sculpted critters

Some sculptures I made of @kwillow and I’s animal nobility, based on these carvings of the heraldic Dacre beasts.

My pigeon griffin is my latest arrival at the Jonathon Bancroft-Snell Gallery for their “Life after Beal” Bealart (my high school art program) alumni show!

Currently available for $600cad.

Feel free to check out the link and drop them an email for inquiries! International shipping available.

The Dacre Beasts are heraldic emblems, representing one of the most powerful families in medieval England. The figures were carved from the same oak tree, which was felled between 1499 and 1549, according to dendrochronological analysis.

The Bull supports the banner of the 2nd Baron Dacre, with three scallop shells. Thomas Lord Dacre was a Knight of the Garter, as well as a confidante to King Henry VIII.

The Dolphin supports the Greystroke banner, with three cushions d'argent. Elizabeth de Greystroke was Thomas Lord Dacre’s wife and the Greystroke family heiress. The two eloped ca. 1488 and Lord Dacre was made Baron Greystroke jure uxoris.

The Ram supports the the de Multon banner, with argent, three bars gu, in chief a lion passant gardant. Margaret de Multon married the 3rd Baron Dacre, Randolph, in 1313.

@unwanted-dandelion-seeds

(about this guy)

a kiln god is a small clay sculptural creature that stays on/in/near a kiln while it’s firing, to watch over the pottery inside and protect it

mine are all vaguely humanoid and holding pottery, but they can be anything

a lot of people leave their kiln gods unglazed, and only ever make one or two. because I work with a shared kiln, my kiln gods have to be inside the kiln so they don’t get bumped or broken, so it makes more sense to glaze them and keep making more

(^this one I kept, she lives on my pottery desk)

people have lots of little traditions around kilns and pottery. there are so many variables to successfully finishing a piece of pottery, and many of the steps are out of our control. it’s nice to have a kiln god watching over our work

if you take a pottery class, your teacher might mention the kiln gods. for some potters/studios they’re more of a concept than anything physical

what can I say, humans just love to make little guys

Rhyton in the shape of a dog's head, Greece, circa 480 BC

A golden ram and a stone lion, found in a tomb at the archaeological site of Gonur Depe (dated from 2400 to 1600 BCE) in Turkmenistan. The finger in the background shows how small these figures are, demonstrating the extraordinary skill of the crafter.

some of my creatures from this semester!

Jaguar cub in dark clay