Sooo... still had a lot going on these last few weeks.  Went to Coachella with some friends and their massive, beautiful project, then came back and installed a sculpture I sold at the art walk.  Both great things, but they sucked up some time.  Things have finally settled down though, and looking ahead at my calendar, it looks like my schedule is finally back to normal.  Hoping to get back on track.

I have made some progress recently though.  I've almost finished the bust completely.  One small section on each side of the chest that moves up into the shoulder is still open, but other than that, they're done.  I finished out the two thick wires of the clavicle, crossing over (as well as defining) the shoulders, and ending at the shoulder blades.  Yes, ending.  I am now down to just two of those thicker wires that started at the feet and have wound their way through her entire body.  That's great news for me.  The more you bend steel, the harder it gets to bend.  That's because when you bend it, you're rearranging the atoms.  The more you bend it, the less the atoms line up and the harder it gets to bend.  This is called work-hardening.  Well, these wires were the thick, less malleable wires to start with, and after twisting their way ten feet through her whole body, they had so many bends in them that they were nearly impossible to work by the end.  I'm hoping the two remaining thick wires, which still need to curve their way through her shoulders, will still be workable by the time I'm finished with them.

So now that I've pretty much finished the bust and  begun defining the shoulders, it's time to look ahead again.  All that's left are the shoulders, arms, head and hair.  The head.  Ooooh, the head.  Still not sure how that's going to work.  Still many challenges ahead, but I am finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel.  Hard to believe, when I step back and take a good look at her.  I'm coming up on the seven month point.  Probably another four months or so to go.  She's almost here.

Well, after an incredibly hectic and scattered few months, I'm finally starting to feel some peace sinking back in.  Summer's on its way.  The days are getting longer and it's starting to warm up.  Have I mentioned how much I love daylight savings?  Thoughts of my annual pilgrimage to the Black Rock Desert have begun to surface.  I'm seeing a light at the end of the tunnel with my sculpture.  Life is good.  This song really spoke to me this last week, as things began flowing again.  Justin Vernon of Bon Iver with The Roots doing a stunningly beautiful version of his song Perth.  Feel the peace sinking in...