Diminutive Monstrosities
Shortly after graduating from college, the plan of writing the Great American Novel fell by the wayside. I needed a creative outlet and discovered the world of polymer based clay. It was a great run for a handful of years but it got waylaid by home improvement projects, work, and life in general. I picked it back up when my kids started to show interest in it. If I had any sense, I’d make scale models of the giant wooden monsters this way, but somehow the two remain distinct mediums.
Of the more recent sculptures, this was the only one worth keeping. The idea was simple - humanoid head with an ogre-ish underbite, a long head tail (think Ashoka Tano or Bib Fortuna from Star Wars) decorated with ritualistic symbols and tattoos, and six eyes protruding from wing-like appendages from the side of the skull. Fun little dude to make and I eventually made a D&D homebrew monster out of him. Pretty sure if I made a wooden monster version, I’d do a better job with the eyes.
Bone Shaman (2019)
Oh, how I love Clive Barker’s Hellraiser and Hellraiser 2: Hellbound (the ones that follow, not so much). Just introduced the kids to the first one and they were suitably grossed out. I made this guy for my wife as some sort of weird courtship offering. Lucky me, she accepted.
The Cenobite (1997)
I had plans, big plans! I was going to make the chess pieces and my roommate, who at the time was attending the North Bennet Street School, was going to make the chess board. It was going to be awesome. A game changer. I made this guy - a pawn - and that was it. Now he sits at my desk at work.
Chess Piece (1996)
Demon (1998)
You know what are important? Feet. Feet are important. You know what I never made for this otherwise incredible looking demon? Feet. This was the last thing I made before going on hiatus.
Golem (1996)
One of my favorite heads. Just look at it. So deranged. The sewn-up stomach is a nice touch too. Fun fact: that’s my hair on his head.
Joker of Death (1995)
While much of my work relates to pop culture, I don’t necessarily try to copy pop culture. The exception is the Joker of Death. By the face alone, I obviously owe DC Comics royalties. If I remember correctly, the staff was made of parts of a bass guitar string.
The name came when I created a homebrew monster for this one, along with his pal the Bone Shaman. It’s a bit much as far as names go, but when you’re a serpentine monster with giant fingers for appendages, you probably won’t be going by “Chris” or “Leonard.” I would say out of all of these sculptures, this one is the most fully realized. If I made a giant wooden version, the cops would probably show up.
