Closing out a hard week

Just finished a rough week. Our SORT just went through our yearly recertification. It's three days of written, practical and physical testing. I'm always glad when it's over. We have a barbecue at a friend's house and have a few beers. We're having a little get together at our house for family to celebrate Memorial Day. It should be fun. The Tulsa show is very near and I'm as ready as I'll be. I'll have five pieces this year and what I think is one of my best displays ever.

Workbench update; I just finished off the miner I sculpted. I think it could be one of my best pieces ever. I didn't capture the look I wanted, but it's close enough, and I'm very pleased with the result. I can now get back to some sculpting projects. The Pawnee Scout will get top priority, with a couple of modern guys close behind. My collaboration with Kreston Peckham will also get some attention. The deck and bulkheads are what I have left. I have a couple of problems to solve first, but then it should go smoothly.

Been a while

It's been a while since my last update. A lot has happened since my last entry. Not much in the miniature arena I'm afraid. I have several projects on the bench in various states of completion.

The last few weeks have seen lots of personal and family activity. I started playing softball again recently and that's been fun. We had our annual Correctional Worker's week activities, lots of good food, booze and fun. The Wednesday night volleyball tourney resulted in an aggrevated knee for me. JB and I went on a 10 mile backpacking trip Mother's day weekend. This was in preparation for our Philmont trek. This week, we're in the middle of recertifying out SORT. We had an awfully physical day today. There are still some difficult events to complete, but basically it's downhill from here.

Workbench update; not much to tell here. My main focus has been the miner. I have painted most of the figure, with only the flesh, helmet and coat collar left to do. I have sculpted intermittantly, but no real results to show. I had a minor mishap with a modern figure. Trying to seperate arm from torso, I destroyed a bit of the finished work. This will be easy enough to fix though. Hopefully, I'll have some pictures to show before the Tulsa show on June 1st.

Spring has sprung

Well, after some erratic weather here in the midwest I think we might finally have some consistant spring weather. It's been very busy around the household. I started playing coed softball after a long hiatus. It's been fun. It's a church team and everyone is fun to play with. It's been a little hard on my 41 year old body though. We finally got the car licensed. It took a while to get all the paperwork, but now it's done.

Since the last writing we've seen the passing of a couple of fellows that have served the miniature figure hobby well in their lives. Bob Knee passed this past week and Dieter Mattingly the week before. Bob was very active in the hobby with many articles to his credit. Bob could be seen at every Atlanta show. I met him a few years ago and was immediately impressed with his openness and warm nature. Dieter was well known and well collected and had been for many years. He had contagious enthusiasm and was key in getting many folks their start in painting miniatures. He was a key organizer of what would become the HMSNEO, host of the Tulsa show. Both of these fellows will be missed by all who knew them. We're all richer for having experienced their gifts.

Workbench update: It's been a while since my last update. I have been quite busy at the bench. I have moved to the painting of my 1920's miner, and the joint project with Kreston has moved to the backdrop/groundwork stage. I'm looking forward to getting some stuff done for Tulsa. I should have the miner ready by then and I imagine I'll have about four pieces.

Trip to the movie house

I went to see 300 the ohter day with my son. I had planned to go with friends as well, but jury duty precluded this. I had to go to a later viewing than planned, so it was just my son and me. The film was a lot of fun and very faithful to Frank Miller's comic book vision. I was a bit disappointed that I didn't find it very moving. I was expecting something like Gladiator, or Saving Private Ryan I suppose. I felt the sacrifice of the Spartans and their cohorts at Thermopolae deserved a bit more reverence. That's a small point I think and probably not the vision that the producers had in mind. I love going to the movies and 300 is a prime example of the type of movie that must be seen in the theater. Grindhouse is the next film up for me and my movie buds.

My home show, HMSNEO's Tulsa show, is coming up very soon. HMSNEO INFORMATION HERE Pieces are being gathered up in anticipation for the fund-raising auction. I've donated my ACW Cavalry General to the cause. I'm sure others will be added as we get closer to show time.

My wife bought a used car yesterday. It was a new experience for her as I've always taken care of these things in the past. She did a good job and got one of the best deals we ever got on a used car. It's an '05 Nissan Altima and a nice ride.

Workbench update; I finished the Royal Horse Artillery figure. I've been working a bit on my joint project with Kreston. Sculpting with differnt materials in mind is a little challenging. Leather behaves a little different than wool, wool different than linen etc.. I'm also knee deep in a project for Der Bunte Rock, a Pawnee scout from the Indian wars. I'm returning to the spaceman I started a while back. I'll be trying to come up with a scene for him to occupy. My 1920's miner has stalled a bit because I wasn't happy with the drapery of the denim jacket. I'll get back to it today. I really want to have it completed in time for Tulsa.

