The final touches on the 'ol Boy!

The final touches are being made on Nile to prepare him for shipping to Iowa next week. Along with the installation and unveiling on Friday Sept.1, there is also a play opening called "Kinnick".
http://www.press-citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060816/NEWS01/608160316/1079

I want to take a second to thank all the folks who took the time to send a comment/email about the piece and project. IT may look from the outside that its just the sculptor on this end but I can assure you there are many many people who have helped keep this sculptor upright through the ups and downs of this project.
Thanks,
LJN

Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are.-- Malcolm Forbes (1919-1990) American Publisher

Review.....

Towers of Stone
Nicolas Cage struggles to survive the good intentions of Oliver Stone's 'World Trade Center'
By Richard von Busack
IN THE MIDST of World War II, the noted film critic James Agee described his conflicted feelings about watching a badly made documentary about Stalingrad: "It's like being moved by words like love, death, blood, sweat, tears, regardless of how well or ill they're used." That's the same problem with watching a film named after the World Trade Center. At the time, we wondered if there would ever be a film version of such a calamity, and whether such a movie could be anything other than a manipulative disgrace.
In World Trade Center, director Oliver Stone tries to return us to the moment before so much blood went down the gutter. That he does well. His morning cityscapes reveal the unseasonable heat and clarity of the day. A squad of Port Authority cops prepare for a day of seeking teenage runaways and shooing transients from the base of the statue of Ralph Kramden outside the bus station. ......

Jackie in the movie "World Trade Center"

Rumor has it my Jackie Gleason stars in a scene of the movie "World Trade Center". No word yet if it a speaking part or not....Check it out at your local theatre!
Regards, LJN





Practice what you know, and it will help to make clear what now you do not know.::: Rembrandt :::........"Aint that the truth!!" ljn

Wallawa Lake outside of Joseph

We stayed over there at the base of that Mt. The previous pic was taken from atop that mountain. We took a tram up to the top for some spectacular views.



No great artist ever sees things as they really are.If he did he would cease to be an artist.::: Oscar Wilde ::: 

Business meeting in Joseph....

I just got back from a business meeting in Joseph with Museum curator Pamela Trimpe , Assistant Athletic director Jane Meyer and Movie producer (amoung other things) Terry Trimpe......."What...we cant get a high speed internet connection from up here????" 

The Kinnick Relief

If the Hawkeye fans like the "BIG NILE" just wait till they get a load of this!





Patience is passion tamed. -- Lyman Abbott 

Iowa Gazette Commemorative Kinnick Section

The Iowa Gazette is publishing a special commemorative section "Kinnick Stadium Renovation" on Sunday Aug. 27. Keep your eye - out for the LJN ad.

Kinnick Stadium Relief sculpture

....its coming along nicely.....do any of you remember what it felt like to miss a tackle?
Regards,
LJN










Let everyone sweep in front of his own door and the whole world willbe clean.  

Crunch Time!

Been working away on the big relief while managing the casting of the big fella. Things are coming along great. Here is a detail shot of one of the 11 figures in the relief.








It is wonderful to be in on the creation of something, see it used,and then walk away and smile at it. 

UI announces Kinnick ceremony

Tuesday, June 13, 2006
UI announces Kinnick ceremony
The official rededication of the newly renovated Kinnick Stadium has been set for 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 1, the day before the Hawkeyes’ season-opening game against Montana.The rededication ceremonies will start at 4 p.m. at the new Krause Family Plaza on the stadium’s south side along Melrose Avenue, according to an announcement in a national I-Club newsletter.Hawkeye broadcaster Gary Dolphin will preside over the ceremonies. The highlight will be the unveiling of the 12-foot-tall bronze statue of Nile Kinnick. The statue has been a bit controversial as it depicts Kinnick as a student in street clothes rather than the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback.Also appearing will be a “slate of distinguished speakers,” although the newsletter did not list any names.

Kinnick relief

The relief is coming along well and it gets more and more dynamic with each passing day.


Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you will help them become what they are capable of becoming.-- Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe 

The "New Addition"

 

A "Vermonter"?

I was pokin 'round the studio the other day and stumbled upon a piece that I did maybe in 96'.......always struck me as prototypical "Vermonter"...being from Philly I dont know if I am qualified to make that judgement....your call...
Regards, LJN

Self-respect is the root of discipline: The sense of dignity grows with the ability to say no to oneself.-- Abraham Joshua Heschel 1907-1972 

Iowa Press-Citizen

http://press-citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060601/NEWS01/606010324&SearchID=73246426619911

An article in todays Press-Citizen updates the progress of the piece and also the debut of photographer Heather L. Wileys work!



