Preparation to start the twin cherries

I have been putting off starting the twin cherries, but with the thaw, I finally started marking up the large stone with grid lines and drawing on the twin cherries

Side                                       Back

Front                                                                                                 Side

Model

Night Work (8th January 2010)

Working late on the snowy 8th January. I stayed over, as I had walked to the yard from home and the roads were still very bad. My late working was rewarded for with a great beef and Guinness stew and more Guinness after a short walk across the snow covered fields along the mass path to the pub at Ballymurphy.

SNOW! (Friday 8th January 2010)

Winter wonderland in the morning.

Late afternoon light

The Blizzard (6th January 2010)

It was very cold again on the morning of Wednesday 6th January and then it started snowing around lunchtime. I carried on working not realizing how heavy the snow was. By the time I stopped and packed up, I couldn’t get up the hill and out of the yard Iwas working. I had to walk home in the end (1.75hours)!

The Big Freeze

I started back to the sculpture after a good break for Christmas and New Year on the 4th January 2010. It was very cold!!! On Tuesday (5th jan) I was greeted with a sprinkling of snow on the ground and -12 degrees C the night before.

Cold cold ground!

Rolling the stone around!

The base

Wintery light on the Blackstairs

21 December 09

Last day working before the Christmas break.

The day before I was lent a brillant jack (a lorry jack) by a friend and we rolled the stone over to work on the other side.

taking off the corners.

A veiw of the Blackstairs Mountain in the afternoon.

08 December 09

Start of the day

End of the day

Started the single Cherry!!

I finally went for it and started the single Cherry on the smaller stone !!

Monday 30th November 2009

Thursday 3rd December 2009

Saturday 5th December 2009

Half Size model

I was daunted by the size of the stone for the cherries.  Rather than just launch into the sculpture in stone, I decided to do a half scale model first.  This would enable me to figure out the best way to approach the sculpture and work out a procedure/process of how to carve the sculpture. I made up a half size block by cementing “Quinlite” blocks (lightweight very soft building blocks) together and then carving it!

I have still a way to go, but getting there slowly.

Clay Model