Thursday, April 29, 2010

First pumpkins of the season



and what a pair they are...
I have to admit, this sculpture has me perplexed. Does this scene show the creation of a new Pumpkin Creature, or is it a scene of murder most foul? Is it a pair of siblings locked in a bout of good-natured horseplay? I just don't know. It is odd to have created something that I cannot interpret. If anyone has any ideas as to what we are witnessing here, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Disappointing the kids

Last weekend I was working in the garage while a steady rain poured down. I had the door open and was in a nice mellow groove, sculpting a new pumpkin creature. From across the street, I heard the neighbor lady scream out to her kid "Get over here...NOW!!!!" Looking up from my work, I saw a 5 yr old boy coming up my driveway, halted in his progress by his mom's call.

"But mom..." he yells back, "he's MAKING SOMETHING!"

To me there is nothing quite like knowing that the neighborhood kids are sneaking peeks into my garage in hopes of getting a preview of scary things to come. It makes the hours upon hours of work setting up a yard display worthwhile.



I am a bit sad to think that this year the neighborhood kids will be disappointed. It is looking like my yard haunt won't be happening in 2010 for a variety of reasons. I'll provide more info on this in the coming weeks.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

I don't feel so good....

or at least that is what my computer is saying....somehow I have aquired a rather nasty virus on my home computer....probably a worm or trojan horse actually. The point is, I won't be posting much until I get the issue resolved.

hack-cough-sniff

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Goon The Butcher Revisited

Last year I made a rather outrageous little character to sell on Etsy. I have had quite a few comments on this guy, and was asked recently to recreate him as a special order. All of my creations are made in a very free-form manner...almost as a doodle in clay as I sculpt. There is a kind of magic that happens as a personality develops. For this reason, I was hesitant to attempt a duplication. However, I decided to give it a try. It was a fun challenge.

Goon the Butcher 2009Goon The Butcher 2010

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Reverend Loman, Bible Salesman




It is said 'never trust a salesman". That phrase was most likely started in response to Reverend Loman. Brother Loman trudges through the night to sell his wares, peddling swift death and an everlasting life. If you hear a gentle knocking at the door when the moon is full and and the dogs are howlin', best to turn off the porch light and let Reverend Loman pass you by.

This is a one of a kind sculpt, rich in detail and fuel for the imagination. The Reverend Loman has so many rich details it is hard to catch them all at first glance, from the pages of his tattered Bible, the aged appearance of his sample bag, to the ground littered with the bones of his customers. He was handpainted with acrylics and powdered pigments to highlight the minute details of the sculpt.

Available for sale on Etsy.

Friday, April 2, 2010

The Golden Foot of Archie McCain: Part 5 Archie's Downfall

Archie had never been with a girl before, and insisted on undressing under the covers. Although he was definitely ready to be with Anne, he was a little self conscious. After they had been satisfied (several times) Archie and Anne lay together, flesh to flesh, and talked of their future until they both fell asleep. He had never been in the same bed with another person, and enjoyed the comfort and warmth of Anne's body, pulling her close and wrapping his arm over her shoulder. As Archie drifted off, he thought of his life and his good fortune , and of the golden foot that had made it all possible. He briefly thought of his father's warning "Don't you mess around with that girl until you sign the contract. Don't change a thing, Archie. " But what harm could it be? The contract was as good as his. His dreams became fitful that night. He dreamed of the first time he kicked a ball over his roof. He dreamed of the old codgers and their stogies and beer, swearing they saw sparks as he kicked the football down Green Street. He dreamed of Redwings and their steel toes. He dreamed of kicking, and of tattered mattresses and shredded sheets. He dreamed of his golden foot and being set for life.

Archie had taken his father's advice as gospel, and ever since he wore out the toes in his first pair of shoes, Archie had refused to cut his toenails. "Don't you change a thing." He could hear his father's voice plain as day. He kicked out in his sleep , pummelling the invisible football that was actually the back of Anne's leg. He believed his foot would turn to gold, because his father had said it would be so. Archie had no idea that it was unnatural to have thick, long, yellowish-brown claws at the end of his toes. "Archie, that foot will turn to gold," His father had said. Archie kicked, the crowds screamed, and the dream football sailed through the goalposts . Anne writhed in pain. His parents had bought him his beloved Redwings, and all these years the steel plate had acted as a whetstone to the thick blade inside, honing his nails to a razor edge. Archie kicked the winning fieldgoal in his dreams as Anne lay bleeding to death beside him.

The next morning he woke late. Anne was still beside him, and as he rolled to kiss her on the shoulder, he immediately knew something was wrong. Her skin was cold and lifeless. Archie sat bolt upright in the bed, and a pool of red caught his eye. Where her calves had once been was now reduced to lacerations and cold lifeless meat. Archie looked to his own feet and saw no gold. "Oh God, what have I done?" he thought to himself. He swabbed off the congealed red of Anne's lower legs to reveal his toenails. As the police carted him away later that morning, Archie stared ahead in disbelief at what had happened, catatonic from the shock. As the cell door closed, Archie heard in his head the hollow thump of a well kicked ball and the echo of his father's voice. "Archie, that foot is turning to gold. Don't you change a thing and you'll be set for life."

Thursday, April 1, 2010

The Golden Foot of Archie McCain : Part 4

almost there! If you are just joining in, don't miss the previous parts to this tragic story.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

The night before his team got the official announcement that they were bound for the Rose Bowl, Archie tossed and turned in his sleep. He dreamt of his father's advise. "Archie, don't you mess around with that girl until you sign an NFL contract. You have a golden foot, boy. Don't change anything and you'll be set for life." He dreamt of kicking, he dreamt of contracts and mansions, but mostly he dreamt of Anne. Archie truly was in love with her, and would ask her to marry him right after he won the Rose Bowl. It had been an amazing journey, and Archie could hardly believe it had all come true as he walked into the locker room in Pasadena, wearing a pair of nearly worn out Redwings. This was what he had been dreaming of his entire life. Every night filled with dreams of kicking. Every night heeding his father's advice...."Don't change a thing." The world now revolved around him. He had it in the bag. His life was laid out for him and he knew it. The game would come down to seconds and yet another impossible feildgoal. His parents, friends, schoolmates, fans (and even old codgers) would be watching as he kicked the game-winning fieldgoal. Every NFL team would be salivating to own the golden foot. The world now belonged to Archie McCain. And his dreams played out exactly as the script had been written. It all came down to 3 seconds on the clock, and Archie's golden foot was called in to save the day. In the celebration afterwards, Archie knelt down on a knee and proposed to Anne. She immediately accepted, and they embraced, the crowd melting away until there was no one left in the world but his dear sweet Anne. It was a moment like Archie had never felt, and his love swept all thoughts of contracts aside. "I've made it already, he thought to himself. Nothing could change my path now. Every NFL team wants me...the contract is mine with whoever I want. " He gave Anne a knowing wink, and they rushed upstairs to celebrate the win, their engagement and spend the night making sweet, passionate love to each other.