"Man That is One Big Capital!!"

We continue to work on the Large capital that graces the top of the atrium on the Harris County Courthouse. Here I’m carving out the large “Shield” that is in the center. The scale is so large that it makes it difficult to build up the depth that I need. In the back ground you can see the drawing that my son Matt2 produced and which has been approved by the Susan with Architexas the architect and the Texas Historical Commission.

This shield is very Sulivanistic in style and you can see the influence of Luis Sullivan on the original designer. Sullivan loved to use what he called stretched fabric complete with ripples. On either side of the shield we will need to carve very deep and intricate leaves. Sullivan loved to make his designs come alive and used nature in very intricate detail to create this.

We also still have to create the top cresting. That cresting will extend another 14 inches up above the top of capital and protrude another 8 inches out toward the center of the room. This will allow the crest to be seen from the ground or in this case the 2^nd floor which will be at least 50 feet below the capital.

I realized something yesterday. I will have spent some 80 pulse hours carving the missing area on the capitals.  I have already spent 40 hours creating the side molds of the existing pieces. The shop spent 20 or more hours casting the existing pieces and building the mockup form. Matt 2 my son spent 20 hours creating the drawings and getting them approved.  I will spend at least 30 plus house creating the rubber mold.  All of that work to cast only 4 capitals. Then after this project is complete we will start destroying the mold and the mockup.  That is 110 hrs of time on something that will ultimately be worthless. There is just no way anything this large will ever be used again and it takes up way too much space to save. It is a little disconcerting but I guess the whole object is to recreate the missing capitals.