Freewheeling it!

(it's a pretty big pic if you click on it - sorry about that!)

It’s pretty rare that I get this inspired up front about a sculpture.. so WOOT!

I kid you not – EIGHT hours and NO measuring. I’m not bragging about that tho -> in the long term I’ll be cursing a LOT about that actually. Even now the shoulder is a nightmare which is why I dragged it over to photoshop… but as I was looking through those arab photos and kept digging up more and more websites, this POSE just BEGGED me to come out. In fact I couldn’t find one particular photo that had this particular pose specifically (some headshots were similar). Sooooo I sat down and drew it up – then went off to the resin directory to see if any arab had been sculpted in this pose (you sometimes want to do something that turns out it’s already been done). I really do not *think* it’s been done before now.. gawd I hope not! Anyhow, sooooo I drew it over and over from a few angles and even though I had long full days and a holiday party this weekend.. LOOK what I cranked out! Eeee!!!


Here is a photo that shows just how "raw" he really is though. Oh well of course he's going to be a stallion yanno! ;) He's soooo fiesty! It's apoxie sculpt and wire.. solid too but those thin thin legs support themselves. The beauty of apoxie sculpt! :D Actually, ok, it's the wire gauge too -> it stood well just on wire alone but it looked a tad more uhmmmm... spider like? lol!

Actually, I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone if there is something like this out there and I’m kidding myself that it’s all that inspired. No, seriously. It happens sometimes when you just grab the tools and go! You feel all excited and creative and then later on go “phhhhhtbbbb” (deflated) when you realize it’s been done. So please do let me know guys if I’ve gone terribly astray.


Meanwhile, I’ll enjoy the burst of creativity! Classic scale (loosely anyhow). What fun!

More links I’d like to save and thus will share here too :)

http://slawik.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=83245

http://www.photobiz.com/portfolio/layouts/1/gallerym.cfm?PageNum_Recordset1=1&eventID=176742&galleryID=257944

http://raniaelsayed.com/index.php/component/option,com_expose/Itemid,51/

http://www.yegershira.com/pages/second-page.html

http://www.treesmedia.com/gallery.html

http://images.google.com/images?ndsp=18&um=1&hl=en&q=gigi+grasso&start=72&sa=N many of the above came from this search for Gigi whose name I learned of and half remembered from years back when I designed another Arabian photographer’s website. The search lead to this page; http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.arabianessence.com/uploads/caleidoscope/Gallery/Thumb/24_r1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.arabianessence.com/caleidoscope_elenco2.asp%3Fmp%3Dm8%26cat%3D8&usg=__tvWk_0aqIJhxAYwR9w40ZX8RVRI=&h=117&w=150&sz=6&hl=en&start=79&um=1&tbnid=K6i1lRSC2CxTkM:&tbnh=75&tbnw=96&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dgigi%2Bgrasso%26start%3D72%26ndsp%3D18%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN for those who want infinite eye candy to enjoy! :)

AH! And here’s Jean Pierre’s web site of course too! http://www.jeanpierrephotography.com/ Wow.. it’s amazing how much my life has changed in the last 6 years. (blinks rather surprised to think how much.. mostly in great ways though!).

Well here's to an exciting next year to come!!! Cheers all! :D

Thank you guys!!! (hugs) :)

(click to read)

A photo bonanza!

I just felt inspired to surf a little for fun photos again.. mostly I was looking for colors, but I found some stuff that really needs to be shared!

First off - anyone looking for Hazel breed ideas & colors might enjoy this thread! :) http://www.ultimatedressage.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=148569

Mustang pics for color ideas; http://www.livingimagescjw.com/portfolios.php there’s hundreds under each of those “wild horses” links!

