The "Nile" has landed!!!

It has been a long ride but the Kinnick relief is at home now in Kinnick stadium. He and his boys arrived on a truck at 9am and was picked off the truck, transported and installed by the men of Knutson Construction Services. Meanwhile Jane Meyer (Senior Associate Director of Athletics), Kim McDonald (Archtect From Neuman Monson Architecture) and myself stood around and tried to look like we were doing something!!@#@! Its a great day for everyone involved in the Kinnick Stadium Project. I wish I could show more detailed pictures of the piece but I have to wait for the official unveiling ceremonies which have been moved to Homecoming weekend(September 28)
Regards, LJN

Kinnick and the boys are ready to go!

This is the only photo I could show without giving away to much! The piece looks fantastic and I hope to make all of Iowa proud. When I arrived at the studio the piece was on its back getting some last minute chasing work done before the piece was put upright and the final figure (Nile Kinnick) was put into place. After that the entire piece was sandblasted the patina was applied. This process took over a week.
I do not have the details for the unveiling but as soon as I get them I will post 'em.
Regards,
LJN

Off to the foundry....for the last time before....

Tomorrow I am heading to the foundry again to monitor the quality and progress of the Kinnick piece. The final chasing is finished and we'll be starting in on the patination work which on a piece of this magnitude will take at least a week with several people working on it.
Dr. Henry Duffy - Art Historian, Author and Curator of the Saint-Gaudens National Historic site will join me on the trip. He has been closely following the progress of the entire Kinnick project. As an art historian of great reknown his enthusiastic response to the sculptures has been a nice shot in the arm.

In other LJN news: The two pieces which will be dedicated in Dublin, Ire and Carrick, Ire are now at the foundry getting cast. Those dedications will take place during the last week of October.

Keep the visits coming, LJN

A few more shots....

A few more shots: The framework steel and the patina station at he foundry....

Kinnick Relief update

Wow, There have been alot of visitors to the site which is a great motivator to keep posting regularly. Yesterday I traveled down to the foundry and the piece is looking awesome. They have a week of metal work left and than a week for a patina. The owner of the foundry has said that visitors have been awed at the mere size and scope of the piece before it was even fully assembled.
Here are a couple of shots I took. A foundryman "chasing the metal", the supprt structure behind the sculpture which hopefully will not be seen again once it is installed, and a detail shot of some chasing work which has been completed.
Remember if you have any questions or comments please click on "comments" below and let me know what your thinking.
GO Hawkeyes!

Off to the Foundry....

Off to the foundry but wanted to post an article which was in the Iowa Press-Citizen this weekend. (note that the plaster and rubber figures refer to the mold of the piece, not the piece itself)
Regards, LJN

UI to unveil new Kinnick sculpture Sept. 8

Will immortalize winning touchdown versus Notre Dame


By Brian Morelli
Iowa City Press-Citizen

Nostalgic Iowa Hawkeye fans will have another reason to visit Kinnick Stadium this year.

For the second year in a row, the University of Iowa plans to unveil a sculpture that delves deep into Hawkeye lore. This year's masterpiece captures Nile Kinnick scoring the winning touchdown in the legendary 7-6 victory over Notre Dame in 1939.

"There is not a larger, more comprehensive sculpture in any football stadium in the country," sculptor Larry Nowlan, of LJN Sculptures based in Windsor, Vt., said of his 20-foot-long by 10-foot-tall by four-foot-deep sculpture relief that includes 11 players.

The piece, to be set into the wall inside the main Kinnick Stadium entrance, is due to be unveiled before the Sept. 8 opener against Syracuse.

Nowlan also created the bronze replica of Nile Kinnick in layman's clothes that stands just outside the main gate to the stadium. That was unveiled last year.

UI commissioned the pieces in October 2004. This satisfied a state law that requires 0.5 percent of building costs in a state building be devoted to art. Last year, UI completed a nearly $90 million renovation to Kinnick Stadium, meaning $435,000 had to be set aside for art work.

"We were looking for someone who could do a statue of Nile Kinnick and ultimately it got expanded to include this relief as well," said Howard Collinson, the UI Museum of Art director and chairman of the arts of campus committee. "Kinnick (renovations were) very expensive, enough to afford the relief. We said, 'Could you please do a standing statue,' and he said, 'that is enough money to do that and a relief.'"

Collinson said he has been pleased with the response to the 12-foot-tall Nile Kinnick statue and is pleased in what he has seen of the relief.