Spring Break

I was reminded this week of a live chat thing that a few of us in the hobby used to be involved with. It was a live chat room in which the participants talked like we were on a party line or conference call. It was a lot of fun. I met and got to know people from as far away as Australia, and Scotland. It was quite a bit of fun, very close to a local club meeting or a show hospitality room.

Workbench Update: The photos are examples of what is going on in the studio lately. I actually have a lot of sculpting going on other than what you see. I only have one painting project going on right now and that is the Royal Horse Artillery by Elite. This is a real cracker jack of a figure. It has been pleasure to paint so far. I've also gotten a little bit of an education along the way as I researched the uniform. The sculpting project in the photo is a joint project I've entered into with Kreston Peckham. I'll reveal the subject after the project has progressed futher.

Art?

As I sat in church today listening to the music, I thought of how moving "Ode to Joy" was as the young lady played it on the violin. Afterward I thought, "That is the stuff of art." A piece of music, a painting, a sculpture, these can all evoke emotions. Perhaps this is the difference between art and craft. Do we, as miniaturists, create art? The answer, sometimes. I've seen a few pieces that I would consider "moving". Most of them merely recreate in miniature some scene, usually historical. They do require artistic skill, but so do many other things that are not art. I would like to say that what I do is art. I think more accurately, it is artistic. I aspire to art when I create something, but I have to admit to myself, I haven't gotten there yet. I also have to say that the skill, and craftsmanship must be present before art can be accomplished in this medium. I'll continue to hammer away until I get there. I think I've found a new motivating goal.

I have been experimenting with poses this past week and had one of those lightning bolt moments. I had assembled a mannequin and was trying to accomplish that relaxed, weight on one foot pose so common in miniatures. It was not working. The guy was wooden and unnatural. I tried everything I could think of, then as I stood in my studio grinding away with my dremel, I became aware of how I was standing. Then it was clear, tilt the pelvis! I dropped the Dremel, grabbed the figure, tilted the pelvis, the result was like magic. I haven't been able to quit thinking about it and why I didn't get it before. This is why I do this. One of those moments is worth all the frustration and failures of the entire year.

Workbench update: As stated I've been working with poses and anatomy. I have sculpted a Harpooner, and what will become a 1920's miner(see above). I have also embelleished a sci-fi piece. I built a life support backpack and helmet for him. What a hoot. I have undercoated the RHA discussed in the last update. I have started on the sculpting for a joint project with Kreston Peckham. More on that later.

There is nothing as dumb as.....

someone else's hobby. The Atlanta show is a week old by this writing. It was an excellent time as usual. This was my fifth or sixth trip to Atlanta. I always find it a terrific time. This one was no exception. Shows have become such a social event for me. I used to read on the message boards and in magazine show reports that it wasn't about the awards, it was about meeting up with friends. I used to think that was a lot of BS. In the past three to four years, I've come to realize the truth. It is about the social aspect. I enjoy having the recognition of a medal, but this has really become secondary. Sharing my hobby with others that are just as enthusiastic about it as I am is truly satisfying. Other folks that aren't involved in the hobby may appreciate the work, but unless they have done something like that, they don't really know what it's about. When you go to a figure show, everyone has the same interest. To share with others something that is so enjoyable to yourself is how friendships are made.







Workbench update: I started a sci-fi piece. I plan to convert a Andrea/3d miniatures slightly. I can't imagin that it was a very popular kit, but it is nicely cast. I'm in the process of creating space helmet and life support pack for him. I haven't decided the context for this figure yet, but I'm thinking something like "Outland". I also received the Elite Miniatures "Royal Horse Artillery". Cleanup was minimal, which is the reward for buying a figure while it's relatively new on the scene. The molds haven't begun to age yet. I want to improve my painting and I've found the best way to do that is with a high quality figure, a "painter's figure". Minimal cleanup and filling are two qualities of the "painter's figure", good sculpting casting are two more. A few thing to work on for me are blending, and simulating the direction of light. This figure has some unsculpted details that should be fun too.

