This Is Pushpin Howard. He Lives In The Studio Now. I Had A Leftover Head From A Bad Casting And Figured

This is Pushpin Howard. He lives in the studio now. I had a leftover head from a bad casting and figured it might as well go to use.

Studio stuff is suspended for a while, and has been. I got another bad infection right as soon as finals were finished, and after that, a serious family emergency came up. A member of my extended family has stage-four lung cancer and is, in all likelihood, going to die sometime within the next year. Things have been a bit chaotic here. 

I’m trying to get back to it, but in some ways, I also need a mental vacation. I started making Japanese ricebran pickles, nukazuke. They are delicious and healthy. I’m planning a post saying that I am open for portrait commissions. Been reading books, that sort of thing. As artists, we don’t always have to be going full-on, especially when there’s other things going on in our lives. 

My dog melted.

Prototypes finished. The resin has been cast with copper and silver powders and finished with black shoe polish and clear topcoat. What kind of colors and finishes should I try?

Some objects from the In-Progress shelf I worked on today. Cast iron tile and head for a ball jointed doll.

Hound dog has the most beautiful ears.