I love making birds but have recently been playing around with other forms. My last attempt at a large meerkat sculpture ended in disaster so I was less than confident beginning this project. Honestly? I wasn't even planning on finishing this guy; he was more of an experiment born out of my angst and frustration over the unfortunate meerkat's demise. I didn't have the proper dowels at home to support him, so I relied on a pair of thin wooden skewers to prop him up between two cans of peas as I worked on his legs. Luckily, these "toothpicks" held their own (and the pony) until his legs were dry enough to support him.
I wasn't referencing a photo or plastic figurine so his proportions leave a lot to be desired. And halfway through his creation I realized that I had inadvertently combined a ^10 porcelain with a ^6 clay body. (Do you think I should learn to label my bags of clay???) So it remains to be seen how well the two clays play together as they dry, are bisqued, then fired. There's a bit more to do on him yet but I'm happy to say he's helping me get a little of my confidence back.
I don't have any plans yet on how I'll finish him. Glaze? Oxides only? He has to make it through the bisque firing first. But I do have a name for him. Though he looks more like "My Little Pony" I'm calling him "Poney Maroni". Of course, now that I've given him a name, I've connected with him more than ever. I sure hope he makes it.
4 comments:
He reminds me a little of Fritz from "Fritz and the Beautiful Horses" by Jan Brett. :)
I really like your dog at the top--- I remember when you made that. Time flies by. Glad you're back at making sculpture animals--- or whatever they're called.
You should have no confidence problems. Great job. And I love seeing your previous dog at the banner.
P. Maroni...raku? little daring little more abstract, more crazy..thats me. I love to maybe fail to possibly win.
Ansley, thanks for stopping by and thank you for the comparison. It might lead to some ideas for finishing.
Any, thanks. With a blog title like "Claydog" it only made sense to feature good ol' Brutus on the banner.
Hiya Max & thank you too. Y'know I wondered about raku for P.M. He's pretty sturdy except for parts of the mane. Could be a possibility. :)
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