Wrapping one up

I hate to add another entry so soon, but I just took photos of this one and wanted to share. I tried several different things on this one. Some I liked and some I didn't. I tried a few shortcuts that I'm regretful of. Not so regretful that I would redo any of them. More pics here.I'm looking forward to getting back to sculpting. I have a joint project coming up and a shadowbox that I wish to do. I watched 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Saturday night. I think a Ned Land figure poised with harpoon may be my next original piece. We'll see.

Saturday routine

I love Saturdays. I've come to really appreciate the relaxed mornings and the quiet afternoons of a typical Saturday. Many of my Saturdays are spent in this way; get coffee and breakfast and listen to Weekend Edition on NPR. After that I watch Bob Ross crank out a canvas painting until about 10:30. I try to be at the workbench by this time. These are ingredients to a good day at the workbench. Today is one of those Saturdays, the first for me in a while.

Anders and I made the trek to Tulsa last night for the monthly meeting. February is the club's annual swap-meet. I took several kits and sold a few of them. I managed to walk out without buying anything. The club gained a couple of new members due in large part to painting classes held at The Hussar. I've come to realize what a special situation we have in Tulsa. There is an active club, a unique shop in which we meet and a committed and creative core group of members. The club has a long reach as well, with members in Dallas, OK city, and of course here in Springfield, MO. I don't get to attend meetings as much as in the past. When I do get to go, I'm reminded of what a special situation we have with the partnership of HMSNEO and The Hussar.

Hobby commentary: I got invloved in a discussion on one of the armor modelling boards the other day regarding the difference between a diorama and a vignette. A difficult thing to quantify. My view has always been that I know one when I see it. I think some contest venues exacerbate this pigeon-holing problem when they have different classes for each. How do I enter my piece? Or worse, I need to make the base for my subject X" x Y" and include a vehicle and N figures so I can place my piece in the Dioramas category. I have to say, I'm glad that most figure exhibitions avoid this by having only two categories in the advanced division.

Workbench update: Painting progresses on the 1st SSF diorama. One figure is completed and the other is getting there. A couple of sessions at the bench should see the dioramas completion. I will have to touch up a few areas. I had to make some necessary repairs due to a small accident involving the kneeling figure. Not as bad as it could have been. I'll take photos and post them soon. Atlanta is coming soon and I'm just about ready.............

"The joint's a lonely place after lights out and lock-up"- H.I. McDonough, Raising Arizona

Got a little cold I'm fighting off and I'm quite tired from back to back out of town trips. Both were interesting in their own way. One was a Scouting trip to the Tulsa Air and Space Museum. The boys had a great time and earned their Aviation Merit Badge. I learned a new respect for aviators. It's a terribly difficult skill, requiring skill, intelligence and perseverance. Fellow miniaturist Kim Jones ins the curator there. If you find yourself in Tulsa, give it a visit. You won't be disappointed. The other trip was work related. The Federal Bureau of Prisons North Central region held its biannual Crisis Management Training at the facility in Marion Illinois. For a number of years I've been involved with SORT, the Bureau of Prison's version of SWAT. For the last three years, I've been involved in training SORT Operators in tactical skills. For this most recent version of CMT I was assigned to the firing range to provide training in advanced weapons handling. The diagram shows an example of my room for the last few days. Here's an ARTICLE that explains it pretty well without getting me in trouble with the management. Hope you find it interesting. The training week certainly was.

Workbench update; As I've been gone there is little to report. I did manage to stop by the Hussar today and pick up the latest HM. I progressed ever so slightly on the 1st SSF fellows and expect to get at them in earnest in the coming days. More pics will follow.

Icy grip

Well, we've had quite the adventure lately. An ice storm, the worst in memory, came through last weekend. Another winter storm is in progress right now. I've never seen the like of ruined trees. It's as if a large lawn mower came in about 15 feet high and trimmed things down. I have also see several large trees uprooted due to the weight of ice on upper branches. My son and I helped one of my workmates remove trees from their long driveway. At one point 90% of the folks in our county were without power, including us. We were lucky and got our power back within 24 hours. Others are still without a week later. I'm told as many as 50% are still without power. Generators are flying off the shelf. My good friend and fellow figurista, Anders and his girlfriend were without for a few days and came to stay with us. Hopefully, we'll see a break in the weather and folks will get power back soon.



Workbench update; I've finished the groundwork for the ECW Cavalier. I still have to construct and paint the scabard, then attach the figure. I will then add some pastels to tie everything together. I have also progressed a bit on the 1st SSF figures. I'm experimenting with a new(to me) oil painting technique. I apply the undercoat as usual, then I add the midtone in oils. That is allowed to dry for 24 hours. Then I go back and add the shadows and blend. Then the highlights are added and blended. I call it wet-on-damp. Enough blending occurs with the damp/dry midtone that it allows a smooth transition without the worry of muddying the tones. It's experimantal and the jury's out on how well I like it.

