chunkolini
celebrity artiste
- Messages
- 9,307
- Location
- Swansea
A while back I was contacted by an American lady asking if i could make her a sculpture installation.
I am always interested in people ideas so I asked what she had in mind.
Initially she liked my small ants
But asked if i could go a bit bigger.
I looked into it said i could go up about three feet long.
Great she says.
Oh!! was my reaction. We talked about shipping and she said she might some things to go with the ant.
By now we were on pretty good terms.
She wanted a life sized child about 9 years old, wearing a battered bush hat, holding one of my money flowers, with about 10 of the small ants milling about and Momma ant three feet long, like an assault boat for the smaller ants to ride.
A fabulous idea was my reaction. A real looney.
We talked budgets and both had a similar figure in mind.
A brief aside here.
I have recently stated asking people for a vague budget to work within. I then go off and come up with a ballpark figure of my own. The figures are usually very close. Here we were within fifty pounds of each other.
It might seem rude asking this but it helps me to have a framework to work within and scares off the cheapskates.
Lynda and I got to work refining our installation.
I thought he has to have a name and came up with the story of The Ant Boy of Borneo. Shipwrecked as a small child, saw cannibals eat his folks and took to the jungle where he was adopted by a colony of ants. Venerated and avoided by the embarassed locals, pooh poohed by the colonials as a stupid local myth. he had been dead for at least 100 years before being found skeletal and ant covered wearing his hat.
Here we have The Ant Boy with his friendly ants.
Apparently Lynda's family have a tradition of collecting pennies from heaven and keeping them in a jar for treats, this is the germ that started the idea off.
I explained about my Victorian Great Grandfather the eccentric explorer Jack Turner who actually discovered the ant boy with his American buddy, the Quiet American. Well knock me down Lynda's great great Grandfather was a man of few words who had travelled in Borneo and knew of these legends. The story got very involved to the point where I might even write it down. A kind of Steam Punk adventure story.
Back on topic.
Momma ant.
Dont mess with her.
The whole gang.
I was so pleased with Momma Ant I made myself one. might fit her with a dog collar for my open studios event. Lynda then says I should have her (momma ant you fools) tied up and the baby ants drinking from a dog bowl. We seems to have a lot in common.
This project has been on the go for a about 2-3 months. Turns out the whole thing is a surprise to Lynda's Mum and Dad and adopted family.
Oh to be a fly on the wall when it is opened.
this kept wifey and me busy and laughing from inception to completion how Lynda kept it to herself I cant understand.
This is the kind of thing that makes this the best job in the world.
Somebody wants something you cant buy, and is not even sure exactly what they want but they still get it in the end.
I crammed it all into a box on Wednesday, it arrived the next day in Wyoming. 24 hour door to door delivery for a 1x1mx0.6m crate £400.00. Now that is good service.
Lynda's Mum told the driver it was not for them, but he insisted on leaving it with her. I would love to have seen them open it.
Bonkers stuff.
I have asked Lynda if she minds me sharing our story.
Now I have to get started writing it.
Chunko'.
I am always interested in people ideas so I asked what she had in mind.
Initially she liked my small ants
But asked if i could go a bit bigger.
I looked into it said i could go up about three feet long.
Great she says.
Oh!! was my reaction. We talked about shipping and she said she might some things to go with the ant.
By now we were on pretty good terms.
She wanted a life sized child about 9 years old, wearing a battered bush hat, holding one of my money flowers, with about 10 of the small ants milling about and Momma ant three feet long, like an assault boat for the smaller ants to ride.
A fabulous idea was my reaction. A real looney.
We talked budgets and both had a similar figure in mind.
A brief aside here.
I have recently stated asking people for a vague budget to work within. I then go off and come up with a ballpark figure of my own. The figures are usually very close. Here we were within fifty pounds of each other.
It might seem rude asking this but it helps me to have a framework to work within and scares off the cheapskates.
Lynda and I got to work refining our installation.
I thought he has to have a name and came up with the story of The Ant Boy of Borneo. Shipwrecked as a small child, saw cannibals eat his folks and took to the jungle where he was adopted by a colony of ants. Venerated and avoided by the embarassed locals, pooh poohed by the colonials as a stupid local myth. he had been dead for at least 100 years before being found skeletal and ant covered wearing his hat.
Here we have The Ant Boy with his friendly ants.
Apparently Lynda's family have a tradition of collecting pennies from heaven and keeping them in a jar for treats, this is the germ that started the idea off.
I explained about my Victorian Great Grandfather the eccentric explorer Jack Turner who actually discovered the ant boy with his American buddy, the Quiet American. Well knock me down Lynda's great great Grandfather was a man of few words who had travelled in Borneo and knew of these legends. The story got very involved to the point where I might even write it down. A kind of Steam Punk adventure story.
Back on topic.
Momma ant.
Dont mess with her.
The whole gang.
I was so pleased with Momma Ant I made myself one. might fit her with a dog collar for my open studios event. Lynda then says I should have her (momma ant you fools) tied up and the baby ants drinking from a dog bowl. We seems to have a lot in common.
This project has been on the go for a about 2-3 months. Turns out the whole thing is a surprise to Lynda's Mum and Dad and adopted family.
Oh to be a fly on the wall when it is opened.
this kept wifey and me busy and laughing from inception to completion how Lynda kept it to herself I cant understand.
This is the kind of thing that makes this the best job in the world.
Somebody wants something you cant buy, and is not even sure exactly what they want but they still get it in the end.
I crammed it all into a box on Wednesday, it arrived the next day in Wyoming. 24 hour door to door delivery for a 1x1mx0.6m crate £400.00. Now that is good service.
Lynda's Mum told the driver it was not for them, but he insisted on leaving it with her. I would love to have seen them open it.
Bonkers stuff.
I have asked Lynda if she minds me sharing our story.
Now I have to get started writing it.
Chunko'.