When Babes...

Finishing up a medallion sculpt in wax

When babes get sick moms and dads get the brunt of that sickness. Well, ok ladies, lets be honest, mostly its us ladies that get the brunt of it. All the tending and cleaning up after are usually left to us. No one does it quite like we do and everyone involved, even the wee little patients, know this. The past two days have found me tending to my son as his body fights some virus. I hope we are almost out of the woods soon. I really hate seeing him sick.

The last few nights have also found me sculpting. Working the wax around in hopes of producing some new pieces for the holiday season. Its been relaxing to move the wax about. As soon as I can share more photos of some of the pieces I'm working on, I will.

Success!

In the umm, resin flesh

I am very happy to report that all went fairly well in the mold making process of my rat mold "Listen". I am now halfway to a ceramic finish.

Today I decided to pour a bit of resin in the silicone mold to see how it looked and to solve a huge problem with the tail. I am now very tempted to pour a few ratties in resin just to cold paint cause she looks so tempting.

Silicone rattie waiting for plaster

The problem with the tail is that I made the mold box around the original tail sculpt incorrectly. The silicone, when poured, just pooled around the small opening and plugged it up. I opened the mold and slathered some silicone on one half but the end result isn't so nice. It looks nice in the photo above but it really isn't. I'm not sure how this resin tail will fair being incased in plaster, but I have to try to solve this problem the best way I know how because my original work is now destroyed and I really want this particular tail to be on this piece.

Just....

Finishing touches on "Listen"

Just a few more tweaks and then the rattie sculpture will be done! The hands gave me a problem (of course), but the great thing about wax is that if something looks wrong you can just smoosh it, start over and not have to worry about ruining the integrity of your entire piece. You can have as many "do overs" as you need.

Now, I'm bursting to see this sculpture in porcelain. I can't wait!!! This thought is taking me to the finish and beyond. I've already begun to sketch a few more "rattie" ideas. I'm curious to see what I can do next.

Cookies, Sculpture & Progress

Yummy cookies!!

Don't those cookies look yummy? I was so enamored by Rebecca Turner's new medallion sculptures that I just had to order them so I could stare at them in person. I also wanted to paint them, but now that they are here I feel they will probably be more beautiful without my paws about them. I feel this way about a few Eberl pieces I own. I just can't bring myself to touch them with paint cause I feel my work will ruin the integrity of the pieces.

~My Ophelia Sculpture~
I love when sculptures inspire and excite me. I was so jazzed by these pieces that I dove right back into two sculptures of my own. I feel a renewed sense of desire to finish what I started on this little Ophelia sculpture.

She is just a little pony walking. Don't worry, I won't be flooding the MH market with her. I can hear a few saying, "OMG that is horrid!!!" Well, yes, right now it is and perhaps when she is done she will still be unsightly, but an artist must move forward with inspiration. Even if it seems to be cruddy to others.

My little pony named Ophelia

I had always envisioned a pretty little porcelain pony with this creation. A few in resin might be nice to see in person. I'd love to paint her up with cold paints. But, I'd only have a handful made. And in handful I mean how many can I physically hold in my hand? Whatever that number is then that is the number of the resin edition. The rest I can see in porcelain.

I changed her legs a bit as I kept thinking she had issues with her lower half. She looked awkward and as soon as I shifted her legs I could see some improvement. I made some adjustments with undercuts too for china production. I'm now even more excited to see her finished.

~In Progress~
Blanks waiting to get painted this week

A few other things that are developing in the studio are a "Galina" resin and an "Oberon". I have quite a few of this little guy and want to try him out in a few different colors. For now I'm feeling "roan fever" coming on. Because I'm dying to paint roan I'm truly bursting to start the Valentin that is visiting me on commission.

Hole-y Mole-y!!!

The owner wants to see him in a roan and I'm totally on board with that color choice. Unfortunately, HE isn't on board with any of this painting non sense. He is a hole-y nightmare. Old Eberls are just nasty to prep and he is living up to that reputation. In this photo he has been prepped 3xs already. THREE!!!


~The Alborozo Dilemma~
Last, but not least is the Alborozo that stands on the other side of the studio waiting for me to make a decision about him. I am terribly tempted to paint him and I believe I am the only on on the planet that has one in hand right now.

Alborozo awaiting his future

What a golden opportunity. I'm just dying to see him in dappled buckskin going grey. I'm just DYING! I am really torn about painting him though. He's the prototype and to boot, a rather nicely painted OF copy. His hooves though, suffered damage from the JAH cover photoshoot. The botched hooves alone would totally make him a painting prospect, but alas, he waits amongst the many, many vessels I've made in the past few weeks. He and the vessels are becoming kindred spirits. I can't decide what to do with any of them! Perhaps a nice cup of coffee and apple pie ala mode will help with the decision making?