Exclamation Point Frog Vignette #1
Category Archives: 2020 the year of Covid
Violin (or Fiddle) Froglet #1
Flute Froglet #1
Guitar Froglet #1
Squat Frog by Sebastion
When I have someone working for me, the first thing I try to get them to be able to do is build a squat frog, per my father’s design of so many, many years ago. From now on, such people will be working a lot smaller than this. Maybe it is not so smart to teach this skill. I had one person who worked for me who stole the design. He learned how to do it, then repeatedly showed his work in none other than the gallery I had been selling my frog sculptures in for years and years. I’m taking action against this. Not a pleasant task.
But anyway, when I have someone work for me, and they have anything to do with “The Frog”, I want them to learn stuff. I want them to learn how to build some frogs. This may be insane. But the truth is, when I’m busy, I do need help with these things. In other words, there is often a tremendous amount of labor in these frogs. So, even if I have someone sign a non-compete statement and that they will not go off and copy what I do and steal my (and my father’s and brother’s) design, I also have to give a lot of attention to who ends up working for me.
I actually have my son, now 21, working some for me, learning how to make-a-duh frog, as I call it. Which I am very excited about. And if I can get him to be excited about it, well, that would be great. He does not yet have the fire in his belly for this work. I cannot blame him. I never did for many years. But now it is all I do. How about that?
This frog, represented here, was made by a nice enough fellow I have had work for me, on and off, Sebastion. I think he’s done a commendable job. It looks rather art deco. Nice. The mouth is a bit wonky. But, that is the beauty of the frog. The wonkiness and funkiness works with the frogginess of the frog design. That, incidentally, is how others have been able to “steal” the design. Cop it or whatever. Because they do not have to have the same skill level as I have to do it. The frog may come out wonky. But that’s…okay, as Al Franken’s Stuart Smalley used to say.
It worked for me. For many, many years my frogs were wonky. And they took a lot longer. I got better and better. The frogs changed. And they continue to evolve and devolve or whatever.
Now you can see that I do not mind saying if someone else made what I am selling and say I made. It is rather a collaborative design. I’m into that. As long as Sebastion doesn’t go around saying that this is his design and his frog… He wouldn’t do that. Would you, Sebastion? No. He wouldn’t do that. Todd did. But he wouldn’t. That’s one reason he works for me. Another is because he can make a squat frog, even if the mouth is a little wonky. Actually, it looks good.
Available or soon to be in the Frog ‘n Froglet SHOP! .
Peek-A-Boo Frog
Okay. I try to change things up and come up with new designs. This is a kind of pass/flop design. In some ways, it’s a – what? You know. A what? .As in What the heck is that? My son’s uncle said when he saw a picture of this frog, “You can’t do that.” Well, actually, you can. You just have to know how.
This design grows on you. Or can. I hope. Someone is going to like it. It’s one of those type of frogs. It’s not going to be popular. Not unless it gets a cult following. But, such things, I daresay…are possible?
I will say, it took some doing to figure out how to put his hands that way over the eyes. It wasn’t easy. I had to first make a clay model of the hands. Yeah, I do stuff like that to get things right, the proportions and positions.
A nice thing about him, he can sit or stand. I did not know that until someone I had working for me stood him up. Then I said, “Oh, that looks good.”
Made in January or February of the year 2020, or, as we have come to know it, the year of covid.
Available or soon to be in my online store, the good new (as opposed to ole) Frog ‘n Froglet SHOP! .
Divin’ In Frog
Pretty simple idea: He’s divin’ in. But, wait a minute? He’s divin’ into – what is that? It’s stainless steel. Don’t worry. He’s made of metal. Okay, jokes aside, you can put this guy in a pool. Then he would look like he’s diving into the pool.
The stainless steel base is there to somehow stabilize him. I might find some other way. I don’t want it to look like he’s diving into stainless steel. But, like I said, you could put him in a pool.
Anyway, I think he looks good. There are some things I would change next time I make this one. But I could say that with just about every frog I make.
