tuned shape of the larger, walnut piece. The bottom has a pocket for the stabilizing steel weight.

The rest of the photos show the horizontal maple piece at various stages of completion.

I am well satisfied with the end result. I think it is one of my better pieces—at least at this point in my journey as an artist.

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