How did you attach the Pietersite frog?
Someday you are going to have to make it over here and visit Quartzsite for our annual pot-luck BBQ.
1.) removed the druzy and tried to keep is as tight as I could to sink the pietersite in (at the back about 1.5mm at front about 0.5mm). flat bottom with a few frills sunk in to avoid any spill-over and then super-glued it on, hoping to seal it of from any intrusion of humidity. Went swimming with it yesterday in seawater and could not find any salt buildup at 10 x magnification along the seams. So it seems I did OK.
2.) would love to visit QS one day
High praise indeed. A little too early, and without this wonderful group of members here, it would never have come to be.
But it certainly polishes my ego.
Thanks for that!
Had an interesting conversation with Robert Winslow and our own August Voss last night about this piece and my projects this year thus far.
All three of us represent a a whole range of different approaches as to how we design something and execute them. I'm constantly driving Robert up the wall with my refusal to properly plan everything out, before doing things.
August is a perfectionist when it comes to light and accuracy in execution.
In the end we settled with the understanding that my things/direction is somewhere between them in look and execution. Not too abstract like Robert and not too realistic the way August likes to do it.
What I liked most on last nights conversation was the realization that I seem to have created a specific distinct style for myself. Something that I got without really trying, by just following the material and, I suppose, feel. I know, I will have many more failures in both acceptance and execution, but I think as long as I do things that I like, I still have a lot more improvement waiting for me.
I usually start out with an image, and then just go as it feels right. Its like in the latest piece. I looked at some frog-pictures to get started, but after the hind-legs where in position, I never looked at the pictures again. With that, I deviated from the commonly seen body position with the body raising and the head held high. Instead, I now got the eyes at the highest point and the overall position lends itself to two very different stories.
One: The black frog sitting on the leaf ignoring the frog in the water, legs brazing themselves to move on. Also note, there is no space on the leaf for a second creature.
Two: The black frog sitting on a rock, ready to jump away from the snake.
In a realistic execution, there is room for only one of the two stories to be played out. In a traditional pose, the frog would have to face away to have any story told.
So in the end, its the beholders idea that should win out, and thats what I like. If I'm able to tell you one story, and you come back with another, we both win as we both can relate to the image at hand.
Finally, let me thank each and everyone here for all the wonderful support received over the past 1.5 years, and I promise I will try to continue to set goals higher ..........
Lets rock on,..... Kurt
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