Medium: Terra cotta clay, artificial stone

Artist's comments: This piece has a terra cotta clay foundation from which the actual sculpting is done and an artificial stone coat that can quite easily be molded once the clay has been fired. I began by sculpting a human skull (sans all those crazy canals and fossae!), which surprisingly provides all the form and structure for the remainder of the piece. You can then proceed to add musculature and skin to this bony foundation without having to constantly monitor the underlying form. Nothing in particular inspired me to do this piece, but I do enjoy the works of Giambologna, Rodin, Bernini, and some contemporary pieces by Aristide Maillol. This is my fifth piece since starting sculpting about six years ago.