In the studio

Here are a couple of shots taken recently. The first is a shot of the Harold Jefferson Coolidge Medal that I am creating for the IUCN. I will create two 12" masters which will be reduced and made, a die will be cut and 4" bronze medallians will be produced.

This is a shot of the beginning of the 2008 inductees into the Vintner's Hall.

We interrupt this program.....

Harold Jefferson Coolidge Medal

I have just received the final approval for the medallion design for the International Union for the conservation of Nature (IUCN). When completed it will be a 4" bronze medal which will be struck at a mind and not cast in a foundry. The process is similar: Create a master, reduce the master and cut a die and than strike the coin. It is an exciting project and I am eager to get underway. The only distraction is that believe it or not its supposed to be in the 70's today!

The creative process is a cocktail of instinct, skill, culture
and a highly creative feverishness. It is not like a drug; it
is a particular state when everything happens very quickly,
a mixture of consciousness and unconsciousness, of fear
and pleasure; it’s a little like making love, the physical
act of love.
::: Francis Bacon :::


Regards, LJN

Robert and Margret Mondavi

Here is a shot I just acquired from the 2007 Vintner's Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
Robert Mondavi
Inducted 2007

With a commitment to excellence and a visionary understanding of wine's place at the American table, Robert Mondavi has dedicated his life to showing how wine adds to life's enjoyment. His motto, "Making good wine is a skill, fine wine an art," has inspired winemakers in California and around the world.

A pioneer of fine winemaking in Napa Valley, Mondavi has been equally committed to wine's place, along with cooking, as one of the arts. His wide-ranging support for the arts, as well as community and charitable works, is legendary, and his conferences and educational programs have added immeasurably to the appreciation of wine in America.

Throughout his life and career, Robert Mondavi has set the highest of goals, and has consistently sought to lead the wine industry to ever-greater achievements. Robert's creed: "Go forward, this is only the beginning."

The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is
nothing without work.
::: Emile Zola :::

Regards, LJN