January update

Workbench update; I finished up the ECW figure. There are stil the pistols to add, but I may leave them off. I am planning on doing the figure with a horse at some point in the future. For now he will occupy a base with gabions as if standing near a breached fortification. I have begun painting the uniforms on the 1st SSF fellows. Completing the diorama for AMFS is becoming increasingly less likely. I've pushed through before to make a show and was sorry. I'll just have to see if lightning strikes. I expect to have a three or four pieces anyway.

I wish to improve my photography skills. My biggest problem is when I'm ready to take photos of my work, I'm in somewhat of a hurry. A photo setup is large and somewhat intrusive in my small workspace. I'll work on it in the coming year. Something else I wish to work on is my blending technique. In oil painting, blending makes or breaks the piece. I asked for advice in Timelines, and got some good advice. It's all about improving from figure to figure, to me anyway. If you do what you've always done, expect what you've always gotten.

Christmas Past

Well another successful Christmas. We managed to get my folks at my house here this year for Christmas eve gift exchange and perpetual Hors D'oeurves bar. Then today we went to my Father-in-Law's house for more of the same. We still have a New Years day event with the Mother-in-Law. This holiday season included dog sitting for my nieces Christmas present- an Chihuahua puppy! What a hoot. I'm off work through New Years day and have high hopes of getting some bench-time.

Workbench update; I'm nearing completion of the groundwork for the diorama. Just a few details to add and I can begin painting in earnest. I imagine it'll be painting from now until AMFS with a short diversion toward groundwork for the ECW cavalry guy. Speaking of the cavalryman, he is mostly assembled and almost ready to finish. Hopefully this week will see his completion.

Chrismas is right 'round the corner

I finally got busy at the bench. What you see is how far I've gotten on the groundwork project for Timelines. I have also gotten a bit further on detailing and painting the shed. I decided to redo that a bit.

Lots has happened since my last real update. We had a terrific snow here a while back and my son went on a Boy Scout camping trip. They stayed in a cabin and most of the kids brought sleds. I gather that they had a terrific time. I had a long week last week I outlined earlier. 48 hours OT in five days left me a little spent. Motivation and energy is returning slowly. There have been the usual round of holiday partys and other activities. I have a week off over the holidays and I'm looking forward to it. My brother and his family will back this way by then and I look forward to seeing them. My good friend Brian and I have vowed to hit the mountain biking trail if weather permits over the Christmas break. If I remember to, I'll get some photos of that. Until next time, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Interruptions

Well, life gets in the way sometimes, doesn't it? I have not been able to get much done the last week or so. I had a temporary change in duty at work this week that will extend through Monday. Working noon to midnight leaves very little private time. To add to the frustration, the furnace has been acting up and requires a certain amount of carressing to become operational. I may get in to the nuts and bolts of it after the whole thing is history. I missed our office Christmas party too. Hopefully things will be baack to normal by mid-week.

Workbench update; no pictures to share, but I did get a bit of work done on the ECW figure. I repainted the eyes. I felt like they need a different look. I also added a bit of blood seeping from the cut on the cheek and some also on the lace collar. I found it difficult to create a realistic look. I think I succeded in the end. It did take a couple of tries though. Pictures to follow soon. I made some minor adjustments to the 1st SSF diorama. The figures seemed too far forward and I moved them back slightly. I still intend to have all of this done for the AMFS show in February. I'll have to push some.

A new month

Well, we are under a blanket of snow and ice here in SW Missouri. It's been a good couple of days to hole up at home. A late night call took me back in to work last night and had me up way past my bed time. Luckily I was off today and able to sleep in and cathc an afternoon nap. I've learned to love all the seasons for what they are. Even the bitter cold of winter has its charm.

Bench update; More painting on the ECW Rounhead. I had a Bob Ross "happy accident" with this guy. I wanted to accentuate the highlights on the sash. I added some more white to my highlights and as I was hitting the tops of all the folds. I started in the middle, and in the progress noticed that was all that was needed. In fact it was a case where less is more. The extreme highlight in key places was just the thing to create some shine and dimension.

The diorama is progressing nicely. It is the subject of tutorial/group project on Timelines forum. Groundwork Tutorial I hope everyone gets a little something out of it.