Available or soon to be available at the Frog ‘n Froglet SHOP! .
diving in frog sculpture beau smith 2020 
diving in frog sculpture beau smith 2020 
diving in frog sculpture beau smith 2020 
diving in frog sculpture beau smith 2020 
diving in frog sculpture beau smith 2020 
diving in frog sculpture beau smith 2020 
diving in frog sculpture beau smith 2020 
diving in frog sculpture beau smith 2020
I Love You This Much Frog
I’m very pleased with this design. It’s simple, yet it says so much. I call it my “I love you this much frog”. I have plenty of ideas for frogs. Each time I make the same theme, that is, the same idea, I usually change it up. But this one is so perfect, I do not see how much I can improve on it. Maybe a few things. Tiny. Eensy weensy.
So, when I obtain some level of perfection, which, occasionally, I do, I try to duplicate, at least in some way, what I have done. That, in itself, is a task.
Available or available soon in the Frog ‘n Froglet SHOP! .
Chillaxin’ in the Clover Frog
Early this January, I started writing down all the kinds of frogs I could make. There are some favorite themes people have. But I get tired of making the same thing. Tons of frogs holding goblets. Frogs do other things besides drink. Now, maybe you want one of those frogs. Maybe I will make one for you. But I did want to give you some other options, and give myself some other options as well. Heck, I don’t even drink.
So this is one of those frogs, medium sized frogs, that I made doing something different. This one is chillaxin’ – in the clover, to be specific. Ok, well, I don’t see any clover over here, but just imagine. It sounds good. And maybe you have some clover to put it in. That’s the idea.
This frog is available – or will be very soon – at the Frog ‘n Froglet SHOP! . It is not a froglet. Froglets are finger puppet sized. Very charming. But this one is what I call a medium-sized frog. It’s about as big as a medium sized little child. Which is big for a frog. But not as big as my human-sized frog sculptures.
My son, Julian, especially liked this one.
So, if someone, like you – maybe you – buys this frog, I will make another one. Each time I repeat a theme (this one is the “chillaxin-in-the-clover” theme), I make changes, try different things. This way, each theme evolves. The frogs evolve. Or devolve. Or…whatever. They change. Like, how did it go with The Bionic Man? Some of you (my age…decrepit) may remember him. Lee Majors. Cannot believe I actually remembered that. I certainly was not going to google it. Married to…okay. What’s her name? Heartthrob of many a teenager in the day. Bikini posters. Farrah Fawcett who became Farrah Fawcett Majors. Again I did this without googling. Anyway, the bionic man: We can build him better. We can improve him. That’s what I try to do. Change things up in one way or another, every time.
Easter Egg Frogs
I call them Easter egg frogs because the body looks like an Easter egg, and because I kinda, when I was making these, was putting all my eggs in one basket, and because, well, it happened to be near Easter when I was making these. It is my “production run” little frog, and, well, I got to tell ya, didn’t work out so great.
Now, I love to get in production and be efficient and make more than one frog at a time, but this is ridiculous. Plus, they didn’t turn out so well. I had fashioned a steel egg shape to fold and hammer the copper against. Then I cut open the egg shape, pull it from the form, reattach it. I’m tellin’ ya. It was a process. Plus, when I get it on the form, I have to heat it red hot and hammer it so that the copper conforms to the shape. Cool stuff. Or rather, hot stuff. But… That process has its place. But these did not work out so well, and I made a lot of them.
I wanted to get into production mode. But this was not the way. So I’m offering these guys che-eap. At the Frog ‘n Froglet SHOP! . But you will have to scroll way down. Way down. Because this is not my best work. But it kind of is good work because I took the time and did it and figured things out. So, they are kind of homely. But who doesn’t love a homely frog? Frogs are kind of homely anyway. Oh, now, don’t say that. Well, it’s true. There I go, talking to myself, again.
Anyhoo… I plan on listing every single one of these frogs I made. Because I want to sell them (che-eap). Just because they are homely, they still need a home, and deserve one.
So this is what I get for putting all my eggs into one basket, metaphorically speaking. I did halt production after about a week of slogging through them. And I learned something – besides not putting all my frogs in one basket, or eggs, or frog eggs, etcetera.
Homely. And, kinda like grandpa without his dentures. Eh? Wrinkled. I like that. That’s because I was folding and hammering them against a form. It’s a technique. That might be the best thing about them, the wrinkled body.
Now, don’t you appreciate that I will admit, happily admit when something does not go right and a piece does not look good. I will admit it. And I will still sell these (che-eap).
They grow on you.
I even will put different prices on them, because some are better than others. But even those, well, you know: che-eap.
