02.11.10 A Cheery Spot of Color

 

Well, I hesitate to post this while some of my dearest friends are buried under snow -- but I'm so excited to see these little blooms I can hardly stand it!  I know that more snow will fall before Spring really arrives, and even after that hallowed date. It seldom fails that intrepid crocus are smothered with the white stuff in late February and early March.  The tulips generally must shiver through a snowstorm in April.  That's fine, I'll take it.  I'm just happy to see a tiny spot or two of color in the yard today.  I must work, work, work in the studio before spring fever takes hold.  But oh, I can't wait to get my hands into warm soil and play in the garden!

~ Lynn

02.10.10 More Muddy Magic

 

In the mud department I have a fun new CBCM "Netzky" that I'm working on, a head-up gelding variation.  I was able to make a bit more progress on him today, now he's in a damp box drying slowly.

You can see that not only was his head chopped off and a new neck built up and re-sculpted, I cut off his nose, not to spite his face, but to lengthen it.  I see him as a really fun pinto -- but I'd be willing to do a custom color on him for someone.  Serious inquiries only please, shoot me an email at lafnbear@earthlink.net.

~ Lynn

P.S.  Time-wise, he should be done in two to three weeks!

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Update -- Feb 11, 2010 -- This cute little dude has a new home to go to.  Thanks to everyone who expressed an interested in him!

02.07.10 A new face 'round the place

A few weeks ago, she was just a sketch in clay, an idea forming with each stroke of a loop tool or dab of clay.  Two long ears, a pooky snoot, outlines of muley eyes.

Each sculpture I work on has a pile of references associated with it.  Every photo holds little clues to guide my hands and heart as a new personality takes form. While paging through a reference binder I came across this photo I took a few years ago at the Western Idaho State Fair mule show. 

I'd forgotten how much I loved the big chatty dark bay on the left!  So much so that I decided to shift gears with this piece to let her sing out.

Meet Tee-Nah, the wild child Mardi Gras mule.

"Ah," you say, "this looks like a 'Tuesday' re-do."   Nope, not at all!  

 "Tee-Nah" is a fat, happy sassy girl, ready to second line with her buddy "Iko".  It is carnival season after all.

 

 

You've seen Iko as he has slowly developed over the past year or so.  He has a great quirky expression; a just-enjoying-life, grooving-on-good-tunes kind of face.

Some time back in December I decided that Iko needed a companion piece to make the visual narrative more intriguing.  I turned to a piece that had started as a demo a workshop or two ago and stalled out (as these demo pieces tend to do). It was just a little horse-shaped object doggedly trotting along but in great need of an infusion of personality.

Such was the beginning of "Tee-Nah".  The tired trot of the demo, became a sassy, hip swinging prance, her head lifted and mouth opened as if to sing out --

"Talking bout hey now (hey now)
Hey now (hey now)
Iko iko, iko iko unday
Jockomo feeno ah na nay
Jockomo feena nay"

 -- the refrain of the "Iko Iko" song now synonymous with both New Orleans Mardi Gras festivities and musician Mac Rebennack, a.k.a Dr. John.  It's a refrain that easily gets stuck in your head.  Even if you don't always hear it correctly.  I've always heard "Tee-nah, tee-nah, neigh".   Wrong.  But, it did inspire a fun little play on words for my new mule -- "Tee-nah bray"!

I love mules.  Short and sturdy, or tall and elegant, or big and bulky, for me mules are icons of patient toil, general good sense and hardiness. The equine everyman.  And every man, or mule, deserves to have a bit of fun now and then.

Barry is now making waste molds of these two newly completed clay and wax sculptures. There will no doubt be some fine tuning to be done with resin hard copies from the waste mold before we create production molds. 

~ Lynn