I began it in April, while visiting in Santa Fe, though I had planned it out somewhat before I got there. But, art is about communication, and part of that communication is between the artist and the art work. I work on it for a bit, and then listen to what the painting has to say. My muse has a private conversation with the canvas or clay, and the color and the composition. Sooner or later, the next step becomes obvious.
I begin with a black surface, and slowly the colors illuminate the composition, and the image emerges from the darkness.
When I work with clay, I begin with a simple coil process, essentially building a coil pot that turns into a figure. Sometimes the full torso, sometimes partial. This diva needed a bird. She holds a nest. A canyon wren is sitting in the palm of her hand.