Sculpture about done,,,

[Mark Yundt]

Here is an update on the sculpture for the church. I'll be heading there on Fri. to fit the panels and have the piece on hand to position the lighting for it. A bit more sanding and a few more coats of finish and it'll be done then just finish the panels and install.
I hollowed out the back and took advantage of this to make a way to hang it. It's simply a beveled section that will sit on a matching bevel screwed to the panel. The weight will keep it in place and pull it against the panel. Of course the back will be finished as well, just not to the same level.
As you can see I gave a slight chiseled finish to Mary's veil as well as the halo around the baby's head. The rest is all smooth.

[Mark Yundt]

And another simple project just came in today. It's a frame to hold a sign. At first the guy wondered if I could "restore" it as I talked to him on the phone. Once I saw it, it's simply a matter of making a duplicate. It's not really carving but neither are the 4 shelves I built sitting next to them for another customer converting a TV armoire into a shelved cabinet. Not fancy projects but nice quick filler jobs.
In the first photo I just propped it up to take an overall shot of the piece but it had no problem falling apart on it's own.

[Bruce Page]

Beautiful Work Mark. What are the over all dimensions?

[Mark Yundt]

Hi Bruce,
It's 3 ft tall X approx. 24 at the widest point. Started at 4 1/4 thick.

[Kevin Adams]

Really nice, Mark, thanks for sharing your work with us...it really does provide inspiration!

Take care,
Kevin

[Mark Yundt]

No problem Kevin and thank you.

[Mark Yundt]

The fit up went well and they got the exact lighting I wanted. Small eyeball type spots that even with the ambient lighting and daylight still made the carving stand out. In the evening, this will really look dramatic.
During the fitting up I temporarily mounted the carving and of course everyone had to come an take a look. Even though it isn't completely done, it managed to make 5 women from the offices cry. I guess that's a good thing in this case.

[Chuck George]

Nicely done Mark, as usual! Neat idea with the "French cleat". Love your work.

Chuck

[Mark Yundt]

Thank you Chuck, I appreciate the comments.
Yeah, I thought the cleat was a good solution. Hidden, secure as the piece weighs about 40 lbs, easy to adjust to get it to hang just right and easy to remove should it get damaged at some time, and snugs itself up tight to the panel. Since the back had to get hollowed a bit, it all just fell into place and I took advantage of it.
The star on the other hand will get two keyhole plates.

[doris fiebig]

that turned out beautiful mark. really love the contrast of smooth versus chiseled, the sharp lines verus the round shapes. the wood and finish is beautiful. what kind of wood is it, and what finish did you apply ? is that possible to get linden look similar nice too ?? (i doubt the latter,,,but curious what you think)

[Mark Yundt]

Hello Doris, Thank you very much. The wood is Walnut ,no stain, just clear. It's basically a lacquer finish. I don't have too much experience with linden, similar to bass in some respects, but the pieces I've had were a bit different. It may be possible to use some stains etc. to get a color close to this, but naturally the grain would be off. I think you'd have to play with a piece just to see what happens. I'd be curious enough to give it a try.

[Roger Strautman]

Mark, I missed it somewhere along the way, what is the size of this piece overall and it's depth? You sanded to what grit? 220 only? I liked the movement and depth you attained with the clothing. This is just a beautiful piece no matter how one looks at it. Thanks for sharing!

[Mark Yundt]

Hello Roger and thank you! It was on post #4 , but no matter, It's 3 ft tall, 2 ft at it's widest and max depth ( bottom of carving) 4 1/4 inches. The star is approx 10 inches tall.
On the original post I showed the line drawing they use on their stationary etc. With a design such as this, I was limited as to how much I could carve without turning it into something else and get away from the clean ,smooth look of the drawing. I could only really play with depths so the line drawing turned into a 3D representation of it. But I think the simplicity of the overall look makes it work as intended. I essentially wanted this carving to almost act like it was the inspiration for their line drawing.
It's just a relief in it's most simple form. Transitions from one element to another to imitate depth and location.I only added a bit of texture to the veil and halo for some interest and a bit of sparkle from the faceted surface so it wouldn't be so "monochromatic" . I think that helps as well.
Yes, I sanded it to 220, that's it. No stain.

[doris fiebig]

thank you mark... yes, i will try walnut stain, though i agree with you that the grain is an essential feature why it looks so beautiful.. but, i am curious, ,,,i finished today carving the rose, and am searching for a nice rich finish, so test pieces with walnut are on my list now.

[Doug Duffield]

Beautiful, simply beautiful. It is hard to express the fillings that this sculpture products. Thank you for sharing!