Granite Bird Bath

[GarryRicketson]

Used to be a "double helix", but the DNA was not quite right, or something, anyway I was also thinking toward trying to make a "sculpture" with a purpose, or that is useful, so I decided a "bird bath", the birds seem to like it, anyway! It has been very dry here, so when I hollowed out the "dish" for the top, and filled it with water, lots of birds started coming,--it was still real "ruff", and is still, bit anyway, all week it sat there, with water in it,.then Sunday, when I started working on it again, (very early in the morning,while it was cool),..I noticed, all these birds , lined up on the power lines,and telephone wires, above, apparently waiting for me to leave it alone, !
Here it is so far, still needs quite a bit of work though,

[tonofelephant]

Very nice.

[GarryRicketson]

Originally Posted by tonofelephant

Very nice.

Thank you, unfortunately, I don't feel the same, but then it still is not finished, I have been noticing, the one view, of the back, the side that has no face , but the bowl is smoothed down more, looks better (to me),....once it is all smoothed down, it may look better.
A problem I ran into , I made some cuts into the bowl, that were a lot deeper then I should have, and when I chiseled off the pieces, it is even deeper,..any way, thanks, often, things or sculptures, that a lot of people say " very nice", and like, or seem to be "popular", oddly enough I often don't feel the same, and fail to see what others see, that make them say "very nice",.. and quite often the pieces or works , I like the best, and would say the same "very nice",..it appears others are not all that impressed. In this case, the "bird bath", I do want to sell, when it is done,...so hope fully others will say the same,or think the same "very nice",...and how I feel won't matter,..
The amount of work involved, with granite makes it hard to "compete",in prices, anyone can get a "casted cement" or even a plastic,or resin, bird bath for pretty "cheap",...However "uniqueness" and also just the fact it is real granite, pure stone, is not the same , as "casted", where there are 1000's of copies all exactly the same,...
But after all said and done, for me , what counts the most is I am enjoying making it,..and even if the end results are not exactly what I hoped, it will be one step further in my learning process,..

[evaldart]

Garry, the birds are coming for water not aesthetic revelation. Its very nice that you have done so much work for them, but form is always ruined by function. I have no doubt that whatever you carve would be better if it were unencumbered by the direction of utility. Sculpture is for looking at...nothing else. Plenty of "sculptural" things are useful...but they are something else...artful, maybe but not art.
We all here do both things I'm sure. But you must know what you are doing when you are doing it.

[GarryRicketson]

OK, thanks , I am looking forward to my next project,.. I am going to keep this in mind, and

But you must know what you are doing when you are doing it.

, This I agree is most important,..
Scuptures do have a "function", like you say, though,

Sculpture is for looking at...nothing else,

That is the function, a sculpture, or any work of art (perhaps), it's function is to be looked at, and in sculptures , touched, or"felt", the artist may also be trying to express some emotions or ideas, so this might be part of the "function", to inspire people, make them think, , maybe make them feel joy, or sadness, depending on what the artist is trying to express,..there is much that can be said on this, but anyway, I agree, it would be better to concentrate on making it nice to look at, interesting, etc,...this is to say , to stick with the function of a sculpture, or art work, and not try to make it do anything else,....this makes sense to me, Perhaps a better approach would be to try to combine some shapes and forms, that "look nice", and are interesting, if the top of this "figure" or sculpture, or actually any part of it, happen to hold water, then when it rains, or when the owner waters the garden, ...the added beauty, of birds "playing" around it, is a enhancement,but not the primary function,...the same could apply to some sculptures, I have seen in parks, that attract lots of children, climbing up on them ,and playing around them,...this may or may not have been intended by the artist,...in some cases, they have put fences around them, because of the danger, if kids climb up, possible falls, or falling on a sharp "point",..
My thoughts now, ...that is what is missing, I need to make a stone bird, to put in the bird bath,!,.. that would make the "piece" complete,... it no longer would have the function, and be "for the birds", it will have it's own bird,..and simpley, it becomes a "sculpture",... "Granite Bird in a Bath ", there will be a "Granite Bird", in it.,...kind of a strange way to develope a idea, I guess,.. but I think that is a lot of what art and sculpture is about, one starts with one thing, or piece, then adds another, as the pieces are added, a idea developes,... or in drawing, lines and marks, as you add more and more, a drawing starts to take shape,perhaps very abstract,but a drawing anyway, and a idea, which in turn when one starts adding the colours,..a painting, so a "idea", that may have been to abstract to even explain or express at first, starts devlopeing,....I guess I am kind of "rambling", expressing anything in words, is very difficult for me,.. But any way, now I have the "idea" clear in my head, and to finish this project, I know , what I am going to do, and how, so now I know what I am doing, before, I was not sure,..
thanks for the reply, it really got me thinking, and more on how to respond,..now I can finish this, and go onto something new,.!

