Oregon Art Beat; #301; Mike Leckie

So what I will do is almost exactly what I had done on the sides where I came in close to the edges of the drawing. Well now I have new drawings on the sides so what I will do is come in close to the drawing again. I probably am going to come in from the back that way I don't destroy my original drawing right away but what I'll end up with is a reasonably flat surface with the original drawing and three sides that are reasonably close to the original drawing in outline. And then I go back in with all the grinders and all the others. We're still in the rough out process with my reasonably large tools. And you know this is a very small piece of marble. I've been doing smaller pieces lately because people can afford this. I've been trying to keep some pieces under 10 ,000 and some under 5 ,000 because I do life size marbles occasionally and they do sell them but the small pieces are likely to sell much faster. That's why this is small. I do have very hardcore handle that's twice the size for chisels. I have a diamond saw blade that you saw the one I was

using that's a 4 inch blade. I have an 8 inch blade and I have a power drill and it's a roto hammer that's a reasonably small handheld version of the big street breaker. You know the big I've got just enough tools I'm pretty much poor on tools because I don't like technical stuff I would rather do it with the tools that I have. And no matter what you buy it's programmed to break on you and you got to fix it. So the least amount of tools I have the more I can do with my hands the better off I am. That's interesting. It's interesting because most you want to. Oh sure sure. Yeah hot spots back there. Sure. It's interesting people who don't create things for a living tend to think that people who do just create things out of

total inspiration but it's your living. It's a living. And so you know your point about having to create some that that maybe for maybe sell a little less is an interesting one. How what percentage of that is in you know is in the process. Well it's a big percentage because I've been on my own without working for anybody else for over 20 years. So it is a part of the formula. But what I try to do is take a smaller stone this piece is a piece of fluorite. Just pull it right over here and put it right here. It's a really beautiful pale green stone that I have a drawing on a couple of sides of here's a drawing. It's going to be another female torso. But what I'm going to do is take this small piece of very pretty stone and make exactly what I want from it. So it's a compromise. I make exactly what I want. I just do it in a size that somebody can afford. When you when you make a huge piece are those on commission or are that just some you know

at some point you say I've got to work big. Sometimes it's a commission and sometimes it's simply it's time for me to work big and one summer I think I produce three life size pieces and I think they're all sold right now. But it was the summer of let's jump in scale and throw the big ones out there. And I like doing big ones. I've got a commission right now to do two year old twins out of the same block of marble. It's going to be adorable. Is there something that you can point to in you that makes you say I've got to work big or is it just no? Yeah. Yeah it's pretty much how I feel right now. I'm attempting to do a number of smaller pieces that I can ship to New York because I have a one -man show coming up September 21st. Trying to get a life size piece in New York is going to be very expensive. So what I'm going to do is send them a bunch of these smaller pieces that will sell for a reasonable amount. How do you ship a life size piece to New York? I think what you have to do is contract

the shipping company, put it on the back of a truck and have it taken there. And then it takes a crane to put it on the truck and a crane to take it off the truck. I mean this is quite the process. And I have put life size pieces on Eugene's Mall for a competition twice now and it's pretty exciting when they let me drive the grain truck. It's pretty exciting. Well something you always want to do when you're a kid. Yeah exactly. And it's a little frightening too to see something that is worth you know tens of thousands of dollars hanging 10 feet in the air from straps. Knowing that if it drops you cannot put it back together. Yeah. Okay let's do some more of this. Okay let's see what I think what I'll do is get out my saw again and just make some marks here. Look at this wonderful texture. This is the exposed side of the stone. This rock was picked up in California out in the desert. It's a California marble. I have some other pieces of this same marble but this

upper side this is a side that was exposed to the weather and it's very fascinating with the dark and the light veins. What happens to them? I mean I think this is a beautiful side but I'm going to cut it off because I'm going to make a sculpture of the rock but I like this so much. Okay back to this tool. Yeah my wonderful trusty saw. Get rid of a couple things here. Part of my process is to stay picked up only take one tool out at a time and leave it here because if I don't it's a mess. You can see that I'm going to have to come in fairly deep in these sections but the blade only cuts this deep. So I'll have to make two passes. I'll have to come in and chisel that out and then make another pass and chisel that out.

