Back to Colorado, Part Three
The bird isn't the only part of a complete sculpture. To wrap up his canyon wren project, Jerry Simchuk demonstrates how to rock out.
The couple who commissioned the canyon wren asked if I would place the carved bird on a favorite rock they had collected from their former home in Colorado. I told them I would carve a replica of the rock instead. That way, I could make the bird and rock form a cohesive unit. After all, the habitat is a part of the sculpture, so if you want to control the overall composition and balance, it is important to carve the habitat, too.
The rock that provided the model for this project is a type of sandstone found in the eastern parts of Colorado. This particular rock had additional interest beyond its own shape and texture because of the variety of lichen and moss on it. For this sculpture, I wanted to replicate not only the rock but also some of the lichen and moss.
This article is from the Winter 2011 issue. For more information on our issues, check out our issues page.