Stormcarver
 
 
The rose needs another coat of finish, which should be done today. I did get thorns and a stem completed for this one, although photographing the stem seems to have escaped me this morning. Maybe it’s the food hangover making itself apparent. :) While trying to decide what color thorn to put on the stem for the black rose, I thought it might be interesting to make a white rosebud as a partner for this piece. Then, in pulling the translucent alabaster from the stone box, I saw the domestic alabaster, which I have yet to use. The outer edges of the domestic appear grey -- a nice middle ground for a trio of roses, I thought. I made three thorns for what will be three roses in this set. Take a look at the domestic alabaster thorn. Although it appears a dull brown after carving, You can see in the single-thorn photo that it is actually a brown set into translucent stone. I wish this translated a bit better in photos, but maybe taking a pic in the sun once it’s attached to a stem will give a more accurate accounting.
Friday, November 24, 2006
Chlorite Rose & plans All images are the physical and intellectual property of Barbara Minnick, aka Stormcarver. Unauthorized use prohibited. I cut translucent alabaster for a second freehand rose, got it shaped and put in an impromptu design for the top petals. Then I cut the domestic alabaster, choosing a colored edge instead of the translucent area. It appeared grey, but I quickly discovered that it was more of a brown suspended in the translucent stone, as I mentioned above. I also found that this is going to be a bit more of a challenge to carve than I had anticipated. There is softer translucent and white stone around and through the darker areas, which are quite hard and occasionally made up of layered crystalline layers. I experimented a bit with different blades and techniques in attempt to make this easier to carve in an even and controlled manner. The only improvement I found was when the stone was wet. Guess I will be keeping this piece in a bowl of water of water when it’s not being carved! I like the unfinished area of this stone on one side so much that, if the end design permits, I may well see if there is a way to leave a bit of it natural. Of course, I may change my mind 5 minutes from now, too. So...working on the freehand shaping of the translucent alabaster today, and putting another wax coat on the black one. If I have time, I will start the domestic alabaster shaping.