People ask me how long it takes to create a piece and where do my ideas come from. So I decided to share the design and execution of a recent piece. While writing my morning pages ( an exercise I learned from Julie Cameron’s The Artist’s Way) the idea of the vintage coin operated kiddie rides popped into my mind. I remember as a child riding on them when shopping with my mom. My favorite was always the horses, but I have ridden in cars and rocket ships. I love the work of Mike Cinelli and have tried out his technique on a few pieces in the past. This time I decided to make a larger piece that would need to be constructed in several stages, requiring planning and rest time for the clay. So here is my Space Patrol rocket ship, birth and development.

I dug around on the internet to find some photos for reference.

I begin by fashioning the nosecone from a slab of clay that I turn into a cylinder, then slowly paddle to close the top into a cone shape.

I sculpt the figure and make the back section of the rocket. Each time I sculpt a new section I have to let the clay rest to firm up a bit, this ensures stronger bonds when I begin to put pieces together.

I fashioned a cardboard base to check for scale.

These are the little rivets that try to capture the amazing Mike Cinelli”s style.

The final underglaze wash will highlight these details.

Here is the piece waiting for bisque firing. The base has been painted with colored slip and I hand lettered the base hoping it has a weathered, retro look.