#612 In the studio: Cat reference

The role of reference is to inspire thoughts and give anatomical data and proportions.  I recently completed the sculpture of a Cougar shown at right which I posted on the previous blog.

Each individual animal has different shapes and characteristics that are unique to that species.  My goal is to recognize and capture that individuality and this post compares
the anatomy and proportions of large cats.  

While I've only seen a Cougar in the wild twice and both times in Wyoming from a distance, I recently
spent many hours researching the animal in my library and reference room which is attached to the studio.
Research puts me in the "zone" artistically and when I'm there I accumulate everything I can such as
drawings, photos, notes. books, video, clip file,  taxidermy, skulls . . . anything that that makes me
live, think, see, feel, dream, and understand the animal I'm working on. 

While cats such as Cheetah, Leopard, and Lion have similar anatomy, their proportions, skeleton, and behavior are very different.  For more info and anatomical and skeletal data and comparison . . . see blog #479 posted Nov. 17, 2013 thru #483.  Also refer to blog #496 posted Jan. 15, 2014.  Comparative anatomy is an important research consideration.

www.Blog#479     www.Blog # 496

I am fascinated by the motion, movement, and stealth-like behavior of North America's Cougar.

Cougars are slender, agile, secretive, solitary and considered nocturnal predators . . .
They typically hunt by stalking and ambushing and must feed exclusively on meat to survive.

They are very athletic and can jump, climb, and swim. The Cougar (Felix concolor) holds the Guinness record
for the animal with the highest number of names. It has over 40 names in English alone!  Among them:
Cougar, Mountain Lion, Puma, Panther, Jaguar, Catamount, and the list goes on!

The beautiful Cougar can weigh as much as 300 pounds and can be nine feet long including
the tail which like most cats, is used for balance.  Like all cats, the Cougar's bones are joined together very loosely
which allows extreme flexibility of the spine and scapula.  The scapula is so loosely bound to the ribs that they can push up above the spine when the animal crouches.  Cats, in general, are so supple and flexible that their
front limbs (arms) are capable of almost as many motions as our own.  There are five fingers on either hand though the thumb is smaller and higher up than the others, but on the foot, there is no dewclaw and only four toes.

Below, is the Cougar's skeletal silhouette compared to a house cat.

Much can be learned about large cats by observing your house cat.  Below, is a sculpture entitled "Preening Cat".
 Note the flexible vertebrae of the cat's back . . .  most quadrupeds, including dogs, are more
rigidly constructed and do not have the extreme flexibility of the spine.

Cats have supple and flexible bodies and move with stealth and agility.  Below, are extraordinary examples of cat sculptures by famous artists of the past.  Note the flexible spring-like spine in all works.  The first example is
"Tiger Devouring an Antelope" by Antoine Louis Barye (1796 - 1875).

Below, is "Crouching Tiger"  by Rembrandt Bugatti (1884 -1916).

Below, is an image of  "Reaching Jaguar"  by Anna Hyatt Huntington (1876 -1973) which is in our collection.

Go to the BLOG INDEX on the right for more information.  See posts #616 and 655

Blog, text, photos, drawings, and sculpture . . . © Sandy Scott and Trish

#611 In the studio: "Stealth"

I am fascinated by the motion of all cats including Africa's big cats such as the Cheetah, Leopard, and Lion - see blogs #479 through # 483, posted Nov. 17, 2013 until Dec. 1.  I  have several sculptures of the subjects in progress which will be introduced at an upcoming show in August of this year.

http://Blog 479 - 483

Shown at right is Trish with our cat, Ziggy.  Much can be learned about big cats and cats in the wild such as Cougars by observing the locomotion of a house cat.

Recently, the North American Mountain Lion - also called the Cougar - has captured my imagination and

 I have created a new sculpture entitled "Stealth".   In America, Mountain Lion has become the most common name used,
but the proper name used by scientists is Puma . . . (Felis concolor).  There is actually an all black Puma
sometimes seen in Florida.  Below, are two views of the new work. . . "Stealth".

Below, are images of "Stealth" with the first coat of rubber mold material applied including a picture looking down on the sculpture. The rubber presents a sleek and smooth appearance of the clay model, reducing it to an abstract impression lacking modeling detail.  Viewing the sculpture in this manner is akin to a painter "squinting down" on their work!

