between the fingers

In all my belly-aching and griping about the serpent ring, I failed to comment on it's most notable quality. Back when I used to do shows, one of the my fondest memories was that of selling a few of my pieces to those who happened to be blind. I consider this a real complement - if a piece does not feel right 'between the fingers', the piece is a failure. When judged within this criteria, the serpent ring is, in my opinion, a success. Looking at the ring, there may be some ambiguity as to it's meaning', it's function. When slid between the fingers, it is no longer a representation, the ancient serpent slides though your grasp.

I am closer to making some final products.

the soul of a windmill

The ancient serpent adjusted his bulk on the rocky cave floor, wincing as a broken sword fragment shifted in the tender flesh beneath his scale armor. The dragon's hard scales scraped across the equally hard floor, leaving a thin trail of blood and rancid water as he searched for a more comfortable position. Looking out, beyond the fierce waves crashing against his stony home, he muttered a prayer into the wind - a wish that the mettle of all valiant knights had finally been tested. Head sinking onto the hard gravel floor, and with a heavy sigh, the battle-weary dragon first slipped into an uneasy slumber.

Briefly, somewhere between the first and the second, the gravel softened and yielded under the weight of his tired body. The sound of the ocean waves came closer and closer to his sleeping form. As the wave's watery form crashed against the sleeping dragon, he could see the virtuous faces belonging to each of his opponents reflecting off his wet, glistening armor. The dragon became each opponent in turn -- experiencing the searing pain of a serpent's fiery breath tearing at exposed flesh, tasting the swallowed fear of likely death.

Gradually, the dragon's body stopped resisting the waves, they poured into and through his tired flesh. The dragon's pain and weariness dissolved in the salty water and washed from his armored body. At peace, he fell into a very deep sleep - that sleep which is a gift of all creatures. The waves brought deeper and deeper revelations, each carrying the dragon closer to understanding. He became smaller and smaller beneath an infinitely great purpose. He saw all that is, all that was, and all that might ever be.

serpent ring

What an unbelievable pain in the rump! This carving is a test and learning experience for sand creature ring.

I have carved, re-carved, made too perfect, re-carved, over-detailed, under-detailed made too thin, made too thick...

I know I have not been my finest the last week, but carving this ring was way too hard for the results - so far - I say this, but I really do not know. I look at the wax model between my fingers and cannot decide if it is the best ring I have ever carved, or whether it would better serve as fuel for my wax burning lamp - nor can I decide whether I spent too little time, or way too much time carving this beast (metaphorically and literally speaking), I do lean toward the latter opinion.

For better or worse, I am now doing final detail clean-up, then making a prototype cold mold, then storing the model in a place far from grasp and thoughts. My only hope is that I have done an Edvard-Munchian multi-layered, gouged, paint-over disaster until something usable percolates up and out of the mess. Come to think of it, that is all I ever do, so it should fit comfortably into the surrounding mediocrity.