Form of 1996 Plaque Design & Progress

The design stage for the 1996 Form plaque design was completed a few months ago.  After working with the Form Director a list of events was chosen to illustrate the 6th Form experiences of the Form of 1996:

The design elements are as follows:

•  Central Motif:  The development of the Humanities program is represented by an owl perched on a book, with pen, pencil and brush behind it.  The owl symbol is for wisdom, the pen/pencil/brush symbols represent arts and literature, and the book symbol is for learning (history, philosophy, and religion).
•  Upper Left:  An ‘at’ (@) key from a computer keyboard to symbolize the first School assigned email addresses for students.
•  Upper Right: The closed book with initials DVH representing the end of David Hicks’ leadership as tenth Rector.
• Lower Right:  A woman’s symbol with ‘XXV’ inside to represent the 25^th anniversary of co-education.

I am currently working on the carving process – following are a few photos of the progress:

This shows the carving in its current state – it has been roughed out, the background levels established, the rough carving done, and many areas are being worked into their finished state.

This shows a detail of the owl – much of the detail still needs to be worked on.

This photo shows the details of the feet and talons that are being cleaned up.

This detail shows the @ key, the @ symbol still needs to be carved into the surface.

This last photograph shows the symbol for coeducation and the book that will be carved with David V. Hicks’ initials.

I will have this plaque with me at Anniversary on June 2nd, although it won’t be entirely complete.  I will post more pictures here when the carving is finished, stained and sealed.

2001 Form Plaque Progress: Carving Complete

The following photos are of the carving process for the 2001 Form plaque:

This first photograph shows the prepared basswood carving blank ready to begin:

After using a router to rough out the background levels:

Cleaned up from the router and background levels established, with a little of the initial rough carving done:

The finished carving:

Detail of the Democratic donkey:

And of the Republican elephant:

The carving at this stage is ready for the final painted finish to be applied.

Note: Painting was completed during the second week of May, and now the plaque is drying and awaiting the final sealing finish to be applied in time for Anniversary on June 2nd.   I will be posting photos of the finished plaque after that date – stay tuned!

2001 Form Plaque Progress: Design Complete

The design stage is complete for the 2001 Form plaque design.  After working with the Form Director and reaching out to Form members, a list of events was chosen to illustrate the 6th Form experiences of the Form of 2001:

• The design includes a central theme of the November 2000 presidential election, and shows a ballot from Florida – complete with hanging chads – being claimed by both the Democratic Donkey and the Republican Elephant.
• The shield in the upper center features an element from the coat-of-arms from the Henley-on-Thames Town Hall representing the crew’s trip there that summer.
• The crossed sword (William Wallace’s sword) and torch represent the Form’s senior prank, inspired by the movie Braveheart.
• The Blass Clubhouse is shown at the bottom center and represents the re-design of the original clubhouse that was built in 1893 . Lord Fermoy’s clock is in shown in front of the clubhouse.

I will now begin working on the carving process, with the plan to have the finished plaque to present at Anniversary weekend in June this year.  Photos of the process will be posted on the blog, so stay tuned for more information.

Carving History

The most recent edition of the St. Paul’s School Alumni magazine, the Alumni Horae, includes an in-depth article on the history of Form plaques at SPS.  Expertly written by Jana Brown, it includes information on how the tradition of the plaques began, a look at the first carver, J. Gregory Wiggins, and details of how the tradition is being carried on today.

Click the thumbnail to read the article:

2006 Form Plaque Progress: Carving Completed

The carving stage is now complete for the Form of 2006 plaque. Here are a few photos showing the finished carving:

In the center is St. Paul himself, with the elements of the School shield separated around him.  The upper left corner has the open book, commemorating the beginning of Mr. Matthews’ tenure as Rector.  The spiral form in the upper right represents Hurricane Katrina.  The Sesquicentennial dates are shown in pencil on the ribbon behind St. Paul and will be painted in as part of the finish.

The detail above shows one of the waves created to represent the Mother’s Day flood of 2006. The Episcopal shield appears at the base as part of the Sesquicentennial logo.

The next stage of the process involves sealing the wood and adding the painted finish.

From here forward the project will go undercover: The completed plaque – with painted finish and mounted in its frame – will be kept a secret until it can be unveiled during the 2012 Anniversary Weekend celebration in June of 2012.  Details to follow as we get closer to the date.

I will now begin working on the 2001 and 1996 plaques, with plans to complete them both in time for Anniversary 2012. Progress on those plaques will be documented here as with the 2006 plaque, so check back often to see how things are progressing.

Alumni Volunteer Weekend

On October 1st during the SPS Alumni Volunteer Weekend I set up a display of the progress on the plaque project.  The display was in the Upper Dining Hall and took place during the Saturday luncheon.

I displayed the completed carving for the 2011 Form Plaque (below, center) and the progress of the 2006 Form plaque, shown on the right.  To the left is a rough carving blank – the form of the basswood when I start the carving process. On display in the front of the plaques in this photo is the design drawing for the 2011 plaque, and my design sketchbook open to the page of the 2/3rd scale concept drawing.

The second half of the display featured other examples of my carving work, including a carved bear with a Celtic knot motif, the SPS pelican shield, and the Spanish cedar carving in progress of a pelican on her nest.

The luncheon event provided me with the opportunity to meet a number of representatives from the Forms in need of plaques and to introduce them to the process.  I had a great time talking with everyone and answering questions about Form plaques past, present, and future.

2006 Form Plaque Progress: Refining the Carving

In this photo the spirals of the waves are nearly complete on the left, and the flood waters are visible behind St. Paul. The right side of the waves are beginning to take shape.

Here is a detail of the spiral waves – what was a simple design on paper has proved to be much more complicated thing to carve.  I am pleased with the effect, especially when the shadows are picked up in the texture of the waves.

The details have been added for two of the shields from the sesquicentennial logo – each individual element of the School symbol will have its own shield, the crossed swords, the book, and the pelican.

Here is another detail of the waves with the flood waters in the background and the sword shield above.  The scroll is still being worked on, and will have the sesquicentennial dates carved into the ribbon portion.

This Saturday, October 1st, I will be setting up a display in the Upper Dining Hall for the Alumni Volunteer Weekend event.  I will be displaying samples of my carving as well as the progress so far for the 2006 plaque.  If you are an SPS Alum and will be attending the event be sure to stop by and see the display.