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by Koen van Velzen, sculptor in stone and bronze
background | Latest projects

Year review of 2016

ByKoen van Velzen 31-12-201612-02-2026

If one year was well filled with sculpture, then it was 2016 well. It is almost too much to list in an annual overview. It already started in January, with the restoration of two small sandstone statues that were completely in pieces. Time for an annual review of 2016.

Putti from North Holland

In January I repaired two broken Putti. Read part here 1 about the inventorize and part two about it repairs of the two boys. For one boy I had to make a new sandstone bone.

two broken putti of Bentheimer sandstone
Putto met korenaren. Part of sandstone two putti
Diana of Gabii damaged

Artemis

But there was more repair work, first of all the terracotta statue of Diana or Artemis that accompanied the two putti. She was missing an arm, and I restored it with a welded stainless steel frame and restoration mortar.

sculptor Koen van Velzen cutting the statue of Moses from Lambertus church in Veghel with a concrete chainsaw
cut with a chainsaw

Moses and Aaron, Veghel

Then there were the two sandstone statues of Moses and Aaron from Veghel, which I do first had to cut loose from the church (1), and repair and send to Germany for impregnation (2), and finally had to return to the church (3).

Flying buttress figurines from Arnhem

For the Eusebiuskerk in Arnhem I was allowed to start on the first eight flying buttress statues, such as a Wise Maiden and seven trumpet angels, which I had to do first repair and provide (1), before I 14 old and new angels on a journey(2) could send to Arnhem.

Lions for Deventer

For Denver I carved two lions and a lion's head in Bentheimer sandstone. One of these was a mirrored copy of an old statuette, and the other was a new design.

Cunerators in Rhenen

Then there was ornamental work for the Cuneratoren in Rhenen: crockets and wimbergen in Muschel limestone. Read article here 1 about the beginning and article 2 about completing the work.

family crest stone in stone completed, coat of arms carved in Belgian bluestone, arduin, petit granit

Coats of arms in sandstone and bluestone

Hardstone coat of arms

In June I carved a bluestone family coat of arms in Belgian and wrote two blog posts about it. In part 1 find your explanation fore chopping and in part 2 about the ending of it.

Annual Review 2016. Sandstone coat of arms with thistles and rings

Sandstone coat of arms

And in December I made a sandstone coat of arms, and posted an article with a video about making of it.

The removal of the plinth of Hercules at De Schaffelaar Castle in Barneveld. Year review of 2016

A plinth for Barneveld

The recent bronze statue of Hercules was given a new hard stone plinth. I still had a whole job to do sawing loose and hoisting away from the old plinth. Copying and placing the new plinth took place in March 2017.

Memorial in Amersfoort

Year review of 2016: Installing wall coverings on the Appelweg in Amersfoort, at a war memorial

I cleaned a war memorial in Amersfoort and made new sandstone covers for the wall of the fusillade monument on the Appelweg: see part 1 about work andthe placement and part 2about the result.

A marble figurine for another sculptor

Other sculpture

Then there were some smaller assignments in between, such as padukas in black granite, a marble Scallop and a marble cubist image for another sculptor.

carving padukas in black granite
Padukas in black granite
Venus shell or James'shell in Arabescato-marble, polished
A Scallop in Arabescato-marble

Own work

In preparation for my first exhibition ever atArt and Castles in Gronsveld at Maastricht I worked hard this year to make a few more new sculptures. I made a marble statue, two facing stones in sandstone and bronze and a statue in dolomite.

house sign Mermaid, made as a direct carving.
Own work: Mermaid completed
Somnia and Mermaid cast in bronze, finished and patinated.
Image 'New Beginnings', dolomite
New start, dolomite
Statue of yoga pose Ardha Matsyendrasana in Carrara marble
Ardha Matsyendra, marble

Thirty tips

For beginning sculptors I put together three blog posts with tips:

ten tips 1: technique
sandstone falcon Franeker. Copy new stone
ten tips 2: from design to stone
ten tips 3: Direct carving in stone

To win

And after you read those three, could you Win the Sculpture Book and I also let you know who won it.

Equipment

Not everything was rose scent and moonshine 2016. While dismantling the rafters of a future shelter, one of the rafters fell on my arm and cut through a muscle in my forearm. I spent a few weeks at home with a good number of stitches and decided to spend the time well with a few new articles on the blog. One of the most read posts on this blog is my resulting article on the Camera Lucida of 15 March 2016.

When I had long since recovered I supplemented this with an article plus video on how to make a pointing machine unfortunately, dating from 31 July.

various

Finally, there was another article about the Natural Stone Award , which I received for my work on a sandstone canopy and an article about it cultivating lichens.

Baldachin for the St. John's Cathedral in 's-Hertogenbosch in Udelfanger sandstone

Furthermore, I still have assignments that I do not share on my blog and therefore not in this annual overview 2016.

All very nice and inspiring 2017!
Read here the annual overview 2017.

Beeldhouwerijblog.nl is the blog of Koen van Velzen, sculptor in stone and bronze.
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Report tags: #background#exposition#Annual Review#to go#finial#restoration

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