Past projects, future releases?

I started a clay body custom on an OF Lakeshore Marshall back in the summer of 2010. This was my first attempt at a clay body custom and so I had to wait to find a "seconds" Marshall (thanks to Cindy Neuhaus of Lakeshore Collectibles !) that I would not have a lot invested in since this was a definite trial-by-error project. For those who may not know what "clay body custom" means, Donna Chaney has a short but concise explanation on her website at Animal Artistry . My goal was to take Ann Harris' porcelain  Marshall and redo the mane and tail from a English braid to a free stock-horse style. Since my kiln will not fire hot enough for porcelain, I had the idea to sculpt a mane and tail from earthenware clay, fire it onto the Marshall to bisque, then glaze the newly sculpted mane and tail. After which, if it all came out of the firing in reasonable shape, I would china paint the piece.

The sculpting went surprisingly well, and since I had sanded the Marshall before trying to attach the clay, it had some "tooth" to adhere to before firing. After the bisque firing, there were a few hairline cracks in the layers of the tail and in the poll area between the ears. Since this was an experimental piece I decided to forge ahead and glaze the mane and tail in satin opaque white, in the hopes of filling-in the hairline cracks and firmly attaching the clay body customizing to the porcelain horse. After the glaze firing, I was quite pleased with the results. But rather than refire with the china paints, I decided to test my work, and let it sit in the garage for the rest of the HOT Texas summer/fall and into the really cold (20C) weather of Dec/Jan. I wanted to see if the added mane/tail would show any stress under the extreme temperature conditions. I'm happy to report that he came through fine! So I think I will go back to him this month and finish the body work on the blanket and the hooves.

Here are photos taken after being exposed to the temperature extremes. The addition of the stock-type mane and tail really change the look of the piece! (aside: I did get permisson from Lakeshore before doing any customization on the original sculpture). I will also add some off white and dark hair to the mane and tail to make it look less "stark" and wig-like. I am glad I tried this, as I have learned a lot and will learn even more in the months to come!