The Black Mermaid

An abstract interpretation of Salvador Dali's Mermaid in Black.  This piece was made for a friend that loves Dali's work.  Oddly,  I had done the conceptual design for the piece years ago but only revisited it when recently discussing Dali's work.  The piece, as was with Dali's illustration showcase her graceful lines, mask that covers no face, a heart shaped boustierre, and those spines that protect her every vulnerability.

The piece was quite a challenge to build.  Her base flows in a way that made it difficult to support her own weight without collapsing during the firing process.  The spines were equally challenging.

The photos below show a progression of working on her from seeing Dali's illustration, to conceptual drawing, the build and the final piece.  I hope you enjoy this piece of work.

In the pics you will see the final piece first, then pics that show Dali's original illustration followed by a two page feature of the piece in a book.   You will then see my conceptual drawing that I did of this piece years ago.  When I recently saw a friends profile pic of the dali illustration I decided to revisit the drawing and build the piece.  From a structural standpoint it was a challenge to support the weight of the piece on the base as it has a curved graceful structure like the mermaid.  The spines were also a challenge because I wanted the entire piece to stay in clay and not be brittle to break off.   I held my breath for 3 months in her making.  I was overwhelmed with joy when I opened the kiln and found that she had not cracked or exploded lol

And then my food artist sushi chef Emelio made her into sushi :)

The 10 million price tag is an inside joke.  This piece is NOT for sale.