Are You Biting Me?

This is not a question I like to hear, but do with surprising frequency.  Our older son was flagged as a "biter" at school for several years, so it is a sensitive topic.  

You Can't Imagine How Hard It Is For Me

Adolescence is hitting hard around here this week.  Sad to say as the kids are are years too young for such things.  At least this monkey is wearing pants.  For the moment.

We Don't Look Like Dorks

Fear of dorkiness is intense and persuasive, but it does not stop one from trying to push one's brother's face off on a subway platform, does it?

Bear Head Too

I didn't think I was done with this idea, but maybe I was.

Fist Bump

Or maybe it is "fist with bump"?...As the rest seems to follow the fist.

I Don't Know How This Looks On Me

I should have been finishing my taxes, but instead I made this.  Perhaps not a wise use of my time.

Shelf of Stuff

Now I just need to make about 200 more, and they might become interesting.

Although, I observe that they look better all smashed together in a sort of Bosch knock off.

Don't Assume It Was Left There On Purpose

You Say That Like It's A Bad Thing

A total abandonment of taste, so to speak.

Don't Assume It Was Left There By Accident

A common slogan posted in the NYC subways regarding potentially explosive unattended baggage.  This is a reference to my own photograph "Ticklish" which in hindsight was really an image about mothering and nursing.  This sketch does not seem to be much about parenthood....Perhaps more about how flaccid kid legs resemble other limp body parts.

ClayFace and Female Hero

The B list Batman villain ClayFace seemed an obvious subject for a silly clay sketch.  Here he confronts a Wonder Woman like figure, although I would like to think that their interaction is ambiguous.

This one proved to be a real struggle to hold together without an armature and had to be partially dried halfway through, thus blowing my sculpture a day plan, probably not for the last time.

Skull Pinata Head Boy

Lacking a theme for the latest kid birthday party, I bought a "generic" pinata- a large day of the dead sort of skull. We discovered after the candy and tiny plastic monsters were spilled that it made nice headgear.
This one was truly a five minute sketch, done when I should have already left the studio to pick up the kids.

ManBat, Painted

Bear Head with Bat Cape, Painted

Dude, I Totally Cut Your Head Off First

"No way dude! I cut yours off first!"

"But I ressurected first!"

"No you didn't!" 

And so on.

Just a typical dialog from a typical play date for my older son.

The constant casual threats of violence used to really give me the creeps (and still does sometimes) but it is so detached from any physical reality, it is best to not take it too seriously.

Sculpture is not so detached from physical reality, so it was not so easy to suspend the heads separate from the bodies on the above armatureless sketch.

Mysterio-ish Guy

The comics and cinematic adventure worlds are full of guys wearing helmets they cannot possibly see out of- the "bucket heads."  There is something so compelling and impowering, at least to our small boys, about covering up your whole head.  No matter that the actors playing those Power Rangers and Clone Troopers can't see a damn thing and are drowning in their own sweat.  Sure, the "real" guys would have a helmet full of high tech electronics and air conditioning...but it's still a bucket.  Or in the case of one of Spider-Man's more implausible foes, Mysterio, it looks more like a fishbowl.  And of course he's got a cape.  And plenty of muscles.

Flying Hero

The flying superhero, often leading with his fists in the foreground remains an ever so compelling convention in comic books.  (Invincible, for example)

The sculptural equivalent is of course patently silly looking.  Suspension of disbelief, as well as suspension of material, does not work so well in the physical world.

I thought I would just put a clunky support pedestal under the poor guy's pelvis.  He does suffer from some foreshortening- his fist and head are oversized.  

Crouching ManBat

More unadulterated pop culture cheese:  My sons love ManBats... although they prefer the LEGO variety.  Mostly I was looking to do something other than the series of standing figures.  And Man Bats (or is it ManBats?) suffer from the overly muscled torso disorder, so I thought it was a reasonable followup to the werewolf.  This looks more like a ManBunny, however....Perhaps that should come next?

Muscular Werewolf in Shorts

Continuing the embrace of ridiculous imagery:  I was aiming for the superhero/ monster stereotype of the ridiculously muscular upper body with implausibly scrawny legs.  In this case, I was thinking, little boy legs.  I ended up with a seriously top heavy individual who required a base.  I had been avoiding bases in this series, but am reconsidering that decision now. 

Brain Eating Zombie Child

This one was not specifically suggested by one of my kids.... but let's say the kids were an inspiration nonetheless.  Zombies are always compelling for the boys.  One can kill them with guiltless impunity... and it is also fun to pretend to be one.  More fun to pretend to eat brains than it is to try to use one.