I decided to do a less complex sculpture before making the mold and committing to a concrete mixture for the Kate  sculpture. It is the first self portrait I have tried in clay. It was a little strange actually forming my mouth, my nose, my eyes, my ears. It isn't finished yet, but I like how it is coming together.

This is the latest work in the Kate series. It is about 28" tall on a 24" x 24" platform. I'm guessing it is between 200 and 300 pounds of water based clay. The next step in the process is to make a plaster mold and eventually cast it in concrete.
One of the problems I confronted in the design was what would she be sitting on. The model was sitting on a step stool, but that was never intended to be in the sculpture. I thought about a rock or a log. I wanted to suggest "outdoors" because that is where I see the sculpture being. I decided on the tortoise to suggest a symbolism beyond the figure of a young woman.