Horse Sculpture with Stand

Frank Castiglione - Thursday, May 20, 2010 - 10:40am

I'm getting close to completing this project. The stand is questionable according to my wife.(She doesn't like it) The very bottom(star shape) of the stand is temporary so I can display the horse head at an art show. The sculpture is just shy of eleven feet tall. On it's permanent foundation it will be closer to ten feet tall. There will be a transition area made of stainless rod where it meets the concrete foundation. The helical cylinder will continue into the concrete and there the rebar will be used as it was designed, reinforcement. I like how the sculpture will continue below the surface.
FrankHorse Head and Stand

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Sorry Frank, but I gotta

Rich Waugh - Thursday, May 20, 2010 - 11:16am

Sorry Frank, but I gotta agree with your wife. That stand is way too "busy" to work with the horse head. I think a much more simplistic stand of some solid material or pipe would be much better. Or a simple central support rod coming up from a hefty stone or concrete base. There is so much linear flow and detail in the head that anything similar in the stand just blurs the focus of the piece. That's my opinion anyway; others may vary widely. :-)

I like the horse.

Rich

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Hi Frank, I love the horse

eligius1427 - Thursday, May 20, 2010 - 11:58am

Hi Frank, I love the horse head, but I'm in agreement with Rich and your wife with regards to the stand. I think it's due to the contrast between the long flowing lines of the head and the geometric grid like pattern on the column. They seem to clash in my opinion.

With the head positioned like it is, kind of floating in the air at the angle that it is, the stand is a tricky design problem anyway. I like your idea of how the sculpture continues below the surface of the concrete, kind of gives the feeling like the sculpture literally sprung up from the earth. I'm wondering if maybe a stand made of heavy flat bar stock bent/rolled into some graceful curves might give you the strength/support you need and at the same time compliment the graceful lines in the head.

Great work, i look forward to seeing it installed.

Jake

Jake Balcom
Mettle Design
Lincoln, NE

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horsehead

lin - Thursday, May 20, 2010 - 11:59am

Frank, I have to say I am on board with your wife. It looks like two separate sculptures. They don't relate to each other. I love the horse part. Lin

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Ya'll

Frank Castiglione - Thursday, May 20, 2010 - 12:20pm

Krap!
I was trying to make sure that the stand did not appear as part of the horse. Well, I guess I did that in spades,eh?

Any suggestions how I can salvage the stand? I have way too much time in this.

Frank
P.S. Thanks for the honest opinions, everyone.

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Halved the damned thing

Frank Castiglione - Thursday, May 20, 2010 - 4:33pm

I cut the stand down to i/2 it's original length. This will drop the sculpture around two feet.It will drop another eight inches when its over the foundation. I haven't reassembled it yet to look at things, but assume that the horse head will be more at eye level emphasizing the sculpture rather than the stand.
Frank

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My honest opinion is that

Rich Waugh - Thursday, May 20, 2010 - 5:25pm

My honest opinion is that you can't salvage the stand for that horse. Make a whole new stand that is really simple and unobtrusive and not in any way a bunch of linear elements. Then take the stand you already made and think what you could do with it instead. Maybe continue it up and branch it out as a sort of abstract geometric tree sculpture or something. It just doesn't work as a stand for the horse, bu tit might very well become a separate piece in its own right.

Good luck with it. I really hate when I get myself into situations like that because I have a hell of hard time getting a notion out of my head once it's in there. Then I just go around in circles. If it were mine I'd probably have to just cut it up so I could get past it, but I'll bet you can do something pretty good with it. You have a better eye for that sort of thing than I do, I think.

Rich

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New Idea For Stand

Frank Castiglione - Thursday, May 20, 2010 - 7:18pm

I did cut the stand in half and it only looks half as shitty. I need to make a new stand. KRAP. I sure am glad there's a community like this. I have some ideas for the new stand.
Thank You,
Frank
P.S. KRAP!

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Yeah, I really hate it when

Rich Waugh - Thursday, May 20, 2010 - 10:35pm

Yeah, I really hate it when a plan fails to come together. But that sort of little challenge is supposed to build character, right? Usually just makes me want to hit something, though. Obviously, I lack character. (grin)

Rich

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I think you did a great job

don johnson - Friday, May 21, 2010 - 1:16am

I think you did a great job on both the horse and the stand. The vote appears to be not together. I'm sure you will fix that as you usually do. Maybe the old stand can be used as a base for a table or a birdbath. I would not be in a hurry to throw it out yet.

Looking forward to the final results,

Don

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bo-danchor

Frank Castiglione - Friday, May 21, 2010 - 10:21am

Hi Don,
Thanks. As I sit here in a funk I admit contemplating dropping the stand from 2000 feet and seeing what would happen.It would indeed make a very sturdy table base/boat anchor.
Frank

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Hey Frank, I like the stand

KevinW - Friday, May 21, 2010 - 8:32am

Hey Frank,

I like the stand and know you'll find a good use for it. I dont know how it would be done, but, you might turn it into a solid form by covering it or filling it with something that would react with all those negative spaces. Kind of like filling it with blown glass.

both parts of this piece are compelling to me.

KevinW

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Twista

Frank Castiglione - Friday, May 21, 2010 - 10:27am

Hi Kevin,
Thanks.The stand make me think of one of those bomb squad baskets,hmmmm...
I know you love to twist things, do you see the twist in this structure?
Frank

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Stands

warren - Friday, May 21, 2010 - 11:32am

I think the horse head is an exceptional piece of work. Where the stand goes wrong is at the base of the horse head. There is a double row of rod and at that point the sculpture should end. If you intend for the sculpture to end there then the stand should have a separate feel. I know you probably do not want to close off that area with plate but I think a closer at that point should be made. If you want the head to flow to the stand than the two rows should be removed. A nice abstract stand of curved pipe would accent the curving of the mane.

www Metalrecipes -- heat and beat to the desired shape, repeat as necessary.
warren

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Too Separate

Frank Castiglione - Friday, May 21, 2010 - 12:55pm

Hi Warren,
Yes, I agree. I was trying to achieve the separation by using a different pattern. That bit me, eh? The double row was to facilitate assembly.One goes with the horse and the other goes with the stand. Here's a rough idea of a different attempt at a stand.I am definitely open to suggestions.
FrankStand Ideas

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Frank, I might suggest

Fred Zweig - Friday, May 21, 2010 - 4:09pm

Frank,
I might suggest extending the curve of the neck down as the base. I like the length of the base and wound not make it much wider.
Fred
Fred Zweig
Metalsmith

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That notion is way better,

Rich Waugh - Friday, May 21, 2010 - 6:34pm

That notion is way better, Frank. I think you're on the right track with that one. There is a good visual separation yet the piece flows with the stand.

Rich

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