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Post by kk on Aug 5, 2013 8:38:37 GMT -5
Yikes, with all the stuff about China, I completely forgot to show "Southern Magi". A carving that I feel is the best yet. After basically finishing the FA mermaid, I had also finished another FA much better to my liking. Yet kept it off the forum just to see how the mermaid would be received. Simply because finally I got something to show that makes all the practice of the last few years worthwhile. Started out as a Gypsy woman with headscarf, but then messed up the face somehow and turned into a guy. Anyhow, after the sex-change, lets call him "Magi"   And the eventuall finished pics as worn these past two weeks.   Lets see if that video works s1200.photobucket.com/user/kainzerkurt/media/carvings%202012/carving%202013/summer%20carving%202013/DSCN0255_zps12d8d10a.mp4.htmlMexican Fire Agate 30 x 20mm In the meantime, I re-sanded the mermaid as the pictures showed some crummy corners and edges. It looks much better now.  Remember this one?  Saw a mermaid in the cab, but also a possible face with headdress. As Southern Magi, needed a companion and I need a lot more practice doing faces, I went for the woman. Its close to finish now. Eye needs more cleaning up, other than that its cut and polished. Front and back.  Once this is done, I will set myself up to either go boom or bust. Just cut a slice of this quartz today. looks good, its not as clean as it appeared from the outside. Could not see those feathers before cutting. But now, I want to try something entirely different (for me). Might either go very quickly, or take the whole month, but will be a whole new challenge. Fun to look forward to.  Best regards, Kurt Best regards, Kurt |
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Post by deb193redux on Aug 5, 2013 10:03:21 GMT -5
the headdress is working very well
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Post by vegasjames on Aug 5, 2013 15:16:26 GMT -5
Great job on the sculptures.
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gemfeller
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Member since June 2011
Posts: 4,059 
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Post by gemfeller on Aug 5, 2013 18:14:06 GMT -5
You have extraordinary talent Kurt. Both in the ability to visualize figures imprisoned in the stone and in the techniques involved in "liberating" them. Both fire agate figures are excellent. I particularly like the way you've shown the mermaid's scales by highlighting the stone's iridescent bubbles. I look forward to seeing your optical quartz project.
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Fossilman
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Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,722
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Post by Fossilman on Aug 5, 2013 19:58:45 GMT -5
KK<your work it totally awesome!!!
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Post by kk on Aug 6, 2013 8:51:49 GMT -5
Thanks everyone.
I think, I gotta back down from the term of optical quartz. There are feathered inclusions shimmering at me. Just hope that that are not stressfractures that come to bite me later.
Thus far, very different to work with. Need to polish the rough slab completely to ensue no undue scratches there before even starting with the intended design. This material seems to show any mistake, regardless to front or back.
As for FA: still working on two pet-projects. One, I'm still searching for more color, the other, I know what I want to do, but have not had the curage to start. This year has been a lucky one for me, and quite a few FA projects worked out beyond expectations, so I don't really want to push it any more. Better try something new and return later.
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Post by kk on Aug 7, 2013 6:04:48 GMT -5
Finished outdoor  Finished indoor  Now on to the quartz. Can already see some of the problems coming up. There is nowhere to hide any mistakes in quartz.  |
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Tommy
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Member since January 2013
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Post by Tommy on Aug 7, 2013 8:21:44 GMT -5
Beautiful work Kurt! I love the headdress especially. What a unique and creative idea - I will literally never look at my plume rocks the same way again :-)
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 7, 2013 8:50:07 GMT -5
Over the top Kurt. You are starting to get the face fear out of your head. That is very good because you are not so limited in your projects now.
Jim
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Post by kk on Aug 7, 2013 17:08:50 GMT -5
Thank you for the kind comments. I shall keep at it. Things bother me, but I slowly get the hang of it, and it looks like; while I still have a funny feeling approaching a face, I seem to have lost the "fear" factor this past month. yippie24 Just you wait, one day I shall turn out a miniature of what has been shown by Angela Treat Lyon, yesterday at FB. 'Marble Bust' by Franz Xaver Messerschmidt, who was most famous for his "character heads", a collection of busts with faces contorted in extreme facial expressions.  Love every line of that! But, my ultimate goal in this hobby is set much further ahead. I got this picture since a few years in the folder. I adore those two gals having a good lough (most likely about their death husbands, I suppose saved12), the body-language and everything in this picture portrays pure joy. I will never stop trying to improve, until I can portray those two and give the same sense of joy. That' s my goal, does not matter how long it takes. That's what every hour on the machine and hurt fingers are for.  |
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jamesp
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Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,603
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Post by jamesp on Aug 8, 2013 5:31:30 GMT -5
Those are all beyond belief. For the last 10 years I can relate to the guy you landed a gray chin beard on.
That was about as incredible as the whole carving.
Great target shot Kurt
I don't know how you don't crack the fire agate.
I need to pick thru some coral tumbles that have color patterns. Most of what I tumble are flatter 'chips' that
are perfect size for your carvings. I load the tumbler with 20 pounds and throw away 10 after a couple of weeks
due to one or two fractures. It takes about 2 weeks before I can see the fractures.
Anyway, PM me what is required to send and what you want if ever interested.
Looking at your carvings I am thinking the coral does not have enough color changes.
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Post by vegasjames on Aug 8, 2013 7:26:15 GMT -5
Great composition.
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Post by kk on Aug 9, 2013 6:45:48 GMT -5
OK James, you pick a stone and color that you think is fit an I will try to replicate the face (the 300 year old sculpture) above with it and give him a beard to get a closer resemblance to your own likeness. That should work well as a bollo. Have 3 deals in the work, where people have send me some wonderful material and I'm gonna try to carve something for them. So will take a while to get to a piece for you. Hence no hurry, you choose the material that you think would work best. You will know it when you see it, so there is no need to give you a wishlist. Size-wise, I feel most comfortable with anything approximately 2 inch square and possibly a fourth to a third of an inch thick. Best regards, Kurt |
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Post by kk on Aug 9, 2013 6:49:39 GMT -5
Oh yeah, forgot: FA rarely cracks on me. In all my attempts, I only had two pieces actually break. The most common mistake is usually that one breaks through the fire that you liked and there is a weaker or no fire underneath. Or you run out of fire at the edges, giving the whole thing a brown ring.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,603
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Post by jamesp on Aug 9, 2013 8:21:44 GMT -5
I do like sending coral often insisting that people strike it with a hammer to see how obnoxious it is. Like destructive testing. But it gives a good hands on feel for a quartz based material that ancient man would use to shape his tools out of. I am way not worthy of a Kurt carving. But let me send you some for the hay of it and all I ask is that you give me a report on it's workability, texture and general usefulness. Now the carving offer is over the top and I am uncomfortable feeling in debt. I have lots of coral. But carving one of those is a huge undertaking.PM address and best carrier and I will handle a little sampling no strings allowed, attached. I am actually thinking about sending some to China for making a certain product made/sold there. So the practice shipping routine may come in handy. I have already purchased diamond segments on Aliexpress with no hitches.   |
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Post by kk on Aug 9, 2013 8:48:23 GMT -5
Ohh yes, you and many others are. I get to practice, things get appreciated and to top it off I more often than not got sub-herb material that I otherwise would have never laid hands on. So I think it will be a win win situation. On top of that, come to think about, trying to copy that face should be a lot of fun. |
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