Working on a sculpture that could change my life. I hope I get this commission but I thought I'd give you guys a sneak peek of what I'm working on.

@Jim Ehling same to you brother. The composition is looking really nice

@Cheryl Mack I’m going to take the feedback and push the features a bit further to really anchor that presence.

@Jim Ehling Thank you so much! I really appreciate you noticing those details. I put a lot of thought into how the lines and the gaze interact to lead the viewer through the piece, so I’m glad it resonated with you!

My process starts by developing the composition in 3D so I can refine the lighting, perspective, and overall balance. Once the form feels right, I produce a small-scale maquette from the digital model. That model becomes the master for a silicone mold, which allows me to create small casts and study the surface and proportions before moving toward a larger version.

@Cheryl Mack Just let me know when

@Cheryl Mack The incandescent color, more like a butterfly wing or an iridescent beetle shell, was intentional. It gives her a glow that feels alive and shifting depending on how the light hits, almost as if she refuses to be reduced to a single tone or narrative. The pins introduce tension. They suggest restraint, pressure, expectation. They hold her in place, but they do not diminish her radiance. That contrast is the center of the piece. Confinement versus brilliance. Control versus identity. I’d love to hear your questions. What stood out to you first?

@Cheryl Mack For me, the glow was about complexity. Too often women, especially women of color, are flattened into one narrative or one role. I wanted her surface to shift, like a butterfly wing, so depending on where you stand, you see something different. That variability is intentional. The pins are not about weakness. They’re about external forces. Systems, expectations, labels. They suggest pressure, but her radiance pushes back against it.