so much for hubris– in my last blog i mentioned not being concerned with indentation of paragraphs and such– normally i just give a few bonks on the space bar to show where one leaves off and the other begins– however, it seems as if the computer gods have made their presence felt here, and so i guess i shall just follow along lemming-like and punch “enter” once or twice to give a little distance.
back outside into my sculpture studio again. it had been way too long for my taste, but things are always intruding– so-called “real life”, which at times i consider highly overrated. not only that, but i was delayed by some stuff and so got out there later than the norm. still worth it? you bet. this piece is so far along that i am working muchly in small areas, adjusting lines and adding some detailing. since it had been a little while– a week or two– i decided to work on something small and stressless, just to dunk the toe into the water so to speak. if you check out the first blog you will be able to see about where i was working. the right leg of the upper figure is supported by a “stone” that projects up from what i call the “matrix”– the base more or less, although it is an integral part of what i am trying to render here. anyhow, to give the stone a little movement, like a loose tooth in a gum, i am working on the base, creating a dip and a wave that i think makes it look a little unbalanced, and i achieved something i had thought might be past possibility. there is almost no room in between the stone and the right leg of the lower figure, no room to get an angle with the chisels or the hammer, and there is an area in there that seems quite impossible to reach. i have basically been “gnawing! at it, using the chisels in an oblique manner, and not seemingly getting anywhere, but there was a moment today when it all got done– almost!! but it is there, and reachable if i do it just right, using one of my chisels i cut short, specially for areas like the one in question.
doesn’t make it easy though– there are many blotches of brownish red on the marble in there, spots where the constant chafing has drawn blood. the first time it hurts like the dickens, but the second time it hurts even more. however, a sculpture is held together with blood and saliva and sweat it would seem– at least i spill copious amounts of all of these fluids upon the stone, and always have. of course, back in colorado where the air is so much drier there was considerably less sweat….
all this and eyes full of stone dust. i have tried using goggles, but they don’t work well– sweaty and all the fine dust adheres to the lenses and makes them opaque quickly. cleaning the lenses scratches them, and you are back at square one, so i have gotten used to having eyballs a little irritated. occasionally, when i don’t blink properly or in a timely manner i might even get a real blast, occasioning my walking around the studio like a blind man. it’s part of the deal i suppose, and i am content with it.
mayhap i shall be out there again tomorrow– i have some clients arriving in town today, not sure if they want me to guide them tomorrow or if they will take the first day off– guess i shall just have to wait around and see.
sorry, no photos today– i need to bring my computer in for some servicing, so will double up the next time– and that is all for today, my invisible audience rance

not having written any sort of a blog before, i am not quite sure just how to begin this one. it has taken me a while to work up the courage to do it as a matter of fact, unaccustomed as i am with writing to an imaginary audience, but so be it– opening up my own website has afforded me many new experiences that i have had to fit into my world view, taken through the small-town aperture that is cozumel. some of this has taken a vast amount of getting used to. whatever the case, i have decided several things i plan to use as my parameters for writing this little bloggage. first, i am not going to be any more politically correct with what i write than i have to be– i shall employ only the filmiest of filtration to what i have to say. i do not hold that i need to use capital letters for this, as in “real life” i rarely do. i do not need to indent paragraphs, or indeed to use any formal breaking up of my ideas than that which i wish to do. i shall attempt to write this as freely as i wish, and i hope that if there are actually readers out there that you will give me a little leeway to say what it is that i wish to say without too much criticism. i’m not a god nor an icon, but just a simple artist trying to deal with the tremors of modern life. instead i shall use this forum as a sortuv freeform diary, albeit not always in a daily sense, speaking about what matters come to mind while i am writing. feel free to respond. most of yesterday i wasted to a certain extent– i have been trying to produce my “dolphin” design for jewellery production. this involves creating a carved wax (it could be of many different materials, but the one i choose at this time is wax) in the exact shape of the object one wishes to cast. i really try to avoid making my pieces in a typical manner– that is to say, i am seeking a little different vision of a dolphin than that which you are apt to see out there. i have little interest in producing something that has been done before endless times and is readily available to everyone already. however, the piece i ended up with looked far more to me like a penguin or some sort of odd bird than it did a dolphin, and so i am going to scrap it and cut another piece of wax and see if i can come closer to what i wish to do that. of course, i could always make a penguin out of it– insert chuckle here– but i think it will end up in the bin below my bench. there are times when i need to cut a piece several times to arrive at what i am aiming for– check out the juvenile drumfish pendant for instance, very difficult wax. or the trunkfish pendant. i cut this one perhaps four times, always with an eye to realism, but it never had what it needed to be. finally i made something that is more a trunk-fishness than any realistic depiction, but it really worked. this dolphin wax may require my taking a little time off from it though, as i see myself doing a bunch of diving in the next couple of weeks. i have perhaps one day off here, tomorrow, and i would dearly love to get out into my studio and working on my sculpture that sits placidly waiting in the carport. i have been ignoring it of late, as i have been toiling to put this website together, the learning curve quite steep for someone like myself, unfluent in matters computer. such simple things as copy and paste i had to fumble through an incredible number of times before i realised the simple step that made it possible. this piece of stone i bought way back in ’92, when i was still living and working near vail colorado. i have created so much in between, sculptures, paintings, drawings, photos and jewellery, but this has remained, albatross-like, around my neck. one would think it a heavy millstone indeed, but for myself it has lightened considerably since i quit worrying about when i shall finally finish it– the piece moves, it moves ahead, and it continues, and that is all i need to say about it. i can feel free to take on other projects, but this one remains and continues to enchant me, 18 years into the future. well, enough for one day– time to do something else. thanks for listening rance

much of my inspiration i get for the creation of my gold work comes from the time i spend diving and guiding people in the teal blue waters of the caribbean. i work as an independent divemaster in Cozumel, Quintana Roo, mexico, and so i would like to offer my service to you on this website.

i handle everything from individual guiding to guiding small groups of divers. the reefs around Cozumel comprise some of the world’s best and most varied diving experiences, whether your preferrence is for the many different hard and soft coral formations and plants, the large and small marine animals, or even the “tiny” creatures one might find. too, it could just be the way that the golden caribbean sunshine flickers along some expanses of the white coral sand bottoms.

the boats i dive upon are comfortable high-service operations, with room to sunbathe or read a book in the shade, plus a real lunch is included in the ticket. all craft have restrooms as well.

and let’s not forget that Cozumel is a very diver-friendly destination in terms of money either– air fares are much more affordable than any comparable place one might wish to dive. i can furnish you with a list of places to stay for any budget too.

if you are coming to the caribbean and are wishing for a different and more artistic experience under the water, please drop me a line using the “contact us” part of the website.

i promise that you won’t be disappointed.

rance