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Giant Panda
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- Category: Sculptures
The Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is a true bear native to China. Unlike most bears (omnivores to fully carnivores), pandas are primarily herbivores with their diet consisting of 99% bamboo. Pandas weigh on average of 250 lbs and live between 20 to 30 years. A newborn panda bear is only 1/800 of the mother's weight, proportionately the smallest of any placental mammal. Pandas also have a unique adaptation in that their thumb is actually a modified wrist bone, resulting in five fingers and an opposable "thumb," great for gripping bamboo stalks like this junior panda is doing as he contently rests against a hollow tree trunk. My thanks again to the Ceramic Art Studio and Shop.
Wet Clay Model
Tyrannosaurus Rex
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- Category: Sculptures
Ask any child what their favorite dinosaur is, and odds are that it will be the Tyrannosaurus Rex, possibly the most popular dinosaur species of all time. The Tyrannosaur was one of the largest land carnivores in Earth's history, weighing around 10 tons and over 40 feet in length. Tyrannosaurs roamed what is now North America, and much has been studied, conjectured, and discovered about this storied beast. The current prevailing scientific theories indicate that Tyrannosaurs had a combination of feathers, scales, and skin like their modern relatives, birds. There are even some data that suggest the type of melanin that existed in some parts of the facial structure, possibly indicating the coloration around the eye ridges. For my version, I started with the head and overall proportions from the Jurassic Park animatronic model by Stan Winston Studios and added my interpretation based on the latest theories. My thanks again to the Ceramic Art Studio and Shop.
Did T-Rex have feathers? Almost certainly according to recent fossil evidence.
Would like to have thinned the feet more, but pottery clay has its limitations.
Wet Clay Model in progress
Classical Cosmos Mandala Plate
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- Category: Sculptures
According to Wikipedia, a mandala (Sanskrit: मण्डल, maṇḍala; literally "circle") is a spiritual and ritual symbol in Hinduism and Buddhism, representing the universe. In common use, "mandala" has become a generic term for any diagram, chart or geometric pattern that represents the cosmos metaphysically or symbolically; a microcosm of the universe. I took this definition literally and combined the knowledge of ancient and modern astronomers to depict the Cosmos in ceramic. The galactic spiral motif divides the tray into seven sections. The spiraling ribs end at smaller circular spirals, each adorned with a symbol for the seven Classical Planets. (Classical Planets were seven astronomical non-fixed bodies that could be observed with the naked eye during ancient times: Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn) Within each of the seven sections are patterns found in nature (blood cells, wood grain, water, eddies, leaves, scales, and molecular bonds). Under an emerald explosion at the center rests a single lotus flower, with its petals opening outwards towards the far reaches of the Universe. The flaws in this piece represent not only the chaos and uncertainty of the Cosmos, but also indicate my lack of experience with clay. My thanks again to the Ceramic Art Studio and Shop.
Wet clay model
Concept sketch (The overall asymmetry is by design to reflect the elliptical and chaotic form of galaxies)
Budai ("Laughing Buddha")
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- Category: Sculptures
In Chinese folklore, Budai is a deity whose name means "cloth sack" and is associated with contentment and abundance. Budai (Hotei in Japanese folklore) was based on an eccentric Chan monk who lived in the 10th century. It is believed that rubbing his belly brought wealth, good luck, and prosperity. In the west, Budai is mistaken for the Gautama Buddha and referred to as the "fat Buddha" or more popularly "laughing Buddha." My thanks again to the Ceramic Art Studio and Shop.
Wet clay model
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