Happy Holiday wishes

Clay Nile and the gang at LJN want to wish you and yours an exceptional holiday season!
Enthusiasm is the best protection in any situation. Whole heartednessis contagious. Give yourself, if you wish to get others.-- David Seabury

Nile is safely in two

After an intense and far too short period of time Nile was taken apart. The lower half is complete and today it left for the foundry and molding process. I will be refining the upper half for a few more weeks at which point it will also be transported to CP&I and the first section of the relief will be delivered. (Special thanks to Bob Haight and Glenn Campbell)

I wanted to take a second and thank all the people who have been e-mailing me good wishes, I haven't been able to reply to all of you but I wanted to let you know your thoughts are greatly appreciated and a source of extra motivation during some long days.
Wishing you all a Safe and Happy Holiday, LJN


Faith that the thing can be done is essential to any great achievement.-- Thomas N. Carruther

New England Cable News

This evening there will be a story on the Kinnick project on NECN and channel 31. Both stations will have a piece at 6, NECN will replay it again at 9.
Regards, LJN

Many of our fears are tissue paper thin, and a single courageous step would carry us clear through them.-- Brendan Francis [Behan] (1923-1964) Irish Author

"The Daily Iowan"

Heres a new article:
http://www.dailyiowan.com/media/paper599/news/2005/10/26/Sports/Sculpture.To.Honor.Classic.Kinnick.Score-1033896.shtml
Regards,LJN

Courage to start and willingness to keep everlasting at it are the requisites for success.-- Alonzo Newton Benn

USA Today

Recent press: http://www.usatoday.com/news/states/iamain.htm one of these days they will get the name right! This photo was taken by Eagle Times staff photographer Ole Bye for the recent story they did on the project. Regards, LJN


Not a day passes over this earth but men and women of note do great deeds, speak great words and suffer noble sorrows.-- Charles Reed

"A hero cast in bronze" Eagle times 10/17/05

The most recent article written about the project: http://www.eagletimes.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=4&ArticleID=178
Enjoy, LJN
The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it.-- Chinese proverb

10-11-05 

The Kinnick - "Trump tower"?

Still pluggin away on the big guy. Things are coming along nicely and hope to wrap up this portion of the piece by the end of the month. Reactions from the stunned visitors has been wonderful to witness. While I carefully roam around on my scaffolding I often think of those steel workers who run around on steel beams much higher than I could imagine, building the skyscrapers that keep changing our horizons. God bless 'em!
Keep the faith, LJN

"The true work of art is but a shadow of the divine perfection"

- Michelangelo

University of Iowa....in Windsor???

This photo was taken during a recent visit by University of Iowa dignitaries Jane Meyer - Senior Associate Director of Athletics and Rod Lehnertz- Director of Planning. Here Jane and Rod are examining the sculpture which is in progress. The visit was a great success. There also was an update at Hawkeye Central which was posted after their trip out to Vermont.http://hawkeyesports.collegesports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/091605aaj.html complete with a batch of photos.
Regards, LJN


Courage is the greatest of all the virtues. Because if you haven't courage, you may not have an opportunity to use any of the others.-- Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English Author

The Kinnick lift!

Thats me and Bob Haight assembling the structure that is going to support the 12' sculpture of Nile Kinnick.

A Hawkeye visit!

I had a wonderful visit by an excited Hawkeye family the other day. Bill Schenkelberg - BBA 1995, his wife Laurie - Pharm.D. 1998 and their two children Courtney and William Nile (you dont hafta guess who he was named after!). It was great to be able to share what I have completed on the piece up till now with them. I was a bit nervous but they gave me the thumbs up! They also brought me the nice Hawkeye t-shirt they are holding in the picture.
They made it home in time to see the Hawkeyes demolish Ball State......Iowa is now ranked 7th in the country! Go Hawkeyes!
Regards LJN


"The work an unknown good man has done is like a vein of water flowing hidden underground, secretly making the ground green."-- Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) Scottish Writer

This is a shot of Carlos Santana with the first VH1 award that myself, Robert DuGrenier and Joe Palatucci collaborated on!



Nature does not bestow virtue; to be good is an art.-- Seneca

New VH1 Award

In the midst of the Kinnick project I have also been able to Assist my friend Robert DuGrenier http://www.dugrenier.com/RDA_mainmenu.html in creating another award for VH1. I called on the assistance of my friend Joe Pallatucci whose hand we cast for use in a previous award for the network. Since Joe's hand had already gone thru the stringient approval process we knew he was the guy for the job. Keep your eyes open for a VH1 awards show coming soon! (Photo of the cast and mold below)
Regards LJN

"The most absurd and reckless aspirations have sometimes led to extraordinary success."-- Vauvenargues

Mold and cast for award 

New Pictures

I have to be careful about posting new pictures of the project on the blog because I do not want them to end up in newspapers. After the first article appeared in the Iowa Statesman I have recieved numerous e-mails and comments from Hawkeye fans about the project. In order to keep some suspense in the project I will have to limit the photos I post. I can say that everything is moving along smoothly and some representatives from the University will be visiting my studio for a "look-see" in early September. With that in mind I better get back to it!
Regards, LJN

I wept because I had no shoes, until I saw a man who had no feet.-- Persian saying, Ancient

Thank you Hawkeye fans

I want to take a second to thank all of the Hawkeye fans who have contacted me over the last week. Your excitement ,support and kind words do not go unnoticed and I am grateful for it. It is a true blessing in life to be able to do what you love for a living, to have people love and support what you do, well that takes it to another level. Thanks again and ......"GO HAWKEYES"!!

