Finally, there is light at the end of the tunnel. My Pieta is starting to resemble something closer to what I’ve been imagining. After blocking, then rounding; now sculpting begins to bring out the creative flow. Still there is much more work ahead. Sculpting marble requires patients and time.

To get to this stage of smoothing and rounding requires constant review of my various maquettes.  Comparing how the stone varies from these smaller clay representations. The artistic approach for me is a methodical process of looking for what does not belong, and then removing it.

A constant series of hatch lines marking areas that need to be addressed,  as I work around the entire piece. From hip to hand, shoulder to arm.  All the while ensuring each is smoothly carved into its adjacent piece.  All this takes time….  And if your not careful, you can lose track of where your actually going; you can lose your perspective.

From the front, the Pieta looks fine, however, when viewed from another angle, the mistake reveals itself.   The arm is disproportionately longer than the forearm.  Using Michelangelo’s Adam, we can see that the distance from the underarm to the front of elbow, to the front of wrist are approximately the same.  For me, a big mistake.  However, there is still room to repair

This is were patients really is needed, and why I always leave a little wiggle room within the layout plan.  I have space within the stone to adjust the length of the arm by lowering the elbow.  With any luck, this may work to my advantage by forcing a more creative line.

Mistakes like this really bring to light Michelangelo’s genius.  All I can hope for is to continue to working diligently around the statue, this time paying closer attention to perspective and proportions.  More to follow.