Mike DeWolfe : The Daily Edition

I'm planning on embarking on some new art projects this fall. I usually work in clay and polymers; video; and photography. I have some big sculptures. I want to democratize this next part of the process: What should I make? Click Here to take survey

cthulhu's_voyage Originally uploaded by triviaqueen In preparation for the sale of our lovely townhouse-- just a block away from the ocean near downtown Victoria, I had to dispense with my sculpture project : the fibreglass water fountain of Cthulhu ( 2 ). Dion , a friend of mine, was good enough to volunteer up his backyard as short term storage. The trick: getting it there. Like its creator, Cthulhu has undergone a slow but steady weight gain. It started out as a BBQ stand on a plank of wood; add in the forming and armature elements; then the plastering; MANY layers of fibreglass and resin; then some mortared stonework. He moved from an easy to shuffle 40 lbs. up to approximately 250 pounds plus. First challenge: getting it off of our property. I tried the patio door. Hah! Despite some strident ressistance (resistence is futile), I removed one of the fencing sections and trucked out on rollers. I was going to wheel around to the parking lot but the walkway was too narrow. So, Ch...

My Cthulhu water fountain is done! This project started as a way to constructively dispose of recycling and construction debris. He was finished off in many layers of expanding foam (Great Stuff foam); and layer after layer of fibreglass and resin. He is man sized (on his perch his head tops at about 5 feet). He is a composite of wood, metal, stone, plastic, wire mesh, expanding foam, plumbers cement, fibreglass mess and polyester resin. The model in his arm is a plastic model of a PT boat, covered in resin. A tube that leads through the body pipes water from a hose attachment up through the arm and out. Combine the Zen calm of a water fountain with the Lovecraftian nightmare of a cold and uncaring universe. Links out: Youtube Flickr My site Wifey's site As we are moving, I am planning on selling this! Anyone want the type of lawn ornament that will keep Aunt Ethel quiet all night as she peers out the window afraid that the Apocolypse is at hand?

My wife and daughter conspired to give me a nice day today: I woke up to a bag of clay products (sculpey and plasticene) along with a copy of Rampage for the Wii and 2000 Wii Credits (200 quatloos on the newcomer!) Dim-sum brunch (wifey collected items from the Fisgard Market) I puttered on my PLR Hub module for Drupal (to tie into a nearly complete PLR Exchange module-- more on that later on my tech blog ). When the sun hit Cthulhu , I went out there, applied green-stuff putty in key spots; then laid down the remainder of my fibreglass. I came in, did some more work on the PLR Hub module; then kiddo and I started worked on the principal character for our upcoming, stop motion project (working title, "Crazy Frog on a Rocket"-- I refuse to divulge plot points). I did a quickie proof-of-concept demonstration of the claymation animation process in action. Happy Father's Day!

Here's a look at how my sculpture project has evolved over the last year. Has it been just one year?

Supplies for my Cthulhu Sculpture Voting starts in 0 minutes

This sculpture project has a special feature: It also acts as a water fountain! Stay tuned for a construction update.

So, I have been experimenting with how to lay down the most optimal amount of foam. Because I am using a positive molding process (positive: material goes over a surface; negative: material goes into a mold), I have to contend with the material I lay down expanding in the wrong direction. The spray foam (e.g. Great Stuff) slowly and inexorably puffs in the direction of least resistence-- the air. When it sets it looks like a burn victim/bubble bath gone wrong. So, I started experimenting with corralling . The downside: it uses ALOT of duct tape. The upside: it does work. I have to take a one week break from this project. When I resume, I will try experimenting with tin foil (it's not just for hats anymore) plus some duct tape. If it goes very well, I may write a long piece of sculpting with Great Stuff foam and post it to " So Very Helpful ."

I have continued to work on my Cthulhu sculpture. What was a woeful combination of cat litter bins and a leftover BBQ is now looking a little more sculpture-like. If you missed my last post, the plan: turn all of my recycling and leftover junk into the foundation of a sculpture. My goal: to make a sculpture of the Great Cthulhu from the Lovecraftian mythology. While I started with a very precise look, I looked around for artwork-- examples to talk a lead from. It turns out that almost every artist has their own take on what Cthulhu looks like. So, Add me to this pile. I have built mine with a big tail, small legs, large arms. It will have large wings with the characteristic head o'tentacles. My logical foundation for the dimensions: Cthulhu is a sci-fi/horror character built as a creature of space where legs (read: walking) are overrated. The tail is a counter balance. It's true means of propulsion will be its wings. For that matter: wings, arms and legs mean that Cthulhu is s...

I have started a Project Diary on my part of the ThoseDeWolfes site . Over the course of the next few months. I am going to build a 6-8 foot tall sculpture of the Lovecraftian creature, Cthulhu. Why Cthulhu? He looks cool. Lovecraft had some great ideas and some lousy ideas. If he were alive today, he'd like be a shut-in and a trekkie. Back in the 1910s and 1920s, he had to make up his own combination fo sci-fi and horror. As I am a shut-in and a geek, I guess I'm drawn to his work. Why a sculpture? I love to sculpt. Because of space limitations, I haven't been able to work on anything large. An overhaul of the deck and a cheapness on my part (I ain't paying no junk man $30!) I thought this could be a wild project. What am I using? I am recycling. We did an overhaul of our patio. We junked old wood. We had chunks of a BBQ. I had rolls of wire mesh. I have a lot of crap. Rather than throw it away, I am going to work it into a sculpture of Cthulhu perched upon a pede...