This began about a decade ago as a simple study in relief of a
face made by a friend with a head of regal proportions, who was clowning
about while sporting a Burger King crown. As so often happens in such
situations, one detail lead to another, and the combination of the crown
and expression brought King Geo III to mind. That in turn introduced
further design elements. As it moved from study to composition, the
original effort to keep it all within the original block of wood proved esthetically
impossible, and a lamination was endeavored. That joint was
deficient, and the piece was left to sit idle for many years.
In April of 2008, when asked to demonstrate at a Norwegian
woodworking symposium at Vesterheim Museum in Decorah, IA , it was
an obvious demo choice if the faulty lamination could be successfully
reworked. The effort succeeded and the piece was finished. I was thereafter
disappointed to learn that Geo III did not live up to my expectations
of a true silverback and kept no concubines (not even an old International Harvester), but instead remained
absolutely devoted and faithful to his wife by whom he had 17 or so children, one of whom, GeoIV,
would succeed him and make more than modest amends for his father’s lack of infidelity. This and other bits
of enlightenment have lead to a desire to someday do a second, historically sound, treatment of Geo III’s insanity,
plus “A Sculptural Treatise on the Madness of King Geo W.” |
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