I love to sculpt and create little people figures and I usually fall in love with them as I am working on them. After they are completed though, I have no desire to keep them. Cold? Maybe, but I would rather send them out in the world, either by gifting or selling then to have them hanging around my house/studio.
Over the years, I have had two pieces that have 'spoken' to me, and one piece that I will never part with. That piece is my "Woman's Work Is Never Done" (shown above). I started this piece, as I always do by sculpting the head. It was to be a small child. I then received a call from Vancouver, that my 68 year old mother had passed away suddenly. This was in 1998. When I returned home from the funeral two weeks later, I didn't go into my studio for approx. a month. I also did not pick up the little head I had been working on for almost six months. I had no desire to.
One evening I picked it up, thought it needed some adjustments on the face and before I knew it, I had a kindly old woman looking at me. From there, this angel developed. I have no recollection really of working on it. It does not look like my mother, however there is such a tangible bond with this piece and my mom, that I know that I will never part with it.
I have only had this strong feeling of connection once before, when I did a piece called "Not Amused". The inspiration for the piece was my 4 year old daughter constantly teasing and annoying her 10 year old sister.
The little imp sticking out his tongue and the young lass, in no way resemble my girls, however it took me several years to let this piece leave my home. When it did, it went to a very dear friend of mine, and I can still visit it if I wish.
How do the rest of you feel about your work? Do you hold on to just a few special pieces? Do you want to keep the majority of them? I'm curious.
(I apologize for the above pics. They are old scanned images from my files)
