On to England

These dolphins are now making their way across the pond. After the maquette was approved, the sculpture was created in black clay, dried to leather hard, carved design according to the buyer’s specifications, spent quite some time drying, bisque fired, glazed, fired again, finished and now off to sea.

The word “hope” is carved into the bottom of the piece under the base. The glazed portion symbolizes armor.

I sure hope the new owner enjoys them.

My dog might be getting old…

You can tell by the cobwebs.

Hope Dolphins

I am  commissioned to sculpt a pair of dolphins with special meaning that will be given as a gift. They represent hope. One of the dolphins is slightly smaller and following behind a  larger dolphin.These images are of the maquette for the final piece, which will be done in black clay.

Lasik

This sculpture is life-sized commission of a dystonia foot. It was purchased as a gift for the doctor who helped this woman’s son with  dystonia that caused him to raise the big toes on both of his feet, and gave him trouble when he walked.

I had Lasik eye surgery yesterday after one week free of contact lenses (translate: wearing coke bottle glasses rendering me nearly blind).
It was interesting. Like a surreal party in the office. Everyone was happy. Maybe it was the valium they were handing out…or the coffee cake. Everyone loved the coffee cake made with secret recipe.

Each of us sat in our chairs, after our wavefront scans. …Some with husbands or wives on hand for support and to do the driving and eating of coffee cake. Ladies would pop in and give us eye drops constantly and offer more valium and tell us how good the coffee cake was and suggest we try it. I, personally went with the valium. Sugar is so addicting.

The woman before me was really nice. She went to the back room to get started.. A very handsome man and beautiful woman in sandals ran down the hallway after her. The man was wearing sunglasses. He said the surgery was great and he could already see better. He had just gotten off the table…

I watched as the woman I had chatted with walked toward the room for her lasik after having her corneal flaps cut by laser. She looked into the room with totally white zombee eyes (flaps a flopping) and told her husband he should come watch because they had a chair for him to sit in while they shaped her corneas. It was a bit startling.

I was next. Right eye, fantastic. I saw stars. Left eye they had trouble with and had to do the suction thingy twice. That hurt.
Surgery great. right eye easy, left eye very painful.
When I got up, I could already see better than without glasses before. pretty cool

I’m glad I had this done. I have 20/25 vision now and still improving every hour.  I’ve missed you guys! I wish I had more time to write on this blog because I do love it.

The sleeper

  

Here’s a reclining male I recently finished sculpting. The model was fantastic. This piece is about 19 inches long.

The Good Dream

This work can be seen in progress here: A Puncture Saves a Thousand Curves

Gifts of Gold

My daughter, Brooke Marchesseault, represented Martin GT Magnet Middle School in the Wake County event called Gifts of Gold  with a sculpture she made of a jaguar.  Yes, that’s right, a sculpture.  In this event, each art teacher from each school in Wake County can enter a single student. This was a great honor.

I had never laid eyes on this sculpture of hers until last night at the show. It is beautiful. She worked from a small, flat photograph and produced a prowling cat. in clay. She used underglazes to create a gorgeous, spotted coat on her jaguar. 

The show is currently on display at the Raleigh Memorial Auditorium on South Street. I’ll post a picture of the sculpture as soon as I’m able to take one.

I’m so proud of her.

Sharing the Light

Here is a recent Interview of me done by talented writer, Michelle Rosenthal. I’ve asked Michelle to do a guest sculpture for my blog. ~  It is important to me to continue to share that series of work I did on PTSD and it’s my aspiration that others going through this will perhaps walk away happier, more sure of themselves, with more hope than they had when they came.

Before I part with that series of sculpture, I want to show it as a group in real life, where people can actually come and see it for themselves. I’m not sure when or where this will happen, but I did finally get the courage to speak to a local gallery about it and the response is encouraging so far.

p.s. When I say “I did finally get the courage”, what I mean is I went with my friend, Ahmed Fadaam, to a gallery that had already invited him to exhibit there, to show them some of his portrait drawings, which are incredible.  We walked in the door with his drawings and he says to the Director of the gallery, “We’re here to show you her [my] sculpture.”

A Puncture Saves a Thousand Curves

 

Here is a clay sketch with channels cut before finishing. This sculpture is finished and in the drying process now. About 19 inches long.

In the Rubble

There’s something special in this pile of rubble. This was a quick sketch I did of a model that I never finished.

I abandoned it in my garage for months. I did not add the usual labyrinth of channels I like to cut into these before firing. It was completely covered so it really didn’t have a good drying program.  Then temps during that time got down to about 16 degrees. This piece was very close to the door of the garage so it was well below freezing. I rediscovered it recently and I fired it just to see what would happen.

See how the figure held together? Every time a sculptor touches the clay, it becomes stronger. I love what happened with this piece.