Big Grey One

     House things are starting to get under control which has allowed for some concentrated sculpting time this week.It felt great to sit and work for several hours four out of five days this week. But getting to that point again hasn't been easy because, well... artists are generally screwed in the head. There's a fine tightrope act that I walk between creativity and productivity. Between enjoying what I do and being my own worst critic. Between supreme confidence and abject fear of failure.

     Part of the fear stems from the fact that sculpting still seems an awful lot like magic to me. On the brain level I understand that it's a craft and, theoretically, a person gets better every time they practice their craft. On the heart level I don't always feel that way. When I get in the putty zone things sometimes just happen. Sure it's directed on some level, but it's not always a conscious direction. It's the Muse at work.

     After a long hiatus I'm filled with trepidation at the thought of sculpting again. What if the Muse has left? After all, I haven't been treating her very well lately. What if those previous works were just a fluke? What if it's a time-limited skill set? All of these thoughts besiege my soul.

     When I finally get over the resistance and get back to work, things are difficult for a short while. Then they start seeping. That seepage becomes drips that soften the blockage. Drips become a flow that erodes it. The flow becomes a torrent barely contained and I'm left in  wonder that I ever doubted. I swear that I'll never leave the Muse alone that long again.

     Until next time.

     Here's the first figure of the year. I have 4 more on the table from this week that need about 20 to 30 minutes of work each to wrap up. But this was the first: a 28mm American WWII G.I. It's part of a 4-figure set for Acheson Creations.

     More to follow next week.