2008 Plaque Progress: Plaque Complete

The Form of 2008 plaque is now complete.  The above photograph shows a sample of the color finish on the plaque, the top center element featuring the very grumpy looking stock market bear.

The completed framed plaque will be revealed on Anniversary Weekend on Saturday June 1st – at which time photographs of the finished plaque will be published online.  Thank you to the representative from the Form of 2008 for your help with this project -  I am looking forward to seeing members of the Form of 2008 at the SPS Anniversary event to celebrate your new Form plaque!

2008 Form Plaque Progress: Carving Complete

Above is a photo of the completed carving for the 2008 Form plaque.  The carving has been sealed with an oil finish and is ready for the painting process to begin.  The photos below show details of the finished carving:

The central design represents the 2008 recession with a bear holding a chart with an arrow representing the dramatic down-turn the bear market took. Here is a detail of the very grumpy looking bear.

In the background two crossed quash racquets represents the boys’ Varsity Squash Team winning the New England Championships. Shown above is a detail of one of the racquets.

On the left of the bear is a tray with the SPS monogram representing the end of using trays in the dining hall – an effort that significantly saved resources and cut food waste.

To the right of the bear is a SPS Waffle, representing the new waffle irons in the dining hall that feature the SPS Shield. Below the waffle is a detail of the winter scene of Millville covered in snow – representing the record snowfall that winter.

I will now begin the painting process for the 2008 plaque.  Check back soon for a sneak peek at the finished product!

Form of 2012 Plaque Progress: Plaque Complete

The Form of 2012 plaque is now complete.  The above photograph shows a sample of the color finish on the plaque, the bottom right corner featuring the snowman holding a pumpkin.  This part of the design represents the heavy snowfall that we had on Halloween last year.

The completed framed plaque will be revealed on Anniversary Weekend on Saturday June 1st – at which time photographs of the finished plaque will be published online.  Thank you to the representatives from the Form of 2012 for your help with this project, I am looking forward to seeing you back at SPS at Anniversary to celebrate your new Form plaque!

2012 Form Plaque Progress: Carving Complete

The carving process for the 2012 Form plaque is complete.  Below are some photographs of the carving process, with details of the finished carving as well.

This first photograph shows the design layout on the plaque blank, with outlines in place as guides for roughing out the background.

This shows the plaque after being roughed out with a small format router.  This sets an even depth for the background of the plaque. From this point forward all the carving is done using hand tools.

A big jump to the finished carving – after many, many hours of work the fine details are all in place.  I first carve the rough shapes for the entire design and then refine each element to its finished state.

This detail shows the book with Mr. Hirschfeld’s initials – marking the beginning of his Rectorship.  The World Trade Center towers are on the right of the photograph with the 10th anniversary date of the 9/11 terrorist attack.

This detail shows the Delphian symbol – winners of the Club Cup for the 2011/2012 School year.

The Lindsay Center for Mathematics and Science is shown in this detail.

The snowman and Jack-O-lantern representing the Halloween storm that blanketed Millville in deep snow.

The next stage in the process involves sealing the plaque with oil and then painting it and adding the protective finish.  The next time you will be able to see the plaque will be Anniversary weekend at the beginning of June of 2013.  I’m looking forward to finishing the plaque and sharing it with all the members of the Form of 2012!

Form of 1996 Plaque Installation

On July 23rd the plaque for the Form of 1996 was installed in the Lower Dining Room of Coit (Upper).  This plaque is the first of seven plaques to be completed in the Lower Dining Hall – plaques still need to be created for the Forms of 1991-1995 and 1997 to fill the empty spaces there.  Since there are other plaques already hanging in this room, completed by previous carver David Nugent, I have not done a full color painted finish on the 1996 plaque, but  have used a natural colored stain finish to match the surrounding woodwork.

The picture below shows me and Scott preparing to hang the plaque:

Scott is finishing up with hanging the plaque:

And the plaque is in its place above the center name panel for the Form of 1996:

It is a very good feeling to see this plaque integrated with the other plaques in the Lower Dining Hall. I am looking forward to seeing more of those empty spaces filled as the project progresses.
A special thanks to Lauri West for permission to use these photographs.

Anniversary 2012

On June 2, 2012 the first group of the new Form plaques were dedicated in the Upper Dining Hall of Coit (New Upper).  There was a small display of information about the plaques, the carving and design process, and the history of the plaques at SPS.  A large group of members from the Form of 2012 were in attendance, excited to see the first new Form plaque in over twenty years.

The display table featured information about the plaque project, drawings of the plaque designs, and the 1996 plaque in process.

The sketchbook I use as part of the design process. These pages are for the 1996 plaque design.

The 2011 plaque on display above the name plaques for the Form members.

The 2006 plaque hanging above the name plaques for all the Form members.

Read the Form Plaque descriptions here.

The Form of 1996 Plaque

Here is a photograph of the plaque for the Form of 1996.  I recently completed the carving, stained and sealed the wood and mounted it in its frame.  It will now be displayed in the Lower Dining Hall of Coit (New Upper) and will hang above the panels that contain the names of all the members of the Form of 1996.  Beneath the photo below is a description of the symbols used in the design.

The central design celebrates the development of the Humanities program and is represented by an owl perched on a book, with pen, pencil and brush behind it.  The owl is a symbol of wisdom, and the pen/pencil/brush symbols represent the arts and literature. The book that the owl is perched on is a symbol for learning and represents the history, philosophy, and religion aspects of the Humanities program. In the upper left corner an ‘at’ (@) key from a computer keyboard is carved to symbolize the first School assigned email addresses for students. The upper right corner of the plaque has a closed book with initials DVH representing the end of Tenth Rector David Verne Hicks’ Rectorship. In the lower right section of the plaque a woman’s symbol with the Roman numerals ‘XXV’ carved inside it represent the 25^th anniversary of co-education at St. Paul’s School.

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!

Carving History

The most recent edition of the SPS 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.