The very first thing was to bust off the corners of the big square granite block. These are shims and wedges fitted into drill holes. Hit 'em with a hammer and off pops the corner . . .
Before starting, I spent a few days carving out a maquette from architectural modelling foam. It’s about 8-inches high. I kept it nearby the whole time to glance at for guidance, straying very little from the original concept.
All that hammering you see in the video resulted in tens of thousands of granite shards or 'frets' as we call them. Here’s the take from a day’s work. I keep pondering how to turn them into little artworks . . . hmmm.
This little video is one minute of 'fretting' that went on for hour after hour, day after day, week after week . . .
In the very early roughing stage, friend/colleague Sandra Bilawich, a fine art welder, turned to and cobbled up an attractive and sturdy trestle base from corten steel. It brings the sculpture to optimum viewing level.