So Very Very Overdue!

Last post was from May 2014.. what has gone on since then?  Wow!  Where to start!! :D  I've sculpted 3 traditional sized horses since this last posting - ack!!

Long Mane Version of my "Ranch Mare" painted by Mindy Berg of http://www.sprucemtnstudio.com/

Quick catch up in reverse order I suppose...

Currently just picked up a huge # of resins under time payments.  While visiting the Will & Sheri (my casters) I also was gifted a stamp of my logo which will allow me to imprint my name on new sculptures instead of etching it in (poorly!). ;) I have been meaning to get something like this, many thanks to Will Rhodes of MVS for the most cool laser cut tool!

Going back in time a bit, I was picking up a bunch of timepayment horses from this past year.  Doing year long timepayments and 6 month editions means I can get quite the backlog of horses being paid off!

Here lies some 40 Quartermeister resins (a huge # are due to be paid off these next two weeks via the neat new PayPal autopay feature).  And more than 20 more of my newest release (well that is being sold by me);  my new Ranch Mare (see her in bay, photo above, or her sales page here http://www.artbymorgen.com/ranch_mare.htm ).  She is still available until April 7th.

I've finished off a # of things since last May as I said..  some commercial work, one of which was revealed by Breyer this past Nov & Dec - at least as an announcement that I will be one of the 3 sculptors they release this year for their Premier Club. They haven't shared the photos of the other two, just the first release (a mare & foal by the uber talented Brigette Eberl).  They also did share this teaser photo/tidbit (painted by Carol Williams) which of course I cannot confirm nor deny as being my sculpture, however I've really gotten a huge kick out of folks' conjecture about this photo... 

So there is that news (which is to say.. not much so far but something to look forward to later in the year!) :D  I'm SO excited I can't tell you btw.  People who know me know it's been my lifelong sculpting ambition to be "Rich Ruddish" essentially and get the chance to inspire future generations myself. It's still quite surreal to be here having accomplished one and now a second!  I'm very much a firm believer that children need GOOD art too.  I know as a kid I coveted the more realistic horses and found myself very inspired by big sculptures.  My inner child is very much bathed in warm fuzzies to be able to give my heart and soul to these projects!

Ok, enough blather - sorry!

This past winter I made a new medallion and sculpture of one of our dogs for my husband.  :)  Both of these I hope to sell more of quite soon.   It's primarily that I've been working on another couple of projects I hope to share soon too.  The medallion thwarted me a little in casting and had a fair # of pin holes so I only sold some 6 or so on a Dec Outlet webpage sale.  I plan to do these again (and I've been selling 2nds). 

The dog mold was not so successful & broke after a couple of castings.  Hey, this is why I normally turn to professionals for these! ;)  Anyhow, I do hope to do more of these soon.  I will be using lighter blocks of wood, not marble though for shipping safety!

 

Ok.. lets see.  So that brings me back to fall now. (Wow, so much still to cover!)..  I had the AAEA Fall Show and then I taught my workshop the following week.  I don't have too many photos from that but I have these two:

 

We tried to cover a lot this time around on a variety of subjects.  I plan to focus the next workshop a tad differently as the 2 part hardening clay media was so foreign to half the class! :)  Food for thought, I haven't outlined this year's class yet / committed to anything.

Speaking of committed though, I did commit to making a Civil War piece for the AAEA show in Oct and so I came up with this (it's very big!) bas relief;

And before that I was working frantically on my Ranch Mare who was introduced October 7th (for a 6 month limited time edition).

Prior to this there was Breyerfest, sales were great.  It wore me out.  Exciting highlights there of relevance were that the roan color auction mold (one of a kind) Wyatt sold for $4300! I was floored & although I was standing there I couldn't keep track of who was bidding (I never can with auctions).  Anyhow, how neat!  This year they have already announced he will be this very neat buckskin appaloosa, but only as a "Sunday" raffle model  ( http://www.breyerhorses.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=6975 ).  Thus I just hope I get to see on up close.  Those are hard to win too!  :D  The little kid in ME is getting impatient to see him in a regular run color - lol!  Soon I guess.  I have some kids I'd like to gift some to but so far they've been a bit out of kid price ranges, soon I'm sure though.

MEANWHILE, well.. that nearly brings me back to May since around that time I was pretty much focused on the Breyer sculpture for 2015 (which I can't share until later this year! torture!!!).   

I did do some other small things but not all came to fruition.  Like these skulls were fun to make;

But they overall turned out to be a hair too large for most 1:9 scale sculptures.  I do 1:9 scale to 16.3hh-17.2hh warmbloods.  I need to STOP and do 1:9 to 15hh horses.  ;)  There have been some exceptions but of course they were all pony sized (Kipling obviously but also Maxixe and Johann were 14-14.2hh range 1:9 scale works).  Anyhow, POINT is that these skulls are a bit large.  I personally don't mind because it's still easier to file them down all around to have something symmetrical to start with. Some of us need all the help we can get keeping things symmetrical! (There is my favorite contour too btw for that as well - available at any Lowes or home supply store). ;)
With that, I will leave you with this head study, made using a (different) Super Sculpy firm.

Hopefully we're all (mostly anyhow) caught up now!