Here you see the continuation of my latest project. I've thought about doing something like this
for a long time. I call it "Over The River". It comes from the 1844 poem "Over The River and Through The Wood" (to Grandmother's house we go) by Lydia Maria. Even though as a child I didn't fly over the snow in a sleigh as we went to "Granny Lil's", I've always felt nostalgic about this idea.
The poem was about visiting Grandmother at Thanksgiving. While snow isn't generally associated with Thanksgiving these days, the early Eighteenth century was experiencing what was called "the mini ice age" and snow was common at that time of year, especially in New England where Lydia Maria was reminiscing. With a few word changes, the poem (soon set to music) is also associated with Christmas.
My work began with the creation of a beautiful sleigh called an "Albany Cutter". It was designed in Albany New York by James Gould in the early 1820's. It was the Corvette of it's day. Fast and sleek. It became the most popular sleigh for decades. With the frequent style tweaks (as with today's cars), people could distinguish the model year, and there developed a kind of snobbery as exists today with automobiles. The more expensive models had elaborate pin striping, floral designs, eagles or customized portraits of pets,
Here is the making of the horse above. He will not be a rocker. These horses trotted. For various reasons I was unable to create a suitable movement. This will be, in fact, my first static project. Even though movement is one of the hallmarks of a Riesing Rocker, I felt that this concept warranted being done.
It will, however, be decked out with the appropriate harness and sleigh bells, all as authentic as researching old photos will allow. The finished piece is 31"x 33" from front foot to end of tail. My "Rocking R" logo is burned into the underside of the base.
Over The River (and through the wood ----) in progress
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Overview
•Handmade item
•Materials: various woods, modeling compound, fabric, paints, acrylic finish, metal
•Feedback: 1 reviews
•Ships worldwide from Franklin, Wisconsin
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RiesingsRockers
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