A Griffon’s Tale

Griffon

7’h foam, steel, aqua-resin enlargement (from 44”h original sculpture by Dave Stevenson)

Griffon

Foam, steel, resin enlargement

Griffon

Foam, steel, aqua-resin.

Griffon

The Brothers Griffon, mirror image digital scans of Dave Stevenson’s original 44”h sculpture.

Griffon, enlargement

Prepping for photo shoot outside artist’s studio

Studio Dave

In the studio with enlargement in progress, original Griffon in foreground.

Studio Dave

Foam sections, CNC milled from scanned original Griffon sculpture by Dave Stevenson

Brain Surgery

Assembling CNC foam sections of Griffon’s head

Headband

The ubiquitous duct-tape solution: clamping glued sections of Griffon’s head because it does not damage the surface.

Dungeons & Wagons

Custom jig for moving Griffon sculpture.

Griffon, scan

Each color corresponds to separately milled foam section.

Griffon, scan guide

Each color corresponds to separate CNC milled part, cut then reassembled by artist Dave Stevenson.

Self-portrait w/Griffon

Artist Dave Stevenson w/his newly completed Griffon enlargement (Studio: Gardiner, NY). The morning of this photoshoot, a bald-eagle dive-bombed the front yard; wonder if he recognized his half of the chimaera?!

I’ve been bequiled by the menacing beauty of gargoyles for as long as I can remember. While researching them in anticipation of creating my own, I discovered the book The First Fossil Hunters: Dinosaurs, Mammoths, and Myth in Greek and Roman Times by Adrienne Mayor. Mayor’s fascinating thesis contends that ancient people assembled different dinosaur, mammoth and other fossils to compile skeletons of the chimaeras and beasts that populated their myths. Halfway through the book, I pivoted from gargoyle to griffin. Chimaeras have been haunting artists’ portfolios since antiquity and now they've infiltrated mine! An enduring symbol of courage and protection, the griffin is an apt mascot for contemporary society.

Enlarged to seven feet from my 44”h original, this is my most challenging and important abstraction. As I wrote in the previous post, the pattern and puzzle of Griffon’s folded wings introduce a new level of complexity to my work. Imposing asymmetry onto a symmetrical body is a problem I’ve tackled before (i.e. Crush, Raptor, Talus etc.), but this time I explored it within the constraints of an historic, iconic creature. The endeavor was deliciously difficult and immensely rewarding.

Fortify Your Dominion With a Pair of These Gothic Titans

44h x 32w x 12in~bronze, limited edition of 7 (original scale)

84h x 62w x 22in~bronze, limited edition of 5 (enlargement)

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