Are you guys ready? I'm going to throw dust at you so if I stood over here I'll throw it away I think. I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust

at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I 'm going to throw dust dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at

you so I 'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust at you so I'm going to throw dust

at you there's also something very fascinating that I don't know if you can see it visually but it's much more difficult to remove the stone from the front and the back, then it is from the sides. The grain of the stone goes with the layering, so that the layer of the stone, the grain of the stone runs this way, I'm taking it off cross grain when I try to take it this way. When I take it off these sides, it goes with the grain and removes very easily. This is a much more difficult side to carve. Well, it's fascinating because marble has a grain just like wood does, but you can't see it the same way in most marbles. I'm going to take it off,

I'm going to take it off, I'm going to take it off, I'm going to take it off, I'm going to take it off. You know what I mean, alright? This is a Matita Degreinder, and it's wonderful. It is an amazing nap, it's worn off. It's going to be able to tell you, I think it's about 50 ,000 RPM's. It's wonderful. Yes and this little gray tip here is from a company in California that is a marble carving stone and it's wonderful. You can buy a lot of different stones but some of them don't do well with marble. This one does. So you're going to use that up there not

here right? Okay. Okay, Greg. As we see the grain runs along the stone here. I get it cleaned up. You can see that the dark lines are running this way along with the chisel, marks. That is the layering of the stone. The layering of the stone is like this. So that as I take off of the front or the two sides of the stone, this side or this side, that's a very easily off of these two sides because this is the grain of the wood. The grain of the marble is layered in like this to try to take off the edge of the grain is like carving against the grain in wood. There really is quite a grain in marble and to find it really helps you carving because then you do most of your chiseling and chipping with the grain. Deft go against the grain

is much more difficult. It takes a lot longer. Good. Now just run your finger along that green one. Now see these lines. These lines are really wonderful and they are the dark line with the pink line and then a dark line and a pink line and marble is pretty generally coral reefs because where do you come up with mountains of calcium carbonate without having a coral reef and ancient coral reef? Well the pink would have been the coral reef and the dark color would have been another material that came in and layered with the pink. You know came in and layered on the coral, then the coral grew some more, came in and layered on the coral grew some more. So that as this is metamorphized together and pressed, it turns into a crystal and rock that is calcium carbonate with the impurities.

And so that's what we're talking about when you see colors and grain in marble is the impurities as it was laid down before it was metamorphized into marble when it was still calcium carbonate, which is shells, bones and coral. Marble is a really really unique substance in that because it's crystal when you carve it, when you actually strike it, it rings. I can show you on one of the big pieces out here really well. It's a crystal structure. So those of us who carve marble talking about marble being alive when we carve because it shows back crystals to you every time you take a carve off something it's crystal and structure and it sings. When you strike the stone it sets up a resonance inside of the stone and particularly a larger piece when you're using the pneumatic chisel on it the resonance is set up set up inside of the stone so that the stone begins to hum back at you in a relatively high frequency. It's very

pleasant. I've been in a carving studio in Italy where there were two German sculptors doing hand carving on a large block which meant they had carved a lot together and they were working on two sides of the same stone with a hand chisel and a hammer. Every strike started the rhythm in the stone. This is a large stone and they had worked together enough that their rhythm really amplified each other's rhythm. Those of us working in the studio even with our earphones on stopped and took our earphones off and stood there with our mouths open because this big stone this four foot by four foot by eight foot stone is humming back at all of us. At a very loud level we could hear it through our earphones. We all stopped and looked and these are all carvers who all know that this happens. It's so startling that we had to stop. Taking pictures of my cigars.

Oh, I love one. Thank you. I just do the backwoods. Those are nice. These are... Thank you. These are Dr. And then after my own heart. Where did I put the glass? You don't need me in front of anything more great guy? Not right now. Okay. Hey, it's going cool. I think we're done out in that studio. I

didn't want to introduce how I've been wanting to operate with this firm guitar. I'll let it stop in with the future. Yeah. Again, let's do it. Yeah, maybe it's okay to mix them because if I come up twice in a promo, if there's three of us and we do it,

it's going to be a good idea to do it. Yeah, it's going to be a good idea to do it. Yeah, it's going to be a good idea to do it. No, I think we know who the man after his art is. That's big billionaires. I'll do anything to have that. Something like, what would it take to have a great moment? Would I have to blow on? I don't know. Okay. You got beautiful shotgun, don't you? You don't need a beautiful shotgun.

Okay, I love one. They're packed in so tight when they're still. That's great. They're not round. Yeah, I know, weird. I saw something on South Beach the other night on TV and they were talking about a lot of very premium cigars are produced in South Beach from really good quality tobaccos because all of the old experts cigar rollers from Cuba work in South Beach. Yeah, I still can't buy fancy cigars because I love them but they go away so fast that it's like, I can't even spend five bucks on a cigar.

