Violin girl

Bronze on marble base. About seven inches tall.

Friends Martin and Miriam decided Violin Girl belonged at their home and I agreed. I am hoping they will give her a name.

Violin girl was inspired by a photo of a girl playing the violin in an ad in the San Diego Chamber Orchestra magazine. I gave her legs. The hat is as large as the one depicted in the photo. Imagine trying to keep that hat on and play the violin at the same time!

Turquoise

Bronze, turquoise on marble base.

This piece was designed around the small turquoise stone in the middle of the sculpture. The patina was intended to blend with the stone.

This was one of my easiest sculptures to make, patina, etc. Yet, it is one a number of people really like. Go figure.

The Sun

Bronze and alabaster on granite base.

I don't think most people get this until I say it depicts the sun starting to set on the horizon. Somebody said it looked like an eyeball. That person is right!

If you look at the bronze in the center of the stone, you will see an old Indian symbol for the sun. I thought the stone, after polishing, looked like it had "sun spots" as does our sun. If you look at the stone carefully you can seen the swirling fire.

Eddie the pug

Bronze.

Maybe I should publish a photo of Edison? Those of you reading this have seen Edison.

These were made for my son. He loves his dog.

Sitting woman

Bronze and alabaster stone.

Eight inches high. Four by five inches wide.

Since bronze has tripled in price since I started sculpture class, I thought I would try incorporating stone in my designs to minimize cost. The base or skirt is alabaster stone. The shawl and head are bronze. People are surprised when I lift off the top. You can't tell from the photo but the bronze has a rust patina that coordinates with the rust color in the stone.

Loving mother

Bronze and alabaster stone. About eight inches high and four inches by six inches wide.

This depicts a mother cradling her child in her loving arms. A fellow student suggested I use white patina to unify the upper part made in bronze with the lower part made in stone. I chose the stone because I saw knees and a foot in the lower part of the stone and imagined then created the upper part of her body.

This sculpture was given to my cousins Davy and Gloria because I have been touched by the love they have for their sons. When I see this sculpture it reminds me of how they always "hold" their sons in their protective arms. I love this sculpture and I love them.

Comadres II

Comadres: A Spanish word for the relationship between the parents of a child and the child's godmother. Compadre is the Spanish term for the godfather. A comadre/compadre is a cherished extended family member. When I get together with my comadre we talk, talk, talk about our boys, our lives, our families, and everything else. This depicts two comadres sitting next to each other talking. My comadre has Comadres I which has different images but the same design. I made it for her to celebrate her new home. But my son liked it so much he wanted to keep it! I gave it to her anyway and made another one for us.

Bronze with marble base. About 18 inches high.

This sculpture was not difficult to create because the image was similar to Comadres I. However, there was a problem with the furnace when the mold was burned out and the mold literally broke into pieces. My instructor insisted it could be repaired. I spent days repairing the mold. When it was time to cast it, the instructor was so concerned about the fragility of the mold we decided not to heat it in the furnace with the other molds. Instead, I held a blow torch to it for about fifteen minutes to heat it enough so it would not break apart when filled with bronze. We all held our breath when the bronze was poured into it. It sizzled but no cracks! However, when the investment was removed, there was a lot of work to be done. I spent hours with my much loved Dremel tool cleaning it up.