Sculpting, Art and the creation of it

Just about evey guy has a thing for tools, and I can remember my grandfather telling me to always use the right tool for the job. In the case of lifting giant logs, this can be quite an expesive endevour. For quite some time I have avoided large scale projects simply becuase I had no way to lift, move or deliver large sculptures. But wait no further.... 

  I have just completed the fabrication of my new truck equiped perfectly for retrieving and lifting large logs for sculpting. The truck which was converted & fabricated by Cooper Fabrication in Post falls Idaho, It now has a knucklboom crane capable of lifting nearly 2,500 lbs and a 8' x 9' deck big enough for large logs and whatever else I might need to haul. wether it's large Grizzly sculpture, huge eagle,  or any other larhe piece, I'll be ready to go! This is part two of my live carving roadshow.

  * Part one was my 6x12 enclosed trailer complete with a vinyl vehicle wrap sporting www.jeffmay.com and pictures of some of my work.

      This allows me to do live carving demonstrations just about anywhere, carriying both tools and finished sculptures.

  * Part two is the truck mentioned above. You may see me around town, belive me you won't miss it. The Truck is a black Ford F-450 with

     orange graphics, and the trailer is also black and orange. Eventually there will be a permanat installment of wildlife creatures hanging           off various parts of the truck. 

Live carving serves as my way to connect to the community. To see art is one thing, but to interact with the process of creating it art is another. Many times I will partner with a local business to attract people.  It gives people a chance to see the creative process in action, ask questions of coarse vistit the sponsoring business too. If your interested in hosting a live carving demonstration, get in touch with me soon, as I limit the number I do each year. Below are some images of my new set up......

In the world of .com and web identity, I guess owning your own name is a pretty big deal! After owning the domain www.jeff-may.com for over 8 years, the ability for me to purchase JeffMay.com came up. So it's official .... www.Jeffmay.com will now take you to the same great display of works by Jeff May but without the "dash". Sort of like ... taste great but less filling.  My hope is that it will be easier for people to find and remember me as I build my reputation here in the states.  Anyway, not much more to say other than thank you, to all you who have supported me and encouraged me in my work over the years. It's been a joy to create beautiful sculptures for people to enjoy, and I feel blessed to be able to do this full time..... thank you for all your support and encouragement

Well, tomorrow is “Black friday”, and the beginning of a season of giving. I just want to take a moment or two to encourage you to be conscious of your local economy. Simply shopping at a locally owned store or locally owned franchise infuses the local economy much more so than spending at large corporately owned establishments. Of course  supporting local artist and craftsmen is always appreciated too, most of them, including myself, take pride in the creative process and throughly enjoy making works of art. Rustic art, warms the home and becomes a conversation piece for friends and family to enjoy for generations.

On a personal note, It’s not to late to place orders for sculptures in time to make it under the Christmas Tree. We are offering 50% off shipping for orders taken in the month of December, so if your considering a wildlife sculpture, or relief sculpture or any other, give me a call, I’d be happy to sculpt something special, handmade by yours truly....

Merry Christmas!
Jeff May

Bears, Grizzly, Moose, Eagles, Owls, Salmon, Trout, Totems, landscapes, Raccoons, Benches, Mantels, Carved doors, and much more....

 I recently completed a non- traditional “Wildlife Totem” for the city of Coeur d’ Alene. It’s located in G.O. Phippeny park which lies on the corner of Seventh St. and Montana St. downtown. Although the project took nearly nine days, it more likely represents about 28-30 hrs of work. The sculpture has nine different species of wildlife found here in the northwest; an Owl, Bear Cub, Grizzly, Eagle, Chinook Salmon (3),Fox, Wolf, and a River Otter. I carved a tree, and a rock-like structure as well as various branches that make up the spaces in between characters. It stands just under 9 ft tall, and is made from Ponderosa Pine. The tree which died naturally from disease once stood over a 100 feet tall, and was topped at Ten feet around a year and a half ago. The top diameter was about 24 inches in diameter with a slight taper towards the base.

The project went fairly smooth, however there were a few areas in which rot presented some challenges, one in particular, needed to be rebuilt using wood fillers. Various stains were used, making each character stand out. The sculpture has a much richer tone than if the sculpture were to be simply sealed using a single color. Benches were also added on each side, allowing people to enjoy sitting amongst the totem.

This was a great project, and it was fun to meet lots of neighbors, and locals whom enjoyed seeing the transformation over a couple weeks. If your a local, or traveling through I encourage you to visit in person. If you’d like to receive updates and occasional articles about my work, please subscribe to the e-mail newsletter on my website.

Below is a photo of one angle, to see the entire sculpture visit the works section of my website www.jeff-may.com

Around the first of the month my original website was hacked and many of my images and content were lost, as a result I decided to look into a new website system. For you the viewer, your experience will  certainly be an improvement, but for me however, it will be considerably better in regaurds to managing the site. This shift, will allow me to spend more of my time sculpting and less time behind
the compter. :)

Sometimes it's difficult to talk about your own artwork, but I realize the importance of sharing the creative process from time to time as well. I think that, as an artist you experience a certain time in your life where your art refects a new season, right wow, is one of those seasons. I've been carrying some new ideas around and now's the time to bring them out. Most of them are mixed media, which can be interesting, but does have a bit of a learning curve. Anyway, all this to say, watch for some new works as I flesh some long awaited creativity.

    * Relief Sculpture & Oil Pastels / rich colors

    * Wood & Metal

Keep posted on new works by signing up for my "Newsletter".

Blessings, Jeff May