Sculpture Update on Eagle Carving

 Finishing Sculpture with Focus and Pizzazz

When finishing a sculpture I dislike describing this final step as putting on the  “finishing touches”.  I don’t like that term to reference to what is being accomplished here.  I feel in trivializes or at least minimizes the importance of this final stage of carving a realistic sculpture.  The “Refining stage” is perhaps a more apt description of bringing things to an end.  This stage doesn’t require the intensive concentration of the previous stage.  What it does require is a fair amount of tenacity.

The process at this point is a matter of clean up.  The multitude of edges seen it this image are ragged upon close inspection.  This causes the distinction of the form they are meant to represent to appear indistinct or out of focus.  I am therefore charged with the task of carefully removing the “whiskers” and evening the edges  to conform with adjacent edges.  Another tedious process for sure, but a more relaxing one since it doesn’t require a great deal of concentration.  It is at this during this process that my mind will drift off to developing my next creatation.  It seems strange to be working on one sculpture while thinking about another. But the hands on motor skill that is taking place on the work before me,  is quite detached from the creative part of my brain that is working on a new sculpture.  And there is no sense wasting a perfectly good brain on such a menial task which is tantamount to pushing a piece of sandpaper back and forth.