Rocaille

[mtgraver]

Incredible artistry, Thank you for sharing those close up views.
Mark

 

[Southern Custom]

Alain, how many years does such a magnificent piece of work take? That is mind boggling!

I'm glad you asked the question Sam. Without having sculpted on this scale before it's hard to have a frame of reference. I do love sculpting though and this is fantastic inspiration.

 

[jerrywh]

Thanks so much for the closeup photos. I love to study your work. There are a few engravers in the world that are about as good as a person can get. You are one of them in my opinion. .It takes a combo of high art ability and craftsmanship to get there, You have them both.

 

[Alain Lovenberg]

Hello Sam,
you put your finger on the main problem to do that kind of work: the time!
I started with the first idea of the design 10 years ago, modify it several times and begin to engrave in 2009!
Unfortunately, I had to stop to work on that gun many times because of different orders and I have only been able to achieve it the last year!
An other difficulty was that this gun is one of a pair, I was engraving also the second one ( with geese and swans scenes) during that time.
The second gun is now half done but the customer , I can understand him, was tired to wait so long and has decided to stop the project.
I don't know exactly the time I have spent on these guns, what I can say is that it was a monstrous work!

Alain, how many years does such a magnificent piece of work take? That is mind boggling!

 

[SamW]

Thanks Alain. Layne, now you know! (and the rest of us)

 

[mitch]

was that this gun is one of a pair, I was engraving also the second one

my own 'magnum opus' took about 3500 hrs and i was soooo sick of that job toward the end. i cannot imagine what i would have done with a pair...

 

[John B.]

Hello Sam,
you put your finger on the main problem to do that kind of work: the time!
I started with the first idea of the design 10 years ago, modify it several times and begin to engrave in 2009!
Unfortunately, I had to stop to work on that gun many times because of different orders and I have only been able to achieve it the last year!
An other difficulty was that this gun is one of a pair, I was engraving also the second one ( with geese and swans scenes) during that time.
The second gun is now half done but the customer , I can understand him, was tired to wait so long and has decided to stop the project.
I don't know exactly the time I have spent on these guns, what I can say is that it was a monstrous work!

Alain, that is too bad that the client has stopped the order of this magnificent pair.
What will happen with them? I hope you now own them and can finish them for sale.

 

[Martin Strolz]

Hello Alain,
Many thanks to you for the beautiful pictures of this splendid engraving! We all are looking at these photos for quite some time - and then again and again... So many interesting details and well thought out design solutions.
Thanks again,
Martin

 

[sam]

You are the man, Alain! Spectacular work as always, but even better I think! So happy to see your brilliant artwork and engraving.

 

[cropduster]

Many thanks for posting - very inspirational.