Pushing Boundaries

I have always been one to push the boundaries, most of all, my own. Recently I have been experimenting by sculpting with other media. I am trying polished concrete and glass. The glass has not come right so far, but here is my first offering in polished concrete.

This is Rosa, made for a rose garden. 1.83 meters (6 feet) tall.

She is an abstract female torso whose pose holds tension and seeks to capture movement. The mood is formal to complement its setting in a rose garden, yet contemporary in form with emphasis on the long lines.

Rosa is made by free-form (i.e. no mould). I built the concrete layer by layer onto a steel skeleton. The following day I carved into the half-set concrete to give it form.

I was intrigued to learn that concrete has a crystal structure, and with time the crystals grow and strengthen. So when you polish down enough the crystals will reflect the light, making it shine.

During the summer Rosa will be knee-deep in a sea of the large white flower-heads of Hydrangea Annabelle that fill the diamond at the centre of the rose garden.