Animals and animal groups are special unto themselves and each have their own variation of anatomy in motion. 

 Next Wednesday's blog will explore a more in-depth look at cats and how nature designed the beautiful creature.

Go to the BLOG INDEX on the right for more information.

Blog, text, photos, drawings, and sculpture . . . © Sandy Scott and Trish

#507 Throw on another log . . . whisper

There really are no hard, fast rules or principles of design, 
but simplicity, harmony, and subtlety can be a guide.  
Sculpture does not have to shout - it can whisper.

It's possible to put as much, if not more, 
vitality into a sculpture of an animal in a tranquil pose as in 
one depicting violent action.  The viewer can tire of the latter.  

A work of art combines composition, proportion,
and the arrangement of shapes and form to lead
the view to an artistic conclusion.

The greatest expression is communicated through the largest shapes.
The sculptor must say as much as possible with the large forms before being concerned with detail.

There's no technique or trick that can be taught to explain how to create a good, strong shape.

The theory must be felt or sensed to be understood by both the viewer and the artist.

Just as a whisper makes one listen more closely, one looks with greater understanding at uncomplicated
sculptural statements.  Power is gained through simplicity and simple shapes tell greater truths.

Below, are sculptures of quiet poses, modeled from life . . . the style,

sentiment, and spirit was derived from the subject.

Preening Cat

Solitude

Sleepy Fox

Cougar at Ease

Eclipse

To learn more about the subjects in this blog go to the links below.  
For a complete list of the blog index go to the Index Page and 
type the subject in the Search This Blog link on the right.

Blog, text, photos, drawings, and sculpture . . . © Sandy Scott and Trish Smith

#448 In the studio: Nature's one pattern

Nature has designed just one pattern for vertebrate mammals.
Variation in the length and shape of the bones indicate how and where an animal lives, feeds, runs,
crawls, hops, and exists on this planet.  All of the approximately 4,500 known living species of mammals
fall into one or another of 18 orders and all species can be compared to and realized by knowing one pattern.

The artist must understand the skeletal structure of animals and 

know how to use the one pattern inherent to all mammals.

Below is an image of two mammals; a human 

and a quadruped. . . showing nature's one pattern for vertebrate mammals.

Above concept, after Eliot Goldfinger.  See reference page.

Typically, the first animal figure that the art student uses as a model is the horse.
Much can be learned by understanding and using comparative anatomy to establish
correct proportion while modeling any animal.

Domestic cats can give insight into lions, cheetahs, tigers, cougars, etc.

Cats move with grace and agility, have a very flexible spine, and an excellent sense of balance.

Below, is a clay model of a cougar sculpture in progress . . . the animal uses it's long, heavy tail for balance.

Unlike most quadrupeds, a cat's shoulder blades or scapula are so loosely attached
to the ribs that they can push up above the spine when the animal crouches.


Cat in the Creamery
8"H 16"L 7"D

#402 Remarque: "Striding Cougar"

From the sculptor's point of view, the skeleton is the most important part of the anatomy.

The sculptor must know how the bones are arranged and how they articulate before attempting to define muscles.   

As powerful as patina and color are - see posts  #391through #401 . . . 

sculpture is about anatomy, form, locomotion, and the realization of the animal through art.

Striding Cougar

8"H 19"L 6"W 

Copyright - Sandy Scott

#401 At the foundry: Patina, the power of color, con't . . .

Please start this series about patina with post #391, Feb. 13

The use of patina and the colors of bronze has a profound effect on the sculpture's final appearance 

and the impression it makes on the viewer . . . color is more powerful than form.  

I routinely use color to suggest the natural color inherent to a species, such as the North American Mountain Lion,
also know as the Cougar.  The chemical, ferric nitrate, produces a golden tone, which is a logical choice for the mammal's distinctive yellow-gold coat.

Below, is a new work entitled Striding Cougar:
The top two pictures show my final choice of a ferric nitrate patina for the sculpture.
The bottom two pictures show an experiment with a darker patina using liver of sulfur, cupric nitrate,
and a hint of ferric nitrate.  Although the second patina has merit, I decided to repatina the work,
suggest the natural color of the animal and use the golden ferric nitrate chemicals.  In my opinion,
the darker patina imparted a "jaguar or panther look" to the sculpture.

