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Indiana Limestone, eventually marble mosaic
12'-4" x 3'-2" x 6'-1" (stone sculpture only)

Commissioned for a large home on a lake, this sculpture will eventually feature a marble mosaic hot tub that diffuses over the surface of the sculpture. We will be carving out mosaic-tile sizes recessed to accept the individual bits of marble, such that the mosaic in the tub spreads out over the sculpted water. After the installation, the figures will be completed to allow for a proper interaction with the viewer. We started with a series of concept sketches, and after an idea was presented and approved, Dale began the clay model (to scale). A careful system of measurements allowed him to accurately transcribe the scale model onto the full sized block of stone. The original block, much larger than is normally quarried, took several months to find, since flaws or inclusions of fossils and the like would be unacceptable. A profile of the upper edge of the model was taken and blown up to full size to aid in the programming of a computer operated saw. The saw cut a series of slices across the raw block, which not only removed a lot of weight and cut down the amount of hand cutting required. It also accurately located the "ridge line" of the model onto the actual block of stone. When it arrived at the studio it weighed just over 14,000 pounds. A work of this complexity and scale requires several months of full-time carving to complete.

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