Don't bother about genius. Don't worry about being clever. Trust tohard work, perseverance and determination.-- Sir Frederick Treves (1853-1923) English Surgeon

Kinnick Sculpture press

http://www.ncaafootball.com/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=15&url_article_id=5548&change_well_id=2

http://www.kwqc.com/Global/story.asp?S=3651282

http://www.crgazette.com/2005/07/28/Home/kinnick.htm

http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2005/07/28/news/latest_news/cf02ac26711191898625704c004bbf2b.txt


It is never too late to be what you might have been.-- George Eliot (1819-1880) English Novelist

Nile is on File

By Rob DanielIowa City Press-Citizen

University of Iowa football legend Nile Kinnick will be a larger part of the stadium that bears his name come fall 2006.
A 12-foot bronze statue of the Hawkeyes' lone Heisman Trophy winner will greet fans in the new plaza in the south end zone. It will depict the 1939 Heisman winner as a student holding books in his right arm and carrying a bag over his left shoulder.
The statue is part of $86.8 million in renovations of the 76-year-old stadium that includes replacing the south end zone bleachers and adding a new four-level press box with suite and indoor and outdoor club seating, said Rod Lehnertz, UI director of campus and facilities planning.
"We're remembering our single Heisman Trophy winner ... and a person who's regarded as a hero in the state of Iowa," Lehnertz said.
Kinnick's statue will be part of a series of art projects scattered throughout the stadium, a move mandated by the state in public building projects, Jane Meyer, senior associate athletic director, said. About $350,000 will be used for projects such as Kinnick's statue, inscriptions of the state of Iowa seal and scripting throughout the stadium.
"Every building project has a certain percentage of funds that must go to artwork," Meyer said.
Larry Nowlan, an artist based in Windsor, Vt., was selected to create a likeness of Kinnick by the Art in State Buildings Committee, in November 2004. Nowlan has gained national fame for his work, including a statue of Jackie Gleason's "Honeymoon-ers" character Ralph Kramden outside of the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City.
In preparing for the project, Nowlan said he researched Kinnick and watched videos about the former UI athlete's life and football career.
Nowlan said he not only learned about Kinnick the athlete, but also the student.
"I tried to incorporate as many aspects of that into the piece," he said. "I represent the person as thoroughly as possible."
Kinnick played halfback for the 1939 Iowa team, nicknamed the "Ironmen" because many of the primary players lined up for every down. The 5-foot-8, 170-pound Kinnick played 407 out of 420 minutes that season. The team posted a 6-1-1 season, led by Kinnick.
On June 2, 1943, Kinnick -- a World War II Navy pilot -- lifted his Grumman F-4-F off the flight deck of the U.S.S. Lexington during exercises in the Gulf of Paria near the island of Trinidad. An oil leak forced his quick return, but he had to wait while servicemen cleared the flight deck. The engine locked, taking plane and hero to their grave.
The university's football stadium was named for Kinnick in 1974.
Nowlan ultimately chose to depict Kinnick, who was a Phi Beta Kappa scholar and the senior class president, as a student.
"He was not only an athlete, but also a very successful student," Nowlan said. "It is my belief ... that he was bound to be more successful with his spirit and intellect than his athletic skills. His spirit and intellect had him standing on the precipice of great things."
Nowlan thus far has created a clay bust of the top half of the statue, which came after making clay sketches and a four-foot high model. After welding steel together to create a skeleton, a rubber mold will be made of the different sections of the statue. Then he will cast bronze sections in a process called lost wax casting before sanding, coloring and polishing.
"When you finish bronzing, it looks a lot like Humpty-Dumpty," Nowlan said.
Nowlan said he plans for the statue to be completed for the 2006 home opener.
Reach Rob Daniel at 339-7360 or rdaniel@press-citizen.com.

Niles' all here

On Friday "Nile part two" arrived at the studio. Here Glenn Campbell speaks with the fork lift driver about the weight of the piece.

Man is happy only as he finds work worth doing -- and does it well.-- E. Merrill Root (1895-1973) American Writer

Rutland Herald front page

Backfield in motionGlenn Campbell trucks a clay bust on Woodstock Avenue to Larry Nowlan’s studio, where he will continue working on the sculpture.