"I think the whole stadium is intended to invoke the feel of tradition. I think it invokes (Kinnick) very well. It is the aspiration of college athletics. He was a student athlete, who was a model person," Collinson said. "I think it gives nobility to football that's appropriate to the place."

Nowlan started the sculptures early in 2005 and alternated between the works. However, the second sculpture is a larger undertaking. It has taken more than 1,010 man hours, 2,500 pounds of plaster and 60 gallons of rubber.

Work on the relief is in its final stages. It is being cast and bronzed by a company in Philadelphia and then shipped to Iowa City. Nowlan will be traveling back and forth to Iowa to get everything ready for the unveiling next month.

"At this point, you are managing the scheduling of the foundry. You have to plan the installation of the piece. When it's in place, then I'll start to be a little relaxed. Until that time, there is still a little work to be done," Nowlan said.

Not an Iowan, Nowlan said the projects have made him a Hawkeye. He said he wants the people of Iowa to take ownership of his work.

"Nile is such a great example and hero, not just to the people of Iowa, but to anyone that knows his story," Nowlan said. "In this case, you are hired to pay tribute to the person. It will be a great feeling seeing the people of Iowa take ownership of it and be proud."

Closing in on Kinnick

We are getting down to crunch time with Nile and the boys. Here are some shots from my last visit to the foundry. One is of Jack "chasing" the bronze. "Chasing" is the term used for grinding down the metal welds on a sculpture so that when it is complete you cannot see where the chasing took place. The other shot is of the patination process. You use a torch to heat the metal and stipple different mixtures of acid on the bronze to get different colors. With a piece the magnitude of the Kinnick you would use a spray bottle or maybe a hose!!
Best,
LJN
Dont forget to visit the new site click here!

Boise WWII Aviator Sculpture

As a finalist for the Boise WWII Aviator Memorial I flew out early this week to review the site and materials. The site is in front of the Boise International Airport across from The pulaski figure of mine who pays tribute to the Wildland Firefighters. This cast was created and dedicated at the airport in 2003. It was a nice feeling to visit a site where one of your pieces already stands.
Along with the site visit Boise Public Arts exec. Karen Bubb took me over to the Warhawk Aviator Museum.
http://www.warhawkairmuseum.org/
Where I was able to study the uniforms of the aviators and also spend a few hours with Chet Bowers who shared some of his experiences as a co-pilot in the war.
Pics:1) A shot of the site with the Pulaski figure
2) Group of Aviators
3) Does that pilot look familiar??
4) C.A. Bowers tag and jumpsuit
5) Mr. Chet Bowers in the flesh! (holding up a survivor vest)

Kinnicks new home

Nile and Co. are getting close to being installed in his new permenant home. Not a bad place approx. 20' long 10' high and 4' deep could get a bit chilly in the winter but Im sure the good folks of Iowa will help keep 'em warm!
Dont forget to visit the new site click here!

Regards,
LJN

New WebSite

I have been working on a new website which will be finish shortly but in the meantime you can preview it at:
http://web.mac.com/ljnowlan/iWeb/LJN%20Sculpture/Home.html
Below is one of the bas relief portraits for the Vintners Hall of Fame. It is in clay ready to have a mold taken off it.
Harold Olmo - http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/07/13/news/obits.php
Regards,
LJN

Busy Days

Busy days in the studio, The Kinnick is coming along well with the unveiling set for September 8th at Kinnick Stadium. The bas relief portraits for the Culinary Institute of America's Vintners Hall Fame are going well also along with other projects. Hope you enjoy the posts and if you have any specific topics you would like me to address please leave me a comment and I will be happy to reply.
Regards, LJN

The AGS Movie was a Great Success!

Please add yourself to the map!

Lets see how many locations we can add to the Sculptor's Studio map! Thanks

Kinnick's almost home.....

Film a great success!

The previously mentioned film "Augustus Saint-Gaudens Master of American Sculpture" was a great success. The film is a treat for both the eyes and the ears. Filled with wonderful commentary from art historians and Saint-Gaudens experts including the foremost Saint-Gaudens expert and world reknown art historian Dr. Henry Duffy, Curator of The Saint-Gaudens National Historic site in Cornish, Nh.
Seems my cameo added a bit of humor to the otherwise serious film!
Director and Producer Paul G. Sanderson III did a masterful job with the film and is looking to add more of the film he shot in my studio as an "extra" segment on the DVD.
Keep your fingers crossed, LJN

Saint Gaudens World Premier Movie......

