I finally had time to get some of my small plaster and resin casting work done. One eye and the ear are plaster. The other eye is resin. They are finished with metallic paint. www.mikemccarthysculptor.com #mikemccarthy #mikemccarthysculptor #mikemccarthysculpture #art #figurativeart #casting #resincasts #plastercasts #louisvilleart #sculpturegallery #sculpture #contemporaryart
New Marble Blocks Delivered /
Look what arrived today!! The block for my Cave Hill project arrived today. It is the top block on the stack. It is Sylacauga Marble. I first carved this stone at the Sylacauga Marble Festival. It is a beautiful white marble with a light veining. The block is starting at 4400 pounds and will be somewhere around 800 pounds once it is finished so it will decidedly NOT part of my “Couch Carving” series!! It is always so much fun to get new toys in to play with. Thanks to Karen Terhune for unloading it for me!
Timelapse video of “Serenity” an Indiana Limestone Fountain /
I finally had time to make this new video of an older piece, “Serenity”. This is the first fountain I had carved. The video is comprised of images I took at the end of most carving days so you see the progress and a bit of the thought process trying to get the water to cooperate. It was a very fun and challenging project
#mikemccarthysculpture #mikemccarthysculptor #contemporarysculpture #stone #contemporaryart #art #gardensculpture #gardenart #waterfountain #MikeMcCarthy
Pate this link in your browser to see the video:
https://youtu.be/hdUo1sajU08?si=NJikPba7kg5-wTuj
Splitting Stone with Feathers and Wedges /
I have a new block of marble coming in next week for a grave monument I will be carving for a local cemetery, Cave Hill. The block will be nearly six feet long and I cannot be over four feet. It is also 20” x 25”, so I will be using feathers and wedges to split off the nearly two feet of stone I don’t need. This process is as old as the ancient masters. The method is a combination of hole drilling and pressure. The feathers are placed in drilled holes. A wedge is then pounded between the feathers. Over time, the pressure of the wedges against the feathers splits the stone. It is a super cool process! Below, I have added a video link from my YouTube page the shows me splitting a block of limestone. Check it out.
https://youtu.be/2wCUbvKy0qs?si=7C7TMQeoVz8CT0aE
“My Brain Won’t Stop” video goes over 1200 views on YouTube /
I don’t do a lot of publishing on YouTube, so I don’t have a history of what is good or not when it comes to views. However, my latest video “Carving My Brain Won’t Stop” has done really well. It hit 1000 views in the first two days. As of this writing, it has 1282 views and 36 likes. The closest to that of video I have published is “Splitting Indiana Limestone Using Feathers and Wedges”. I published that one six years ago and it has 794 views. So, quite the change.
I really enjoy putting videos together that show the process of carving stone. I believe it is a dying expression of art. I hope these videos will inspire others to try it. I am totally in love wit carving stone and hope others will find that same feeling.
Check out and give a like to my “Carving My Brain Won’t Stop” video by clicking on the link below:
https://youtu.be/OrfljaL93EI?si=LfslQmmwCYrKg8NS
You can also see “Splitting Indiana Limestone Using Feathers and Wedges” by clicking on this link:
https://youtu.be/2wCUbvKy0qs?si=pbLZ3o3R2kJ8QKgJ
What is Creativity? /
I consider myself a creative person, many folks I talk to say they don’t have a creative bone in their body. I find that interesting and love to hear what people think of when they use the word creativity and how they describe creativity.
For me, creativity is using imagination to solve problems. In my opinion, it is not exclusive to art, although it is critical for the artistic process.
What are your thoughts? How do you answer the question “What is Creativity?”
Sanding an Indiana Limestone horse head sculpture that is headed for New York /
Here is a short video of some of the finishing work on one of my 12 Indiana Limestone horse heads that are going to Long Island, New York.
The Making of "Resurrection Stone Bench" for St. Mary's of the Knobs in New Albany, IN. /
This video shows the carving of the “Resurrection Burial Bench” for St. Mary of the Knobs Catholic Church in New Albany, IN. It shows from the beginning as a raw block of Indiana Limestone to the final placement of the completed sculpture in St. Mary’s sanctuary as part of their Rosary walk.