Back in the saddle again

Well, I'm back from Wisconsin. The trip was a whirlwind, but it was nice. My grandma's funeral and burial went well, and most of my family was there. It's hard to say goodbye to a loved one, but it was really nice to see so many family members too. I think we gave her the send-off she deserved. Thanks to everyone who has contacted me with sympathies, I truly appreciate it.

I was able to get to my sculpture class Wednesday night and get back on the portrait head band wagon. I worked on her features mostly, working off of photos of my niece to sculpt the nose and eyes. My instructor Bob showed me how to do the eyes, carving a recess to create the colored iris of each eye. A little speck of clay gets put back in to create the little white highlight we all have in our eyes, and then all of a sudden, the sculpture is staring right at you! It was really eerie, to suddenly have this sculpture making eye contact with me...

I still don't think this sculpture looks like my niece, but it does now look like a fairly realistic human being. Next week, she gets hair!