Above and to right: On top of Boulder Mountain, Southern Utah, 11,000 feet, removing all organic materials, in preparation to make silicon rubber molds for recording the surfaces of glaciated rock surfaces.
Back in my Northfield studio, using clay to remove information from the silicon rubber molds for producing wax forms.
The wax forms which have recorded the information from Boulder mountain ready for investment for pouring bronze panels as part of the Gould Tribute.
Unloading truck of glaciated boulders.
Lifting prepared glaciated boulders into the site of installation in the Laurence McKinley Gould Library
Copy of letter from Larry Gould, dated December 4, 1986
Above and to the right:
Two views of the bronze panel installed in its wall niche and the glacial Boulder Cairn.
Above and to the right:
Views of the glacial Boulder Cairn, 6.5 feet tall. These glacial boulders were found on Carleton campus property and were trucked to Cold Spring Granite Company, Cold Spring Minnesota and cut to specification. The image above shows the upper prepared surface which contains the text.
Laudie Porter was a valued colleague of mine at Carleton College, a talented flutist, a very popular and gentle person with a wide range of close friends. Upon her death her husband and family members asked me to make a sculpture as a tribute to her to be placed on the Carleton campus. The family approved of my choice of a sundial as a form this tribute could take.
Given Laudie's lively and buoyant personality I elected to design a sundial where a pattern of light, rather than a cast shadow, make by a traditional sundial, would be a feature telling the time on the face of the dial. Also I chose to use a design which would have a strong three dimensional presence. As indicated by the sketch this sundial is designed to show the time both with an a.m. and p.m. face, and shows the time of year as well.
Drawing of the dial showing the a.m. and p.m. faces.
Above: Two views of the cast bronze sundial, 30" tall.
Sundial registers Solar Time, this Time requires conversion to man made daily time which can be accomplished by consulting instructions shown below.
Above and to the right:
Dedication of the Laudie Porter Sundial with friends and supporters.
Letter from David Porter, Laudie's husband and President of Skidmore College
View of the installed Sundial.
View of the gathering at dedication of the Sundial: David Porter, President Steve Lewis and sculptor Ray Jacobson.
Fay Jacobson, my beloved younger brother, was an outstanding and widely recognized as an award-winning chemistry, physics and mathematics high school teacher at Delta High School, Delta, Utah. Upon his death his high school established a scholarship in his name to be awarded, annually, to an outstanding graduate of his high school. His family asked me to design a plaque to be placed in the high school which would record the names of these annual recipients. The plaque measures 36" high by 18" wide and is made of brass and walnut and displays symbols of physicl properties. The scholarship was founded in 1991-2.
Preliminary sketch of the award
Photo of the J.Fay Jacobson scholarship plaque in place.
Preliminary sketch of plaque
Scholarship Plaque
Scholarship Plaque text and symbols
Photo of Donna Dennis, '84 graduate, Jeanne Jacobson, Ray Jacobson with President Stephen R. Lewis Jr., announcing the memorial garden, to be dedicated to Jennifer Bonner, daughter of Professor Robert E. Bonner and Barbara Bonner.
This garden was to be designed by Ray Jacobson and to be located by the Boliou Hall, Carleton's art building, where Jennifer, a devoted art major, spent much time developing her widely recognized talents.
Upon her death, following an unsuccessful heart transplant, Jennifer's parents, with permission from the College, asked me to design this Memorial Garden.
Crane lifting a 30 ton boulder to be a central feature of the Garden.
Lifting the boulder to its appointed position in the Garden.
View of the Memorial stone as it is incorporated in the Garden which includes the Carleton Centennial Fountain, installed in 1966 designed by Professor Ray Jacobson.
Small scale mockup of the Memorial stone's placement
Above and to the right:
Two views of the Memorial sculpture.
Statement by Pastor Danielson
Front view of St. James Lutheran Church, Lake Forest, Illinois
One of the windows designed by Ed Sovik, architect of the church building. The basic design features used in the doors come from those shown in the windows of the church, namely the primary use of the triangle, circle and cross figure. Mr. Sovik decided not to use in the windows more typical images of Christ, angels, etc.
Church entrance and doors
Detail of the doors
View of the doors in place showing the exterior. Interior sides of the doors are the same as the exterior.
Working drawing in pencil.
View of the interior structure of doors made of 2 1/2" brass tubing.
Sample of the many etched copper pieces which will be applied to the surfaces of the doors.
Another view of the copper pieces
Two pieces of copper prepared to go into the acid bath for etching.
In studio assembling the many etched copper units
Outside the studio in the required open space and in sunlight for application of the patina
Another view of the application of patina
Stored and numbered pieces to be installed on the doors.
One door surface completed.
Installing the doors, 650 pounds each, at the church with the help from members of the local fire department.
"HARVEST"
Northfield's resolution for the Harvest Project.
"Harvest" Dedication Statement
Daytime view of "Harvest" installed, made of three thousand pounds of bronze, 10' high.
Night view of "Harvest"
Wes Jones, owner of Casting Creations, Minnesota, submerging one of the prepared wax medallions into the ceramic shell slurry.
Another view.
One of the six wax medallions, 11 inches in diameter
One of the six wax medallions, 11 inches in diameter
One of the six wax medallions, 11 inches in diameter
In my studio preparing the molds for making the wax medallions
Wax medallion portraying the Ames Mill at the edge of the Cannon River
Positioning cast bronze medallion in place for welding into position.
Above and below: Foundry workers welding and completing units to "Harvest"
Left and below: Foundry work continues equipped with ear and breathing protection.
Assembling the top units of "Harvest"
Five images: Reaching the final stage in the foundry - the application of the patina.
Preparing "Harvest" for safe transport from the foundry to Northfield installation site.
Safely on its way!
Installing "Harvest" at its Northfield Sesquicentennial Legacy Plaza site in Northfield
A view of "Harvest" installed with its accompanying monolith with some historical information for the viewer to the site.
Another view of monolith.
Let us dance in celebration of our new city resident.
Let us dance in celebration of our new city resident.
Let us dance in celebration of our new city resident.
Dedication text for "Harvest" presented by Philip Spensley.
Larry's Mountain Larry Gould conducted glacial research, 1938, of the high plateaus of Utah including the unique formations on 11,000 foot Boulder Mountain. A revisit in 2001 provided this bronze impression bringing symbolic footprints to the library bearing his name.
***
Granite
Larry's Cairn
The Cairn, both a geographical marker and site of recorded information for explorers, is a distinguishing feature of Antarctica. Larry's Cairn, made of glacial boulders, is a signifier of his role as Second-in-Command and Chief Geologist of the First Admiral Byrd Antarctic Expedition, 1928-1930. Larry Gould's lifelong quest for knowledge is apparent in a dramatic account of this expedition, recorded in his book COLD which concluded with his selected poem asking the provocative question "Why?
Poor vaunt of life indeed,
Were man but formed to feed
On joy, to solely seek and find and feast:
Such feasting ended, then
As sure and end to men.