#382 In the Field: Autry Masters, con't . . . "Striding Cougar"

Below, are images of Striding Cougar, another new piece that will be introduced at the 

Autry Museum Masters of the American West Exhibition and Sale next weekend.  

For more information start with post #379, Jan. 22 and go to

http://theautry.org/masters

For information regarding the production and casting of this sculpture start with post # 369, Jan.2.

Striding Cougar
8"H 19"L 6"D
Copyright - Sandy Scott, 2013

#377 In the foundry: "Striding Cougar", lost wax casting, con't . . .

To follow this process from the beginning, scroll back to post #369, January 2.

The patina is a permanent color that is applied to the bronze.
The surface of the sculpture is heated and treated with
chemicals which react with the copper in the bronze.
Various colors can be obtained by using different chemicals.

Shown at right, the bronze cougar has been metal chased, approved by the artist, then sandblasted before it is
taken to the patina room.

Shown below, the bronze cougar is polished  . . . a process called "blue-padding"

Next, the bronze is heated with a propane torch.

Below, ferric nitrate is stippled on while the bronze is hot.

Next, a coating of titanium dioxide is applied over the ferric nitrate.

Next, the bronze continues to be heated and the final coat of ferric nitrate is applied.

Below, patination is complete and the bronze is allowed to throughly cool.

Shown below, a coat of wax is applied to the bronze.

Finally, the bronze is attached to a walnut base.

#376 In the foundry: "Striding Cougar", lost wax casting, con't . . .

To follow this process from the beginning, scroll back to post #369, January 2.

The age-old lost wax casting process has been completed and the cougar is now cast in bronze.

Below, the ceramic shell filled with bronze, has cooled and hardened, and the shell
is broken off with a hammer.  The remaining bits of shell are then sandblasted off.

Below, the bronze sprues are cut off and returned to the
pouring floor where they will be melted down for future use.

Below, the cougar is taken to the welding table and the bronze patches are welded on.  Note the
two bronze patches under the cougar's tail.  As the weld lines are chased away and blended
into the surrounding metal textures, I spend many hours in the foundry.  The metal chasing step
in the process is very important to the artist: The integrity of the surface and what was modeled
into the clay must flow seamlessly.  A metal chaser is a highly trained technician
and must be sensitive to and aware of the sculptors modeling techniques.

#375 In the foundry: "Striding Cougar", lost wax casting, con't . . .

The silica ceramic shell is reheated in the kiln.  It is then placed cup-upwards and molten

bronze - the ingots melted at 2000 degrees - is poured into the space vacated by the wax.

Below, the bronze ingots are melted in a crucible while the ceramic shells are heated in the kiln.

Below, the hot, glowing ceramic shells have been removed from the kiln 

and will be turned cup-upward to accept the liquid molten bronze.

Below, the cougar ceramic shell has been placed on a bed of sand for 

stability, cup-upwards, and liquid, molten bronze is being poured into it.

Below, I've seen the lost-wax casting process many times in 

the foundry, and never tire of watching this ancient process.

Below, the glowing ceramic shell, filled with bronze cools down and hardens.

#374 In the foundry: "Striding Cougar", lost wax casting, con't . . .

To follow this process from the beginning, start with Post #369, January 2.

The hardened silica ceramic shell with the wax cougar inside is placed in a hot furnace kiln and baked.  

The wax melts - or is "lost" -  out the sprues and gates, leaving the silica ceramic shell with a negative

 space identical to the wax casting of the cougar . . . which will be the receptacle for molten bronze.

Shown below, ceramic shells, including the cougar, are loaded on a rack and rolled into a furnace kiln.
 This process is known as burnout. 

Below, the melted wax is dripping out or being "lost" from the shell.  Thus, the term, "lost wax" casting.  

Melted wax will be caught in a tray, drip out the square funnel, then caught in a bucket for reuse.

Shown below, is the "Striding Cougar" on the wax burnout cart.  Note, the large pour spout under
the cougar . . . the cougar shell will be turned upside down and the molten bronze will be poured into this funnel.