Earthling Sculpture

The face is modeled in clay from numerous facial photographs I keep in the studio for just this purpose. Every Earthling is created to be an individual, however it is designed to be no one in particular. Any similarity between this sculpture and anyone you know is purely coincidence.

Surface textures on the vestments of this series of sculptures entitled The Earthlings is just one of numerous design elements defining them. Another distinguishing feature of the Earthlings are the skirt and bodice. They range in size from 5 inches to 5 feet for now, that could change anytime I deem it necessary.

The above photo-montage attempts to show this sculpture from all angles. It gives one some idea for the intricacies of my work. However the photographs does the work no justice. It was photographed in normal daylight under a shade tree against a shiny black paper foil background. Every effort to help you visualize work as if it were in your hands is made here. If there's something further I can do just let me know and I'll give it a try if possible.

This sculpture has been pit fired; that is a method of firing that gives distinct markings and a variety of hues, most of which are irreproducible. It makes it looks like a relic, that was my intention by using this primitive firing technique; perhaps it was just an excuse to build a fire but i do enjoy it so. I will describe more on this technique later.

The bodice is embellished with a botanical relief along with some slip trailed accents, note the ribbing on the side. Detailed image shows the branching pattern of a anise herb type plant; if examined closely you can even see the texture of the fabric I rolled the clay out on.

The luster on the glass eyes has almost a mirror surface; brings vitality to our relic, don't you think? I employ the glass eyes in many of my works.

Looking at the base reveals the piece is quite hollow. The bottom has been sanded smooth so it won't scratch the furniture. I imagine these pieces are picked up and examined quite closely from time to time.

This particular Earthling is just under 10 inches in height making it near the smallest that I make. A dollar bill is always exactly 6 inches long, so for scale is your Earthling been posed next to a crisp greenback and a few of its cousins. Next to the buck one has a better perception of size, detail and color of this work, even though I think the comparison is a little trite. The Earthlings in the background displays diversity of individuals within this series.

It weighs about a pound and will fit comfortably in a well padded medium flat rate box. I try to keep shipping costs to a bare minimum. Should you not be delighted with your Earthling return it within seven days in its original packaging, you are only out the shipping/handling cost. If you prefer it can be shipped Via United Parcel or Federal Express. International buyers should contact me prior for shipping cost.

Pit Firing

For many years I pit-fired in a 3-foot hole I had dug in the backyard. Using organic fuels such as wood chips/shavings, leaves, paper shredding, well-dried horse apples… this fuel would be lit from the top and allowed to smolder under a covering of sheet metal for some 48 plus hours. The carbon from the fuel impregnated the clay to form distinct shading effects as you view here. Even though I still call it pit firing, nowadays because of the encroachment of subdivisions, I no longer fire in a pit but use a 55-gallon drum or my fireplace. I plan to put a video of this up on my blog come this fall.

To be certain of the durability and quality of the artwork I always fire it to 1800°F/1000°C, in a conventional kiln before pit firing