Tag archive: measuring

Two stolen facade reliefs: a head and a spoonbill

My comeback on this blog!

I've recently had many different projects in progress and have just not gotten round to post any messages about them on this blog. But, fortunately we still have the pictures, as the businessman said when he saw his million dollar yacht sinking. This project has been an interesting challenge in between all the ornamental work. The job on hand was about two facade reliefs of a spoonbill and buddha head from Haarlem.

The original stone ornaments came from the façade of the Lutheran Orphan's and Old Men's Home, which was built in 1906. After the demolition of this home, the stones were reused in the garden wall of the Vitae Vesper Elderly Nursing Home that in 2015 was demolished again itself. An apartment building was constructed on this site and the reliefs remained behind, discarded and orphaned. The Lutheran Kerkbestuur wild …Read the whole article… →

Corbel for the Eusebius Tower: a bird-like beast?

Bird beast: a copy of a tufa stone corbel by John Grosman in new Muschelkalk limestone for the Eusebius Tower in Arnhem
One of the last of the 10 corbels for the South- and North side of the tower of the Eusebius Church at 23 meters high was this winged bird-like beast. It sits somewhat cramped in its corner and there spreads its claws and wings. This piece was originally …Read the whole article… →

Corbel: 1 lady with two doves

Copy of Corbel in new Muschelkalksteen of 1 lady with two doves

Lady with two doves

As you can read in the most recent posts on this blog, these past few weeks I've been busy carving corbels for the Eusebius Tower. This tower of the Eusebius Church in Arnhem has been covered in scaffolds for several years already, to …Read the whole article… →

Pan in Red Porphyry (1) (video)

block of porphyry for plaster image of Panwooden frame for plaster model. for Pan sculpture in porphyry

Resumed

I finally continued with my plaster statue of Pan (read here more about it). After much doubt about a beautiful red block of granite it ultimately became a piece of Chinese Porphyry. It is not too expensive, it's easier to carve and looks stunning.

I thought I could take the opportunity to …Read the whole article… →

A Bear with a honeypot (flying buttress figurine)

The bear that didn't look like a bear

flying buttress statuette of bear with honeypot - old original tuff

flying buttress statuette bear with honey -new copy in muschelkalk limestone

And then the bear came with its long snout and blew out… no, he ate all the honey. This 'bear’ was the next flying buttress figurine for St. Eusebius's Church in Arnhem which was to be copied into new stone. Only you have to look very good …Read the whole article… →

An interesting gable stone

A plaque in the making for the Blue Tram street in Haarlem

Last week I started on a very interesting challenge: the carving of a new gable stone relief. The project deserves some explanation, because it includes a lot more than just this one relief. …Read the whole article… →

A reclining bull in white marble

block of marble for lying bull in white marble

It's been a bit quiet on my blog, because I a big job had in progress. Messages about that to follow later, because it is not finished yet. But last week I carved a reclining bull in white marble.
My father asked me: 'How do you take on such a project, how do you make such an animal?’ I explained to him that …Read the whole article… →

A video of a pointing machine

pointing machine with wooden cross and brass needle

Pointing machine with wooden cross and brass needle

pointing machine with needle and stop

The needle of the Pointing machine with the stop

YouTube can be a convenient medium if you are looking for something… like how a pointing machine actually works. That's how I came across a video by sculptor Jason Arkles (The Sculptor’s Funeral): ‘How to use a pointing machine for carving marble’. …Read the whole article… →

Coat of arms in stone completed

family crest stone in stone completed, coat of arms carved in Belgian bluestone, arduin, petit granit-to the first post about this project-

These past few weeks I carved a family coat of arms in stone for a customer.
It was a top quality piece of stone, as I found out soon enough: I never encountered such a rock hard piece of Belgian blue stone (arduin) in my previous works. This piece therefore more than deserved its name of ‘petit granit‘ by right then. It tested my skills to the limit, I have to say, and also my chisels; frequently the tungsten carbide chisel chipped at its cutting edge. …Read the whole article… →