It is good to dream, but it is better to dream and work. Faith is mighty, but action with faith is mightier.-- Thomas Robert Gaines

Relief work etc.

Here is a recent shot of the relief in progress. The figure in the foreground has not been worked on yet while the figures closer to me are completed. In a related note: The "New" Kinnick stadium will receive its first prime time exposure on Sat. Sept 30 at 7pm on ABC (or espn). Hawkeyes v. Ohio State
Power is the ability to do good things for others.-- Brooke Astor

We interrupt this regularly scheduled program.....

To announce the arrival of Monet Louise Jeanne Nowlan - 7lbs. 10 oz. Heather gave birth to this beautiful baby girl on May 2nd. Ma, Pa and Miss Monet are all doing great.
It's better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. -- Chinese proverb

Collector's item??!@#@

I just received a copy of the Kinnick Stadium Skybox suite ticket for the 5th game of the University of Iowa Hawkeyes football season. Pretty sharp !
When you take a risk and step out of the norm, you run the risk and sometimes you fail. But you only fail if you give up. -- J Peterman

Tools of the trade..... Happy St. Patricks Day, LJN I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.-- Confucius (Chinese Philosopher) 551-479 B.C.

Relief Sculpture Detail

Here is an early detail of the monumental relief which is progressing nicely. Congrats to the Iowa folks for winning the Big 10 and movin on to the Tournament!
"Courage does not always roar. Sometimes, it is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow". -- Anonymous

Windsor, VT promo

Head to: http://www.turnhere.com/vitalplayer_turnhere.cfm?name=vermont for a nice quick video promotion on Windsor, Vt. that I was interviewed for a while back.
LJN

Upright and ready!

After getting the relief upright - which is a chore for a piece that weighs approx. 1500lbs, Im into the finishing stage. This is 1/3rd of the whole piece which will be massive. The molds for standing Kinnick are getting shipped for casting and unveiling which I believe will be Saturday, September 2! See you there- Regards, LJN
Make yourself an honest man, and then you may be sure that there is one less scoundrel in the world.-- Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) Scottish Writer

Birds-eye

Another shot of the relief sculpture on its side. This would almost be a birds-eye-view.
Face your deficiencies and acknowledge them; but do not let them master you. Let them teach you patience, sweetness, insight.-- Helen Keller (1880-1968) American Writer

Into the relief sculpture....

The first section of the relief was delivered yesterday and here I am taking advantage of the piece being on its side. This allows me a better angle to tackle the top and rear panels of the piece. Regards, LJN
"I can't do it" never yet accomplished anything: "I will try" has accomplished wonders.-- George P. Burnham

"Relief sculpture"

Another sectional view of this enormous piece of sculpture.
Optimism is essential to achievement and it is also the foundation of courage and true progress.-- Nicholas Murray Butler

Relief sculpture

Another angle of the relief sculpture enlargement. Here you will get an idea of how large and deep the relief actually is. The players you see are 6'.Regards, LJN
"Learn to listen; listen to learn"

The Molds

This is the first stage of the mold making process, here the legs are being covered in rubber. Six coats are applied before the plaster shell or mother mold are made on top of the rubber. Note the "keys" that are added to help the rubber lock into the plaster shell. Regards LJN
The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials.-- Chinese proverb

The relief (continued)

This is the next phase of the enlarging process. After the steel frame work is contructed to scale and the wood strips are cut and form the rudimentary figures, the clay is applied to the surface. After this phase is completed the piece will be shipped to my studio for finishing.
Note: On the left hand side of the photo Glenn Campbell from Campbell Plaster and Iron stands in to give the piece scale. Regards, LJN
In every person who comes near you look for what is good and strong;honor that; try to imitate it, and your faults will drop off like dead leaves when their time comes.-- John Ruskin (1819-1900) English Art Critic

Now on to the relief!

This is an early picture of the relief enlargement. The model is 1/3rd size and is pointed up using a pantograph. Wood is used to bulk up the figures and clay is added later. LJN
One day in retrospect the years of struggle will strike you as the most beautiful.-- Sigmund Freud

Nile is on his way...

This is the upper half of Nile being carefully removed from my studio last wendesday. Mike, Keith and Glenn were joined by Bob and I to complete the transfer to the truck which successfully delivered Nile to the foundry for molding. When the molds are complete they will be shipped to Colorado for bronze casting.
Regards, LJN
Live your life each day as you would climb a mountain. An occasional glance towards the summit keeps the goal in mind, but many beautiful scenes are to be observed from each new vantage point.-- Harold B. Melchart