Victory is sweetest when you've known defeat. -- Malcolm Forbes (1919-1990) American Publisher

This is an artists rendering of what the renovated Kinnick Stadium will look like. In the front of the main entrance will stand the 12' standing Kinnick sculpture and 50' beyond (inside) the center arch the high relief will be installed. 

7-19-05 

Mistakes are part of the dues one pays for a full life. -- Sophia Loren (1934- ) Italian Actress

Better keep yourself clean and bright; you are the window through
which you must see the world.

-- George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Irish Playwright
 

"So great has been the endurance, so incredible the achievement, that,
as long as the sun keeps a set course in heaven, it would be foolish
to despair of the human race."
-- Ernest L. Woodward

Onward we go! Regards LJN

Jackie is looking good. We were passing through Manhattan this weekend and stopped to say hello to Mr. Kramden at the Port Authority bus terminal. They are keeping him in good shape, looks like he was recently washed and waxed. 

Completed mold, remember you are looking at the "ice tray" not the "ice cube"! 

Kinnick Relief mold

The mold is complete after a couple of long days. It is now being cast in plaster and will be enlarge to its final size. Its is an incredible project.
Regards, LJN

Man has no nobler function than to defend the truth.-- Ruth McKenney

Here is a picture of the Kinnick mold being made. Note that several of the figures and limbs have been completely removed before molding. They will be done separately. Before the mold was complete we added more layers of plaster and conduit pipe for support. 

Will return 7-12-05

Have a nice holiday!
LJN

Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks,breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun.-- Mary Lou Cook

The studio, 7am 6-24-05 

Good Morning Nile

Well at least half of Nile! This is the scene I opened my studio doors to this morning. Beautiful morning with the sun coming thru the stained glass windows and draping itself all over the artwork. Last night with the help of a few friends (Bob Haight, Glenn Campbell, Kates husband Joe, and Brian Knipe) and the support of others (Heather, Henry, Kate the filmer and some farm guy I never have seen before) we managed to get the piece in here pretty smoothly. Ill be molding the relief model (seen wrapped in background) before I dive into the big guy. The company is nice. Have a nice weekend.
Regards LJN

Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right. -- Henry Ford (1863-1947) American Industrialist

Special announcement

Masque of the Golden Bowl - Performed at Saint-Gaudens National Historic SiteFriday, 6/24 & Saturday, 6/25 - 6:00 P.M. - Sunday, 6/26 - 2:00 P.M.Admission to the performances will be FREE and there will be lawn seating – bring blankets and/or lawn chairs.The event celebrates the 100th anniversary of a pageant (or play) held to honor sculptor, Augustus Saint-Gaudens. The original pageant performed in 1905, “A Masque of ‘Ours’ or the Gods and the Golden Bowl” was written by Louis Evan Shipman with the prologue by Percy Mackaye, both of the Cornish Colony. The performance will be on the original pageant location by the “Temple” in the meadow below “Aspet”, Saint-Gaudens’ home.

Keep your eyes out for the beautiful " Muse of Love poetry"!

Best regards, LJN

The influence of each human being on others in this life is a kind of immortality. -- John Quincy Adams

"Kinnick Enlargement" - This is a shot I took last week at the foundry of Glenn working on the enlargement of the 12' standing Nile Kinnick Sculpture I am doing for the University of Iowa.

"Kinnick enlarged!"

The 4' free standing model of Nile Kinnick was approved in March and is in the process of being enlarged. I stopped by (Campbell plaster and Iron) last week to check on the progress. The photo taken above will tell you everything you need to know about how that is going. The process involves taking my model and setting it up on a panagraph. Glenn (owner of the foundry) would than weld a steel frame which might resemble a skeleton of the figure he is enlarging, than use wood lathing to bulk up the frame and finally match points from the model with the enlargement and add clay. (note "x's" on enlargement). I will be taking delivery of the enlargement (lower half)in the coming days soon to be followed by the upper section. The complete sculpture will stand 12'. Regards LJN

"Integrity, honesty, responsibility, compassion, love, and competence - all flow easily from people whose self-esteem is high. We feel that we matter, that the world is a better place because we are here. We have faith in our own competence. We are able to ask others for help, yet we believe we can make our own decisions and are, in the end, our own best resources. Appreciating our own worth, we are ready to see and respect the worth of others. We radiate trust and hope. We don't have rules against anything we feel. We can choose. Our intelligence directs our actions. We accept all of ourselves as human." - Virginia Satire

"The Garden Angel" is now at her new home in the garden of "The Oaks". This is the former home of Maxfield Parrish in Cornish, NH.  

"Wedding Reliefs"

This is a nice shot (taken by my other Brother-in-law) of a relief I completed for the wedding of Seth and Taryn Welch. These seem to be going over very well so keep them in mind when you have a wedding to attend. http://ljnsculpture.com/reliefs/wedding/index.html I will need a few months and a digital photo (profile) to complete a nice wedding relief. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me.
Regards, LJN

"When we do the best we can, we never know what miracle is wrought in our life, or in the life of another."-- Helen Keller (1880-1968) American Writer