Newsletter, June 2007

J. CHRISTOPHER WHITE

Parables In Wood

WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING,  WHAT'S BEEN SCULPTED, and WHAT'S IN THE NEAR FUTURE?

Rather than what's been happening, is, hey what happened?  I've got to come up with another adjective beyond busy, to describe this spring, even worse than hectic or exhausting, foolishly over committed might begin to convey the truth more accurately. 

WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING - A quick summary

The 2007 Governor's Show in Loveland, required five pieces to be completed and delivered before our trip to Texas to celebrate my Mom's 80th birthday. While in Texas I collected some great pieces of wood and returned to Colorado with 10 days to do the following:

- Finish three commissions and two major pieces for the 2007 Ward World Competition show in Ocean City, MD

- Refinish the huge music sculpture "Ode to Joy" (right)

(which is now in the Empire State Building in New York City)

- Teach a five day class here in my studio.
 

During this time the Billy Graham organization also contacted me about doing a sculpture for the new Museum and Library that just opened in North Carolina. They had seen my website and were intrigued with my work.  While I was greatly honored by this request their time frame was just not sufficient to allow me to complete a sculpture in time. 

The day after the class ended was the opening of the Governor's Show, which was a great show for me. Just one hour after the show finished we left for Chicago to meet with a client, then on to NYC where "Ode to Joy" was dropped off at The King's College, inside the Empire State Building . Two more sight seeing days in NY, then off to Ocean City, Maryland, for the 2007 Ward World Championship Wildfowl Carving Competition. I judged the interpretive category for beginner, novice, and intermediate levels. We picked up last year's winning piece, "Mid-Stream Reflection" (left), in Ward museum in Salisbury, MD, after the show, then spent two days sight seeing in Washington, DC. We stopped by Indianapolis and Jefferson City, MO on our way home and arrived in Colorado having logged over 4,100 miles on the Suburban.

THINGS SCULPTED

Here are a sampling of some of the pieces that I have finished this year.

Several smaller crosses and alabaster pieces have gone out as well.

THE NEAR FUTURE

Main objective right now is to stay home and learn to enjoy a slower pace while getting ready for Sculpture in the Park. Among the things I am doing for the that show is a new bronzewood meld sculpture of a trout.

The original, made out of juniper, is almost completed and going to the mold maker. I hope to have the original along side a solid bronze and a bronzewood  meld for the August 11-12th show here in Loveland. Since I have a trout in focus, I also have two other juniper trouts in progress. One is a small piece of a leaping trout out of a single piece of wood, the other a mesquite base (sculpture) with a depiction of a trout darting under the water. That trout is out of the best piece of the rippled juniper (appears to have light reflections on it), that I've found in may years.

WORKSHOPS

My September class, here in Loveland is full and I have one slot open in the October class, please check website for details. If there is enough interest I may consider a class August (27-31). Contact me if interested

Aside from a couple of family trips, one to Nebraska and one to Idaho, we only have an August wood hunt in Texas planned -- that seems like a full enough plate. I do have room for a good sized commission piece and plenty of great wood and ideas if anyone is interested in obtaining a piece this summer. Feel free to contact me for any reason. Thank you for your continued interest in me and my work.