& Mustang hooves aren’t always perfect (it’s a myth!) here’s proof:

http://www.livingimagescjw.com/show.php?id=3&n=49

http://www.livingimagescjw.com/show.php?id=3&n=110

http://www.livingimagescjw.com/show.php?id=3&n=109

This guy is just fascinating and there must be at least a hundred photos of him alone too; http://www.livingimagescjw.com/show.php?id=1&n=18 he’s a grey apparently, but his scarring is sooooo extensive he looks like an appy!

http://www.livingimagescjw.com/show.php?id=1&n=40 http://www.livingimagescjw.com/show.php?id=1&n=98

On to another photo site… billions of Arabians! http://public.fotki.com/hypoint/

Anyone who hasn’t seen this man’s amazing photography is in for a real treat! http://www.timflach.com/

Here’s another with great detail photos and tons of them; http://www.toffi-images.de/index.php/foto/details

On a similar vein if you are looking for something VERY specific; http://database.arnd.nl/search/advanced.php?new=yes

Ahhh but this is the site I was looking for really at long last!!!

http://photo.net/photodb/user?user_id=1561226

The photography of Wojtek Kwiatkowski

… sublime! Woohoo off to do some photoshopping of my own now that I’m inspired! ☺ (gifts for friends)

Oh DEAR! Lookie what I woke up to!

If you click to enlarge you can see the awesome power of nature up close. It's a trickle of a stream usually!

A couple of years ago it rained for 9 days straight and we had flooding worse than this. This week it's been a very heavy/steady 3 tho... so I parked out front last night. Good thing. Woke up to hearing everyone move their car's out just before dawn. When it did this the last time that dumpster over in the corner??? It floated ALL the way to the other end of the parking lot! FLOATED! Ok, ok... I know they make metal ships too but still, even empty their hulls are submerged pretty deeply.

I really feel for that person & their nice newer truck there. The waters will likely get a tad bit higher still because the rain ONLY just stopped and that's typically how it goes for 12hrs afterwards.

Last night I saw no signs of flooding at my barn. I'm about to go find out what's what there tho. Ugh. Guess I get to don the Chippewa (how the heck do you spell that?) boots that weigh 6 pounds though. Wait wait... it's warm enough today for the fisherman style lightweight rubber mud ones.. nevermind! woot!

Not far north folks got ice instead of rain. For those of you, I am hoping and praying for warmer air for ya so it doesn't do too much damage before hte winds come. Hugs to the neighbors to the north!!!

PS -> just spied this on the Chronical Forums tho (COTH), yikes! http://jumping-percheron.blogspot.com/2008/12/unbeliveable.html
I just want to grab the dude away from the edge there and smack him for standing so near to something that could collapse! EEK!

The dance of joy!!! :)

I'm only going to share this photo for now. I've promised my yahoogroup that full galleries and ordering info sharing would be limited TO the yahoogroup so for those who've been following along here who don't do yahoogroups, sorry... you'll have to wait until January to see! By then I ought to be all caught up. :)

Ahhhh but it's a GREAT feeling to sit there and inspect every inch and inspect your final photos close up and see nothing at all that you want to change. Woohoo man!

Since I posted last the weekend kicked my butt. By Monday night I went home and fell asleep at 7 o'clock. My arms are still sore but I'm adapting to the increase in work weightload that accompanies the onset of winter and the super short days. With 12horses and a donkey to care for on the weekends I literally have to time everything down to the minute to get it all done in daylight hours. Especially if the ground is slippery and I don't want to be walking horses in at sunset when it might start to refreeze slicker than the am. It gets to be old-hat by Jan/Feb but at first it's a shocker to the system. Of course this week temps SORED back up the 50s/60's from the low 20s (low teens with wind chills!) from a few days ago. I used to think 30 degree temp swings were brutal but I guess 40 degree swings are my new norm to adjust to.

At least I have fun things to retreat to if I've got the energy! Honestly I've just adored doing these final stages of detail out... however it's just amazing to get into 'the zone' and then look up later and realize how much time has passed.

