Sculptures by JMikk

Locust, 31" tall

San Jose, CA

This piece benefited from my positive experience with Harp in which I reduced the bulky appearance with the removal of wood in the middle region of the piece.  When I started sculpting, the top of the log was fairly featureless and I decided on the “hood” shape much like that of a cobra, with a natural edge extending down the sides for a continuous visual path around the sculpture.  The arborist had left a short stub of a branch on the base which ended up in the “tongue”.  This is a good example of how my sculpture evolved; I had no idea of a “tongue-like” feature when I started carving; nor had I planned on opening up the middle. 

The other notable feature of this piece is the behavior of black locust: when freshly cut, the heartwood is a greenish yellow color, but when exposed to light and air for a year or two, the wood takes on a beautiful reddish hue.  

Laughing