May 2011.  Another case of dipping one’s toe into water as big as many lives. I’d like to swim here more, as it were.

The stone cat, really more a cat-pig, came out like most of my previous sculptures, not really strongly chosen in terms of what the final was supposed to look like and therefore getting caught in between the so many possibilities and looking a little like this and a little like that.  The ears I liked best.

The Sphinx on the other hand, (below) is the first sculpture that came out roughly as intended.  Alright, to be fair, it’s really Beethoven’s head on the body of a Sphinx and the Pharaoh’s might not be so cool with that, but what can a person do?

The roughing out I discovered could be done with a hack saw.  This is a pretty soft alabaster.  The details could be rendered pretty directly with a dremel tool.  A rough rasp and a medium file too were of some value.  Very satisfying work.  I think children should be given the chance more.

Sure makes you think what it takes to create the real one