In college one time I was working on an abstract sculpture and was getting into 'the zone'. I looked up to find the whole class staring at me in (well I don't know what they were thinking but they'd all left their benches and gone over to the corner and were staring at me). If the instructor said my name to make me look up... well I didn't hear him. I definitely didn't hear his tell the classes (repeatedly) to wrap it up and come on over. Literally, 'the zone' totally tunes you out to the world. It's something athletes and emergency-working people I know can utterly relate to. You just a awed to find that bombs and parades went past and here you were just completely absorbed and oblivious.

So pulling my head from "the zone" now...! :D Wow. Lookit that, it's almost Christmas! lol! ;)

I'm really excited to paint up one of these bitty guys soon. I have NO clue what color but oooooh is he looking like fun to me. Eeeee! Happy dance happy dance!! :D

Aww heck, I'll share last week's picture again too;

Since I talked so much about that forelock you can see what became of it.

& Upon soul-searching analysis... one more cut needed...

I really thought I was done. I think lots of things that are wrong tho and aint afraid to admit it! :D

Ah well but yeah.. yesterday I'd set up the little fellow and started taking photos from all angles and lightings. Then I sat down with the intent of writing my yahoogroup a little note about anticipated times. I started to make a little named "cover image" like I've done with all my sculptures (http://www.artbymorgen.com/sculpture_gallery.asp) where I pick out a font & favorite image.

Anyhow, so as I'm choosing between two images my eye kept getting drawn over and over to this section of forelock. Mind you I've spent hours and hours alone just laying down 'hairs' on that section alone. However in the overall "picture" it was just standing out to me as clumpy and lacking the flow the rest of him had.

It's really hard to step back and say "no" and go in and hack with a dremel after all this work. Really really is. It's worth it to make those changes in the end I feel. So many artists approach this differently - some don't share anything towards the end and hold off after they feel it's complete for a bit too -> just to see if something leaps out at them eventually. We all at least hope to spy these things we REALLY don't like long before this point. lol!

Anyhow, here's one photo that will definitely be included in the final lot's gallery.

(if you click on it you will see something MUCH larger than my hand really is... I have big hands but they aren't THAT big - lol! & You'll even be able to ID my pinky prints!! lol!)

I'm really thrilled with 95% of him now (and dreading what I'm off to go do right now which is pick up a dremel at this point!)... at least I've photoshopped away until I know EXACTLY where I'm cutting to avoid wasting & redoing any more. & Yes, I"m just taking away, not rebuilding up so that is easier.


Wish me insights & inspiring moments please! :D
_____________________________

Postscript... :D I really like the "trim" so far and not to much to redo! Woohoo!! :D

My boots weigh SIX pounds!!

Life is not a journey to the grave
With the intention of
Arriving safely in a pretty
And well preserved body,
But rather to skid in broadside,
Thoroughly used up,
Totally worn out,
And loudly proclaiming,

WOW !!!! What a ride!

(I just spied that tonight... didn't write it but MAN it fits!) :D

And as I sit here recovering my butt pain from wearing them today (you'd think I'd suffer a little well earned butt LOSS) ;) I decided to fiddle around and have a lighting test. I failed the lighting test imo so it's just a smallish photo;



I printed out a sheet of just two-toned color that faded. It doesn't fade all nicey nice in the photo tho. lol! Ah well. Here it is in grayscale too for fun...


I really don't have much else to say/share. I am adding on the finest details at this point. I have the next 4 days mostly to myself and plan to make darn good use of all this cherished time... very excited!

Ps: the boots bit. Duh, who titles a post about something and then fails to complete the thought? I just couldn't wait until I was done with mud-wading chores today so I could slip back into some sneakers.... after I did so I was literally unable to stop myself from a goose-stepping silly walk... must've looked like a little prancy pony or something. It prompted me to tie the laces and hang em on the hay scale. Gads. No wonder my hip gets sore eh?

Must win lotto... I can't decide if I would merely hire a masseuse and continue the labor just for fun here and there tho!!! ;)