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tango88 wrote: Wow...thank you all so much for the kind words. And I can't help but notice all the other Texans here. For whatever reason, Texas was blessed a great deal of this type work 50 to 100 years ago and a lot of it is still around. As you noted, termites tend to steer clear of it and it won't ever rot.
I've been a working artist all my life and got hooked trying to figure out the mysteries of how some of the old-time Faux Bois artists did what they did. Forget it. There is not a single book on the subject. I even did a search of the Library of Congress. Nada. Which just made it all the more intriguing. And the best PhD brains in the cement industry assured me that what I showed them pictures of and described...couldn't be done. That was a little over fifteen years ago. I did so much research that I wound up writing a book that finally covers the history, the artisans and many of their long lost techniques. And like many would be writers, my rough draft is still sitting on the publishers desk. Actually, Martha Stewarts publishers desk. But that's another story. I have just launched a brand new garden craft website called thegardenartforum.com that has a great deal of my research material and techniques on it. I feel like I may have acheived 95% of what some of the best artists ever did, but the remaining 5% keeps me learning & experimenting.
And the best that ever lived was a little fellow by the name of Dionicio Rodrigues. It is his work that graces much of San Antonio and many other cities. His great-nephew is the one still doing this type of work there. His name is Carlos Cortes. A great guy and very talented artist who is without a doubt the best in the world in the Mexican/Spanish style known as "El Trabajo Rustico". The Rustic Work. My work differs from his in that I am fanatical about detail. Often minute detail. Every real artist will always gravitate towards their own style and we each have ours. His link is on my site and there are also a ton of links dedicated to folk artists, eccentrics, outsider art and plain old yard art from all around the world. All in cement-based materials.
Hope this answers a few questions. Its really pretty easy to make some impressive & antique looking pieces if anyone is interested in giving it a try. And considering that there are probably less than a half-dozen artists alive even working in the media & style...it wouldn't be hard to capture a chunk of the market...there's almost no competition...all of the other artists have been dead for a long, long time.
All My Best --- Tango
Oh, and here's a little closeup of part of the bench above I am sculpting the final finish layers now.
