Sunday June 07 - Monday June 08, 2015 - We slept late on Sunday morning (having been up late for the concert in Talsi the night before). I spent much of the day working on the blog, organizing photos on the computer and working on the big print design in photoshop. Dad and Ojars were planning to go into RIga to get his steel, sand for molds (and my remaining print supplies) but some car trouble / car inspection delayed this trip (they finally managed to go Thursday). Since they couldn't go to Riga - Dad spent a lot of time on Monday helping me lay out the grid (I'm working in 5 cm squares) and draw the central circle and concentric rings using a string held at the center point (couldn't have done this solo, that's for sure). Transferring the drawing took some time - I emailed Laura a jpeg instead of the photoshop file (which had the grid on it) to print out for me, so I had to draw the grid in by hand. Since the source images for the figures are all gesture drawings I had a lot of "finishing" to do while enlarging them, but am pleased with the result. (Monday we also ran into an unexpected issue. Shellac is available here, but only as dry flakes, requiring mixing. On top of that, the stores don't have the quantity we need, and the price is absolutely outrageous! Carl believed we could find a substitute in the hardware store in Sabile - his suspicion was proved correct on Tuesday when we walked into town for supplies - lacquer rather than shellac, but available in town and at a reasonable price, too!) Tuesday June 09, 2015 - SInce the Riga trip had to be put off again, Carl and I walked into Sabile to see what supplies were available at the local hardware store. Almost everything we needed, but thought we'd have to obtain in Talsi or Riga was within easy reach! Also, first official carving done today (just the two concentric white rings - will start figures tomorrow). Ojars worked in Jurmala today - but that allowed him to make a run into Riga and he picked up the felt, canvas, ink (to test before we order more), and the new German rollers - printmaking Christmas! One of the performers from the Talsi concert visited the park and sat with us at dinner - Victoria Grebezs: https://www.hangmusic.com/artists/victoriagrebezs/ https://www.youtube.com/user/storiatime On the evening of June 9 we "smoked the fields" (a traditional way of protecting seedlings/newly planted material by lighting fires to create a layer of smoke to block the frost) - in this case we smoked the stone planting field to protect the wishes on the planted stone seeds. Wednesday June 10, 2015 - Another day of carving, got started on the figures today (did the largest two in the center foreground) - the work is progressing well. The concrete mixer arrived and the Pedvale workers poured the pad for the steamroller printing - glad to have that accomplished! Dad and I tested the lacquer (in Latvian, "laka") which dried really quickly in the sun (and absorbed well into the wood) - we may want to lightly sand the blocks between first and second coat to nock down a little of the tooth, but a good substitute for the ridiculously over-priced shellac. I cut a few different sizes and depths of lines into the test board before the lacquer was applied - once it was dry we were able to test the industrial printing ink (another substitution for traditional relief printing ink) and the new German rollers. I was able to get a solid image transferred to paper using a stone as a burnisher. Thursday June 11, 2015 - Dad and Ojars were finally able to go to Riga (by way of Jurmala to drop off workers and so Carl could see Ojars' landscape architecture project at the summer home of a wealthy client). They were able to get Carl's laser cut steel sheets and sand for George Beasley's mold as well - so work can begin in earnest tomorrow! For my part, I carved all day - finishing three more of the largest foreground figures in my composition - only 11 more to go! (I'm working from the front to the back, so each figure gets a little smaller and is easier/faster to cut.) Friday June 12 - Sunday June 14, 2015
Big days for Carl! He and Ojars picked up the laser cut sheets of steel (314 steel, to be precise) in Riga on Thursday. On Friday Carl was able to create the dynamic wing forms he's envisioned by using ratchet straps to pull the bottom corner toward one another, creating compound curves in both horizontal and vertical aspects of the steel sheets. A first attempt at stick welding (with the wrong electrode) didn't hold - but on Friday Ojars took Dad into Talsi (with no time to spare before the shops closed) to get the correct electrodes. The first sheet was welded into its permanent form by Friday night, and the second was ready early Saturday. Dad spent part of the middle of the day Saturday using a grinder to create a textured, linear/circular pattern on the "insides" of the two pieces and then welded them together. He'll need the help of Pedvale workers on Monday to position the sculpture so he can grind the "outside" planes and attach the anchoring system - but the piece is really close to done, really quickly! I got another two figures completed on Friday. On Saturday, Ojars drove to Latvia to pick up the woodblock by the Lithuanian artist Simona Bogdanaite (she is getting married/going on honeymoon the weekend of the printing/iron casting so will probably come to see Pedvale, meet me and discuss process either before or after the event). He'd planned to drive late Frida night, but we're all glad he chose to go early in the day Saturday for safety's sake. [Here's the link to the facebook events page https://www.facebook.com/events/851292648297954/ - the five printmakers included in the event are: Benjamin Billingsley (ASV), Peeter Allik (Igaunija), Simona Bogdanaite (Lietuva), Paulis Liepa (Latvija), Laura Feldberga (Latvija) - we'll have techno music courtesy of DJ Mr. Ikazz! I finished another 2 figures on Saturday. Saturday night we drove to see the Devil's Footprint - a stone with impressions of various kinds that look like human and animal feet - including one which looks like a devil's cloven hoof! We left offerings of salt, pepper and extinguished/broken matched to help ward off evil effects. I've included a photo of the information sign at the Devil's Footprint to help explain the historical context - Laura told us that on the night the local baron (who owned the Pedvale property) died the devil was seen dancing on the stone! We also drove to the Hill of Hawks, a pagan ritual site still actively in use (primarily by women, it seems) - clearly people are getting ready for midsummer night rituals! Sunday was a long working day - I finished another 3 figures, leaving only the four smallest left to carve! The Beasleys arrive Monday - and our events happen this coming Sunday - pressure is on!
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ArchivesBen billingsleyPainter and printmaker - art instructor (CFCC Wilmington, NC) |