Clay Figure Sculpture "Life Happens"

This is an original clay sculpture of a woman, so there will never be another just like it. 

Why is she titled "Life Happens"? This sculpture was broken by another piece that blew up in the kiln but Daniel, the kind man who fired our pieces, put all the bits he could find in a box for me. I sat down with my epoxy and gingerly began to put the sculpture back together. My biggest fear was joining two sections in a way that prevented more pieces from being added but I managed to get it all back together! (Was that exciting to read? Just like reading about the guy holding the wire cutters and staring at the red wire and the yellow wire, wondering which one will deactivate the bomb and which one will blow up the building?)

At first glance, you can't tell that she's been through a shattering experience. If you look closely though, you can see the breaks in wrists and her right leg. There are also pieces missing from the base, but they're hard to see because it's a rugged texture. 

"Life Happens" was done from a live model sitting on a small stool. I chose to turn her seat into a turtle, whose tail you can see in one of these photos. The model's hair was pinned up, but I decided to make the sculpture with her long hair swinging to emphasize the movement in her pose (see how her left foot is under tension, and her right arm is in an active position?). I was warned that the hair would break off and I did it anyway. The swingin' hair survived intact in spite of the explosion. I'm such a rebel. 

I accept marks, breaks, and other indications of life happening on my sculptures. I admire someone who blows up and then continues to rise from her...turtle.

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Painted clay sculpture, 9 inches wide, 10 inches deep, and 14 inches tall.