You ever know, is something about $40 ,000 in here? You imagine spending $40 ,000 on your own. You mid or filled cigars. Well, that's why I like these. That's why I like the backwoods. But these backwards are cheap. You're getting it pretty much like it looks even though we did prep it because I wouldn't let them cut everything. You know, there's some interesting things and I don't know how we're going to show it exactly. We may not get to, unless you want to just want to talk about it. But you see the really big crystal on the

one that's laying on the side over there. You can see the big crystal in the sun. That's a piece of Greek. The crystal structure is very large in that piece compared to other marbles. Well, that, the crystal structure generally large crystal size means more translucency. So hard that I got it this far and gave up on it for a while. Listen to this tone. I mean, ah, that's a really hard rock. You can tell by the way it rings. But it's still marble. It's just the really dark version of very hard stone. And the pink next to it is a pink piece of pink Portuguese. It's very soft stone. And I almost have to take a chip off to show you, but this is a piece of statuario from Italy. And ordinario is what you mostly get. Ordinary. Statuario is clear, creamy, soft, nice consistency. You know, it's certainly cool to me. Well, and, you know, I have been interviewed by the register

guard more than once. You know what I've decided I need to do. And I'm not doing it. You guys, because I trust you. Oh, next. I will never let the register guard take my photograph or write an article on me again. They will receive a press kit with a photograph and a statement. Because they have, in the TV station years ago, I was working at Mod Currents, you know, the nonprofit art center in town. Putting on the All Oregon's culture show. And I instigated cultures in the show. It was a big deal. The local TV station came and followed me around for 45 minutes, setting the show up today. That it was going to open that night. And I'm going around just doing the final preps and stuff. Talking to the camera while I'm working. 45 minutes, you know what they used? One statement. They had me look into the camera. And the only statement they used, you can, you can get it. Isis Mike. Why would they do that? I mean, well, yeah, but. They didn't make me

or anybody in the show like them. What they did was, excuse me. Oh, and they did a whole program of this stuff. Oh, I had a wireless on. You know, there were the producers in the studio to kill for that opportunity. Oh, yeah, yeah. Yeah. It was extraordinary. Yeah. It was extraordinary. Well, you got every little nuance he said to everybody, didn't you? I mean, whoa. I mean, he was so, but it they were all kind of apprehensive of Jesus to apprehensive of the end, because he has the strength to be patient for being from New York. You know, I know, but I like New York, remember. I'm ill on that one. I'm from Baltimore. You know, so anyway, so he says, he was honest. He was very straightforward. He knew exactly what he wanted, but he wasn't. No, I wasn't a jerk about it. He just knew he's honest. And they all loved it.

Well, you saw how my secretary reacted. This is my perfect job. I don't think I could get a better job. And I've already looked at them this morning and said, you guys all shh. Oh, yeah. Sometimes I go on, I just left it 12 minutes, I'm already settling. He's the resident director of the organization. Okay. And you know, I wish I spent more time doing those things, but I spent all my time right here. I don't hardly go to symphonies. I don't hardly do any of them. I came down to the desk, but I did 10 minutes on camera. You see this one, I just pulled

out the ear. This piece was a commission by someone who knew what they wanted and described it to me. I made the drawings for her. She loved the drawings, and when I started carving, she decided that it's absolutely perfect. And the name of this piece is Old Flame that I pretty much did this after the woman who ordered it and an old boyfriend of hers that she had reconnected with. And she said, this is the feeling of the relationship, thank you. The name of the piece is Old Flame. The impetus is this woman reconnected with a boyfriend that she had known in college, and they were both grown up and their

kids were grown up, and they've reconnected. This is a really lovely piece of stone called Rosa Verona, and if you look at it carefully, you can see this encounters in banks and there is a fancy bakery in town that has this as their marble countertops. It's very unusual to find a large enough solid enough piece of this that hasn't been slapped up for countertops, so when I saw the piece, I had to buy it and bring it home from Italy. But Rosa Verona is a very particular stone from Italy.

I yelled at him just a minute ago for that. It sounds like an apartment house next door. We didn't keep turning the same directions. You can see the natural flaws and different colors inside the stone. I think the natural flaws make the stone much more interesting than if it's totally pure. Although I do like clean, clean blocks of marble.

They're in, in, in, One of the things I attempt to do with all of my work is I attempt to leave some tool marks and leave some of the natural stone so that people have the impression that this came from a natural stone with real tool marks. When you get to this fine finish, it could be a piece of produced plastic from another country. So I try to leave roughness on the stone so that people can see where it came from. This is actually carved by a human. Okay.