Masonry Magazine May 1981 Page. 7
Reedsong for a Puma, 9x 12 ft.
Celebration of May, 10x20 ft.
Solstice Unicorn, 10 x 20 ft.
Each of the semi-mythological works is shaped from approximately 1,000 wet brick. Each brick weighs 14 lbs. wet, 11 lbs. dry. The brick are an oversized variety referred to as Economy Norman and measure 4×4×12 in.
First, the brick are laid out on a plastic sheet in a warehouse which is unheated to prevent the brick from drying prematurely. Working from her sketches, she traces the outlines of figures using an ice pick. Other tools include a broken saw blade for texture; sculptor's wooden tool for fine detail: roofing hammer for three-dimensional relief work: curved knife for carving away wet brick, and a power drill for texturizing details.
Working on her knees, actual cutting is done with a curved knife. Cutting is limited to a depth of 2% in. to prevent breakage. Carving of the six panels took three months, working 8-12 hour days. Ms. Smith averages about 50 sq. ft. per day.
Pieces of cut-away brick were removed with the aid of a vacuum cleaner. Next, each of the brick was individually numbered for identification, stacked on pallets and allowed to air dry for three to four weeks before being taken to a kiln for firing.
Firing was done in old beehive kilns at Endicott. The brick were alternately heated and cooled for several weeks with temperatures rising as high as 2,300 degrees F. Following firing, the brick were layered with cardboard, loaded onto an 18-wheel truck and transported to the Hamilton Lakes site in Itasca.
Upon arrival at the Hamilton Lakes site, the murals The "Unicorn Hunt" that now graces one of the walls at Hamilton Lakes. The sculpture measures 14 x 22 ft. were reconstructed dry on a scaffold according to coding which Ms. Smith put on the back of each brick. During installation, Ms. Smith was assisted by Jose Quintanilla and Karl Heinrich, masons for Crouch-Walker, the mason contractor.
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