LJN has a cameo appearence!
"Hi Everyone. I finally finished it! Save the date for one of the screenings. Separate invitations to follow. Some of the early reviews: “Beautifully crafted,” “The cinematography is superb – some of the views are breathtaking,” “a visually stunning film,” “Saint-Gaudens seems to leap out of the film…it fleshes him out and gives him texture.” Presented in High Definition Television. (Note: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston screening TBD, also Chicago date is 2008)."
A FILM BY PAUL G SANDERSON III....

Kinnick relief casting....

The casting is moving along well and at this point all of the sections are cast and being welded together. Here are some shots of the process, enjoy, LJN

Casting/cleaning/carving

The big piece is being cast as we speak. It is coming along smoothly and we are looking at another opening day unveiling ceremony and Hawkeye victory. The studio..well it looks like a tornado hit it but we are working on that. I can say that the relief came down a hell-a-va lot faster than it went up! Presently I am working on the Vintners Hall of Fame reliefs for the Culinary Institute of America, I believe that the next induction dinner is March 8, 2008.
Regards, LJN

Busy time in the studio

Its been a busy time here in the studio but I wanted to give you some fun facts. Keith and I completed the "Kinnick" mold (not all of it is shown here!) and these are some stats:
1010 man hours
2500 lbs. plaster
60 gallons of rubber
344' of clay wall
350' conduit pipe
450 sq. yds of burlap
600 latex gloves
460 chip brushes
6 cans spray release
16 - 8oz. jars of vasiline

Researching new job?

Assorted pics

Here are some assorted photos of the dismantling of the mold. After actually taking the mold apart we needed to clean each section out with wooden tools along with mineral spirits. The mold is now safely in the hands of the foundry and in the casting process.Before we took the mold apart we had design a "code" so the foundry could keep the 75 pieces in order.


"Patience serves as a protection against wrongs as clothes do against cold. For if you put on more clothes as the cold increases, it will have no power to hurt you. So in like manner you must grow in patience when you meet with great wrongs, and they will then be powerless to vex your mind." - Leonardo da Vinci

CIA Greystone Napa Valley

Here are some photos from the induction dinner for Robert Mondavi and the other inductees of the new "Vintners Hall of Fame". I created a bas Relief portrait of Mr. Mondavi in time for the ceremony and will start the remaining 8 momentarily. The photos include one with my bother Peter who met me out in Ca. and one with James Cross the graphic designer extraordinaire.

"Paint coat"

When preparing a section of a sculpture for "sand casting" you have to start with a paint coat of plaster to get all of the detail followed by 4 coats of burlap soaked in plaster. Then...you have to take a positive cast out of that mold section using the same technique and thats what the foundry will use.
Keith really didnt pose for this pic, he was actually applying a coat!

LJN Show at the Chaffee Art Center in Rutland, VT

Featured Artist Exhibit Sculptor Lawrence Nowlan February 23-MArch 25, 2007
For more info contact the Chaffee Art Center (802) 775-0356
http://www.rutlandherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070222/FEATURES17/702220323/1045/FEATURES17



“Art is a lie which makes us realize the truth.” - Pablo Picasso

Mold'n away

A couple more photos, one showing the the use of color to separate the layers of rubber and insure an even coat has been applied. The second of Keith working away. I actually have been helping beleive it or not but its the "grunt" who must take the pictures!

“Art is the expression of the profoundest thoughts in the simplest way.” -Albert Einstein

The "BIG DIG"

We got walloped with 2'+ feet of snow on Wendesday but like they say "No rain, nor sleet....".......Thats Keith getting up close and personal with his work!

“The true work of art is but a shadow of the divine perfection.” - Michelangelo

Next step

This is a shot of the rubber and the structure (mother mold) made to back the rubber. The grey strips in the bottom right corner is the clay wall used to separate sections.

“For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair, let a child run his or her fingers through in once a day.
For poise, walk with the knowledge you’ll never walk alone.”
-Audrey Hepburn

Rubber application

Six layers of rubber must be applied to each "section" of the mold before a plaster "mother mold" can be created on top of it.

A "section" is created by putting up a clay wall on the perimeter of an area of the mold approx.3'x3'. These sections are manageble for one person to work on during the casting process.

A "mother mold" is a plaster backing added to the rubber to insure the rubber keeps its form while casting from it.

“When we are no longer able to change a situation…we are challenged to change ourselves.” - Viktor

Kinnick mold progressing nicely

“A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself. What a man can be, he must be.” - Abraham Maslow