Lakota warrior

On my return from South Dakota, I felt compelled to paint this Lakota warrior, using my own wax/acrylic technique. The Clemmer Effect... I dunno.
I completed the painting just this past weekend, and I'm really pleased with it. Every once in awhile, you can create something that you sit back and wonder, "Did I do that?"
I think it's one of those pieces that the stars align or something, but I think as I was painting it, I was worried that it was not going to turn out, and after some advice from my wife (who has a very good eye for detail), the went back to work, and I was just blown away with the end result.

There's a surprise in the eye, when you look very close.




It may sound kind of weird for the artist to be surprised with his own work, but I just can't help but stare at it. I've had some of my work turn out really well, and I've sold a bunch of my waxes that I've really loved, but I think it's a combination of the subject matter, and the fact that it really is one of the best pieces that I've done, or at least one of the ones that I'm the most proud of.

Crazy Horse Memorial

A view from the visitors center with a scale model of the sculpture - the artist's vision


Little ol' me up on the arm

While in South Dakota for 9 days, I was lucky enough to hit the Crazy Horse Memorial twice, and luckily they had two blastings during those two days. The first trip with the ISWNE group took us right up to the top of Crazy Horse's arm, next to the 90' tall face. It was spectacular. The group of weekly newspaper editors were treated to being up in the 263 foot-long arm, which normally cost $125 per person to do.


Up the granite nose of the 90-foot tall face


After spending some time on the arm, we were taken back to the gift shop, restaurant, artist's studio, etc. Where you can see what sculptor Korczak's vison was of Thunder Mountain. Crazy Horse's story is an amazing one, one of the few war chiefs of the time that never lost to the cavalry in battle. He was one of the chiefs that took part in the Battle of Little Bighorn, where Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer and his 7th Cavalry were killed. Crazy Horse finally submitted to coming into a reservation, because his people were dying of hunger. Sadly he was stabbed through the back by a cavalry bayonet while being taken to be questioned, after the army told Crazy Horse if he came in nothing would happen to him or his people.

After seeing Mount Rushmore opened in 1941, Chief Standing Bear requested that Korczak come to the Paha Sapa, the Sacred Black Hills to carve a mountain for the North American Indian. "To show the white man that the red man have heroes too."

It's an amazing story, and getting to meet Ruth, the 81 year old wife of the sculptor, who had passed away in 1982, was fantastic. The family still continues to work on the mountain and are building the largest sculpture in the world, all without a dollar from the state or federal governments.
The blasting is really cool, here are the pictures below of some of the blastings...


Fire in the hole! Fire in the hole! Fire in the hole!

Mount Rushmore

While in South Dakota, the first stop with the ISWNE conference was of course, Mount Rushmore. It was pretty impressive and full of the expected tourists and people marvelling at the carving in the Black Hills. It was a good time.
I was a little uncomfortable at times, when they showed the patriotic video and brought up veterans past and present to pass the Stars and Stripes to each other. As Canadians, we don't show our patriotism the same way. We're a tad bit more laid back when it comes to how we show our love for our country, and it definitely shows when it comes to something like this.


The funny thing is, we have the same love of democracy, freedom and the pursuit of happiness that the U.S. has, but we express it in a different way. We burst with pride when it comes to Canadian sports (especially hockey), and/or the Olympics, but we don't openly promote that our way is the best way. Of course we believe it is, and quietly mock everyone else, but we're not so flagrant, I guess. Not that it's wrong, it's just different.