Round two of fiberglassing the bear went much better. The glass on thmpts in the morning after he left so the fumes would have a chance to dissapate. This is way I was not going to do the fiberglass work at the workshop.

Today I did the last of the fiberglassing for an audience of three. The three boys that live in my building and the next were fascinated by the crazy American crouching on the front porch with a toxic brew. If I hadn’t been racing the set time on the resin, I would have grabbed my camera and asked them to take process shots. This particular resin has a work time of about fifteen minutes. So I have to get as much glass laid as possible before the resin starts kicking.

After it cured, I pulled the clay out. In places like the snout, I had to use a spoon to scrape the pieces out. This is the point where you are desperately hoping that there’s not some mistake in the fiberglass, because you are destroying the sculpture. I was a little nervous as I was pulling the clay out, because the fiberglass made some alarming pop noises. If the fiberglass was brittle, it woud mean that I had put too much of the hardener in the resin. Fortunately, it turned out to be a leaf that had blown under the head (I was working outside, remember) and been fiberglassed to the back of the skull. Whew.

The fiberglass is translucent, but I’ll still have to cut the pupils of the bear out in order for the performer to see. Currently, I’m planning to use either scrim or sunglass lenses to cover the opening. I’ll have to see which looks better with the fur.

And here is a picture of me holding the bear head on. I don’t have the lower jaw installed here, although it’s fiberglassed, but you can see the proportions of the bear. I’ll take it in to the studio tomorrow for the next step in its construction.

This weekend Rob and I went to see The Abduction from the Seraglio at the Icelandic Opera with Jochen, from work, and his wife. It was, as Rob says, a very satisfactory evening. The voices were good and they could act! The staging of this production was very good. I was able to follow the opera, despite the fact that it was in German and Icelandic, (They translated the dialogue into Icelandic) because the body language and director’s choices made the story very clear.

I also loved the set, which at first glance was an abstract mosaic, but on second look became an aerial view of the city. It emphasized the journey that Belmonte (the hero) had to make to find his beloved, Constanza.

Of course, I also have to admit that part of my enjoyment was because the tickets, which Jochen purchased, were front and center. The stage at the opera is very small, so the performers frequently came out into the house. Because we were in the middle, it was as if they were coming down to sing just for us.

Today is Steven Savile’s birthday. To celebrate, I am reading his novel Inheritance. So far, it is grim and horrific. Those aren’t normally compliments but are completely appropriate for a vampire novel. He also has managed to get humor in there too, which is astounding in a book with the undead rising all around. I’m looking forward to seeing how this one ends, although, I’ll have to give up my habit of reading at meals with this one.

Steve, next time we’re in the same place, I’ll buy you a pint.