Post Thanksgiving reflections

I've been bust at the bench actually. Painting on the Roundhead is going well. I have started the painting on the 1st SSF fellows. I will be leading a portion of a group project on Timelines. The subject is groundwork and I will be doing an urban scene. Inspired by the work of Greg Difranco, I am considering painting my 1st SSF diorama as if it were happening by moonlight. It's a bold move for me and I may abandon the idea if a step doesn't go well. We shall see. Expect a couple of figure reviews soon also for Timelines.


This is the first Thanksgiving in the last several years that my wife hasn't had to work. During this period, as a family, we would eat dinner at the hospital where she worked. She's in a new postion now and we were able to have Thanksgiving dinner with my family. It was a blessing. My cousins and I also divided my late Aunt's Christmas ornaments. That brought back many memories and several laughs.

November already!

I can't believe how long it's been since I posted.

Veteran's day has passed, happy Veteran's day to all the Vets out there.

Folks, I'm told our WWII Vets are leaving us at the rate of 1000/day. I went to the visitation of an old friend's Grandfather. This kind of drove the point home to me. He was a WWII veteran. The funeral was to include an Honor Guard. I was sorry that I couldn't attend.

Workbench update. I have finished the sculpting on the victim of a knife attack for my diorama of the Devil's Brigade. I have resculpted an ECW Roundhead. Painting has begun on the ECW and the 1st SSF figures. My friend Paul Kernan sent me a link the other day regarding a reality show they're broadcasting in Cananda. It's about the 1st SSF. I gather it's a lot like our PBS reality shows. Modern folks are plugged into situations of the past. What a great show that'll be. Maybe we'll get some version of it.

Back to the bench

Usually I return from a show ready to crank out many inspired pieces. While I have plans, life gets in the way. A very busy week and fatigue have precluded any model building. I've packed away most of the stuff I bought at the MMSI show.

The Cards won the World Series this week and I could have peed my pants. I watched the last 1 1/2 innings standing up. The first world Championship since I was a Junior in high school. Awesome! I know noone outside of middle America cared, but here it was incredible.

The other day I was walking down the hall at work and had one of those episodes when certain smells trigger memories. I don't know what the aroma was, but it was distinctly like the one I used to smell at my Grampa Long's when he lived near our house. I used to get off the bus at there and stay there until my folks got home. The aroma was a potpouri of supper cooking, oak smoldering in the wood stove and plug tobacco. If I could I'd bottle the stuff and then I'd self medicate with this nostalgic elixir. Because for an all too brief instant I was seven years old again and sitting in his living room with a tv tray of after-school snacks in front of me and a quiet old man behind me. How could a boy feel more secure?

Back fom Chicago

My good friend Anders and I returned from the MMSI show late last night. The trip home seemed a long one this time. The show was an excellent experience again. I'm truly amazed at the openness of figure modellers to help one another attain another level of achievement. It was great to see old friends and meet some new ones this year. I was able to make face-to-face contact with a very nice gentleman for whom I had sculpted a couple of masters. Michael Von Kolpinski, the owner of Der Bunte Rocke had travelled from Germany to Chicago for the first time and I believe had a terrific time. It was very enjoyable to discuss past and future projects with him. I was also fortunate enough to get some very helpful advice from one of America's most talented painters. Greg Difranco was very complimentary of my work in general while at the same time providing some excellent advice on what to do to improve my work. There was some truly inspirational work on display. I used to read the show coverage in the magazines with slight disbelief when I read that the shows were about meeting old and new friends. I always thought they were about seeing the excellent work of other artists. After I had the opportunity to visit a few shows, I found that what the reporter said in their articles was true. The work becomes a medium for coming together. These are truly social events, where much fun is had.

I do have a few minor negatives. The hotel, while very nice and accomodating was like all hotels geared toward the business traveller. Extra charges for local calls and internet access was unfortunate in my opinion. This is obviously geared toward the business person on expense account, and not the casual weekender on a budget. The hospitaliuty suite would have been better if it could have been housed in one room instead of spread between two or three. The room where the awards were given out was a bit too small and it was difficult for the crowd in the hall to hear. A page of the awards was left out for about the third time that I know of. This seems to be a recurring event at the Chicago show. Not major things, but I felt they were worth mentioning.

Overall this was one of the best figure events I have attended. The new hotel was nice, the club was accomodating, the attendees were friendly and open, I sold a piece and obtained a couple of future deals, and bought a handful of useful items. What more could a person ask for. Advice for other figure modellers...Get thee to a Show!