Fantastic piece Tango. Thanks for the 'start to finish' pic's they really are an inspiration. I hope to attempt pieces such as yours in the near future. Thanks for sharing.

FANTASTIC ARTWORK. We all need 2 weeks of vacation, meet in a central location and have seminar's on tufa. Wish I could do that kind of work.
Paws

That is amazing, Tango. It is so real looking. I can't believe the detail, especially the midpoint with the peeled bark transition. Professional craftsmanship obviously.

Do you have an estimate of how many hours you spent making this piece?

Awesome Tango, I hope to be in Houston sometime this fall. What part of Houston is Mercer in? Do you have anymore work around in Mercer or in other places in Houston?

Wow, pretty impressive. I'd sure like to see your work in person one day.

Thanks to everyone. I hope the progress pix help serve as a kind of tutorial for any of you so interested.
Jazzbone (great handle)...Too many. Ran into a rare problem with the first batch of white Portland and had to grind off the top & do it over. Should "normally" be about 40 hours of work and quite a bit more for curing. Weather here has stayed above 100 daily for weeks now and the neat Portland mix has been a monster to cure without cracking. Had to work outdoors with no shade but at least I now have a tan and beach blond hair.
Dixie...this is my first (hopefully of many) "Public Works Projects". It was technically done for the County who operates the Arboretum. Everything else has been private commisions, but with this one under my belt, I'm hoping to bid on quite a few more. Oh yeah, the Mercer Arboretum is on the north side of Houston, just east of I-45 and the Hardy Toll Road. They have a map on their website and, my work aside, it really is a fantastic place to spend the day.
My best to all.

tango, Beautiful work, congratulations! Billie

Tango,
It's great to see such work (of art) from start to finish, in pics! I never really knew what Faux Bois was until I saw this forum.
A question though, what was the first pour, sand/cement?
And what is the scratch coat and sculpting coat, you mentioned neat cement. Did the neat cement mix contain an additive, and how long do you wait before you start carving, till it's starting to dry out? How do you colour the sculpt mix?
Sorry, that was FIVE questions.!
I'd love to try it, if you could give us some details,
your work is inspiring, I have an idea for the back yard,
Slate

Tango, that turned out fantastic. Your work is excellent. Love those knees! What did they ever do about the garden entry? You should have had that job, and I hope they are sorry they didn't just let you do it. Your idea was fantastic, and I know it would have been great!! BB

Beautiful faux bois! Thanks for sharing, and will be watching for more of your work!

Jean

Hi Guys...Once again, thank you all for the kind comments.
Slate...As many of you have no doubt observed by now, formulations are form, function and condition dependent and as such vary accordingly. Detailing the processes, formulations and curing proceedures would require writing a book to be meaningful, since they have to be matched to all of the above. (And, yes...I'm still working on that) That said, the base for this piece is a very basic 1-2-3 mix of gray Portland, sharp sand & coarse gravel (for strength) with a handful of short poly fibers tossed in. The "scratch coat" on this one contained one part gray Portland to two parts sand (half sharp & half very fine blasting sand) with some added hydrated lime and flyash for workability in the "dry" mix. The "wet" mix portion of the scratch coat was modified with a high-range water reducer (superplasticizer), retarder and some bonding admix. The above, minus the sharp sand (extra fine only) is excellent as a final finish mixture for executing what I call a typical "French Antique Finish". It is very scupltable and can be detailed quite nicely to both rough bark and smooth textures. As for the "neat" mixtures, all I have time for right now is to say that it gets very tricky. There is no sand at all and the formulations and curing are supercritical...especially when the temp is above 70 degrees or there is any breeze whatsoever. This is where a couple of chapters on several different topics become necessary. But don't wait on my book. Do some experimenting on your own. Just keep detailed notes (including environmental conditions). Hopefully I'll be able to get enough of the processes recorded to help perpetuate the art form and leave it to dedicated creative folks like you to advance it.
BB...Thank you also. The "big" project is still alive but I am now one of three bidders (including the amazing Carlos Cortes). Should know the status sometime between now and the fall. Will just have to wait & see what the county decides.
My best to all.

Tango,
thank you for the info, and for pointing out the 'bigger picture'. I do appreciate the indicator to the 'feel'of the process, and confirmation that it isn't just a sequence of static recipes and procedures. I guess that's what makes you the artist that you are.
Just LOVE the workmanship in this piece, it is a real credit to you.
I guess the artist is the same as the things he creates, un-refined at first, and gradually becoming more and more refined,
Thanks for the pic-torial, it's great,
Slate

Slate...glad to hear that you grasp a very important basic concept. Creativity by definition cannot result from "static" processes. It never ceases to amaze (and dumbfound) me, how many folks go about searching for the perfect series of "right steps" that will result in producing a masterwork. Ain't gonna' happen. It's a wonderful and sometimes painful process of discovery. By the same token, some people are so profoundly Right Brained that if they do stumble on a process that produces some incredibly fantastic and beautiful result...they lack the discipline to be able to ever do it again. I guess my rambling philosophical point here is...it takes a very special balance of order & chaos to consistently accomplish anything creative. Whether it's painting, dance, poetry or sculpting 'Tufa. Creating great art is a lot like living a great life. It must be centered. But remember...the only way to know where center really lies...is to go out and find the edges from time to time.

Well said, Tango and Slate. Creativity and being able to produce can be difficult partners. Sometimes they work well together, other times they won't or don't speak to one another and nothing gets done. I like the fact you used the word dicipline. That's an important concept some will never grasp. Thanks again for going to the edge and coming back to share with us.

My great love (outside of my family, garden, opera, and my new interest in innumerable, strange art projects) is writing...but I have trouble keeping track of what, how much, conditions, etc....when I'm working on hypertufa or any other project that requires that I "feel" when something looks like I want it to be---or what pigments I'm adding----or (especially here in Seattle where it can change from 80 degrees to windy and rainy in a heartbeat--and HAS this summer). SO my husband bought me an inexpensive digital recorder and I just talk into it as I work---and there are those who say that talking is what I do best....so there you are. Besides, I have about eight thousand pens with hypertufa, paint, p of p, and other foreign substances on them, making them interesting subjects for "found art" but useless scribener implements.

Heehoo...What a completely great idea!!! You are right. Having a recorder to take notes on beats the heck out of trying to get ill-fitting, cement coated rubber gloves off when you really want to jot down a thought or an observation. And the new voice-activated digitals are small enough to disappear into a shirt pocket. HOO-RAY for HEEHOO! Just wish I'da thunk it.