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Here is that simple number 7. Many have wondered why I
would bother sealing and painting on such an obviously incomplete statue.
The answer is that the more I can "see" the figure, the easier the unfinished
parts will be. It's hard to look at wood and get a clear picture of what
you have. Besides, it's human nature to want to jump ahead and if it gets
me excited to finish the rest, then I'll take it.
Here the back of the head is clearly shiny from the Urethane
sealer. Wood is alive. Wood will drink up moisture like a sponge and
in a finished carving like this, that would be a disaster. I want the 5%
to 8%, air-dried wood moisture to stay that way. I don't want any of that
moisture coming out, as that could produce checks. Checks are what happens
to wood as it dries.
Here is a good view of one of my bigger mistakes. I
originally thought that it might be nice to do the face in a very realistic
grimace--the kind you would see if you took a photo with high speed film.
The kind of photo that you see in many, many of the Mickey Mantle photos.
The only trouble with it is, when I took it out to the shows, the people almost
lynched me. There were some folks who not only said rude things to me but
who were actually angry at me for claiming that my in-action face, was the face
of their idol, Mickey Mantle. It was quite an experience. It taught
me a lot. It taught me that when you are interested in the public's
approval, you have deliver what they expect, and not necessarily the most
correct. That means, that no matter how twisted and exerted the pose, you
must depict a likeness that is placid and recognizable.
Here is the final version of the in-action head. Looking
back on it, I fault myself for not realizing that this would not fly. I
think that I should have known that it wouldn't pass muster. With the less
recognizable head, it's less Mickey Mantle and more of a generic baseball
player. The beauty of what I do in painted wood, as opposed to say, a
marble sculptor, is that I can saw the head off and glue on a new one. And
that's just what I did.
And here he is Mickey Mantle's Restaurant in New York.
