Night vs Day

I came from night shifts last week and there is no other perfect example than this. Yes guys, I had been working non stop for the past week and it had taken a toll on me. I do not sketch/ plan ahead of time whatever I create. The things that I do basically depend on my mental and emotional state. Not to mention whatever supply/ resources is available to me.

For this piece, I initially created a circle out of wire. I had been watching a lot of wood carving videos and became interested in intricate pieces, flowing carve sculptures. So, I decided to try it too.

I attached the flowers.....

This is how I made this:

And you've got something that looks like this.

Attach the flowers in the wire.

I did not really know what to do initially with the wire circle. but, I decided to make a cat because now, in addition to bears, I think cats are cool. If you can see in the background, I even used my clay canes to make a flower.

Back view.

Pre baking looks. It is important to understand that uncured clay is difficult to work with especially when I want an intricate design. So, I stopped and had it baked.

After it finally cooled down, I started making the cat- which was another set of challenges on its own.

The blue clay I used to make the cat was from an old clay. I mixed baby oil with it to soften it up. It was originally intended to create something out of clay molds. Unfortunately, it did not work out.

I basically did take a picture on how I made the cat as the consistency of the clay was so sticky, I have to fight off the desire in me to just junk the clay.

Luckily, I do have some experience on working with sticky clay and I used basically all my tools to create the details. Again, it proves to be a very challenging venture as I have to take care that I do not smoosh the whole thing while ensuring that my fingerprints will not be all over the place.

Post baking looks from afar.....

Up close and personal.....