[craigktx]

I think more words have been used here than the effort that should have been used. Let's hit the high drive.
A collum not unlike any collum on a porch and a bowl. Nice and wordy but thats it.

[rika]

No, no, I recognize the way Garry anchors the otherwise fleeting thoughts through words. That's what language is for. A good effort, Garry, and necessary (to you) for moving forward. You talked your way out of the fog, and action will follow. From bird bath back to sculpture.
Go Garry, let's see the bird!

[GlennT]

If you'll pardon the intrusion of my work on your thread, here is a marble and dolomite birdbath that I carved in 1993, with in this case a marble frog instead of your idea of an added bird. I also made it a double-decker to add further complications to the process.

In the background is part of a 900 foot fence I built in wood, stone, and brick with sculptures, and a garden shed/ dog kennel complete with bas-relief sculpture and two carved cedar gnomes at the peak, one of which is visible.

The value in such works for me is in doing something and earning money while letting others enjoy it. Skills gained, ideas expressed, lessons learned, etc. Who gives a fig whether or not someone else wants to label it art or not?

[GarryRicketson]

Originally Posted by GlennT

If you'll pardon the intrusion of my work on your thread, here is a marble and dolomite birdbath that I carved in 1993, with in this case a marble frog instead of your idea of an added bird. I also made it a double-decker to add further complications to the process.(part of quote cut)
Skills gained, ideas expressed, lessons learned, etc. Who gives a fig whether or not someone else wants to label it art or not?

That's fine, it makes it more interesting, And it looks pretty nice, I found in a google search, a lot of images, I just used "granite bird baths", Granite Bird Baths
Searching "Dolomite Bird Baths", dose not come up with as much, but anyway the point being, there is a almost infinite range of designs, some very nice, others, well I guess depending on ones "taste",.. I guess it is a matter of "perspective", one may see just a bird bath, nothing more, others, includeing me, would see there is a fair amount of imagination, artistic design,.. and expression in some of them, I particualy like some of the ones where the stone has been left in a natural state, nothing more then the top pieces being hollowed out a little, ... A lot of people like sculpture, yes to look at, and also to have in, in the house, or yard, and when they have friends, or a party, social affair, these "sculptures", become something to talk about, lengthy discussions, Is it really "art" ? or What ?,.. I have never worked with dolomite, I get the impression it is very hard,..?
from Garry

[GlennT]

The thing with dolomite is not that it is so hard...much less so than granite and more similar to limestone...but that its crystalline structure is unpredictable. It lent itself well to the sort of gnarly root/tree-trunk-like form that I worked into it. Would not want to hand carve detailed figurative work in it.

[craigktx]

Originally Posted by GlennT

The thing with dolomite is not that it is so hard...much less so than granite and more similar to limestone...but that its crystalline structure is unpredictable. It lent itself well to the sort of gnarly root/tree-trunk-like form that I worked into it. Would not want to hand carve detailed figurative work in it.

The real question is did you own it?
If it wasn't your best then you failed, no amout of words can fix it.
By the way I fail every time but the next one will be my best.

[GarryRicketson]

I finally got the time to start on the "granite bird",..and have done a little more with the bird bath,..

pretty "rustic" still at this point, I really enjoy watching birds,drawing them, and making this one, I get a feeling I am going to do a lot more bird figures, in the future,..

[GarryRicketson]

And finally, but it is not finished, in a way, but it is to "rustic", for me, it needs a lot of work still,..but overall , now I feel like it is worth "finishing",..

I had to move it over to this side, because during the week I am working on a very large monument, and I needed the space,


This is just the base,white marble, it will have a 6ft high cross, done with black granite, fully polished, on it. And on each side of the cross, black granite "blocks", for names,etc,..pretty boring really . But that is what I am doing, to "make money", so I can make my "birds" and bird baths!,..
from Garry

[Robson Valley]

If you observe fewer birds using the bath after you install the stone bird, consider this:
The live birds may feel threatened by the presence of a larger bird. It will take a long time for them (if ever) to become accustomed to the stone bird.
This is a fact with Hummingbird feeders. Those with bird designs on them are not popular with the live birds. Break off that riff-raff, tacky design and the bird are back by the dozens.
At the end of the day, you have made shapes in stone where none existed before. Thanks again for the illustration.