We are coming along nicely on Bloom #3. Our top petal is almost fully together, the bottom petal closest to the ground has been assembled and is in the process of being welded together, the side petal is also assembled and tacked in place. We are filling in the gaps and the transitions. We are also continuing to work on the stem and the sepals.

The top petal and the side petal have an interesting movement occuring where they touch. They seem to be pushing against each other and curling away at the same time! It is so exciting to see metal look so graceful!!

It's February now. We have a regular rhythm in the shop and Fire Bloom 3 is beginning to take shape.

Unlike our previous Blooms, the rear end of this Bloom is going to be a very visible part of the sculpture. More of the stem is going to show here so we divised a way to make it work nicely. We decided that we would use a medium diameter pipe to slice apart, turn inside out and stick back together, making a faceted surface that resembles a stem.

We are now back at work. We have established regular work days, replenished our gas, wire, grinding wheels and coffee. We bought some steel this month and made our first cut a few weeks ago on Fire Bloom 3, the third in our Beach Primrose series. This one is completely different in its orientation and relationship to the sea. In effect, it is a representation of a flower that has blown over by the gusty winds of the Pacific.