So I have two rats done and one to go. My next project is going to be a fox/coyote scavenging on a vulture, which is the opposite of what normally happens. I have decided to use Beth Cavener Stichter's method of glazing her pieces. She simply uses house paint. I really like how the pieces are not glossy but have a slight sheen to them. The only thing is that house paint is not cheap.

So I have one dead rat finished and have decided to make a set of them. So I'll probably make 2 more. I want to focus on the idea that rats are often the subjects of human experiments. I haven't decided how I am going to portray that part of my idea yet.

What is interesting about rats is that while many people despise them, others have them as pets. In India, eating food that has been touched by rats is considered a blessing from god. There are many different perceptions of the rat.

So, my most recent pieces have been a dead dog and a deer head (as a hunter would mount it on the wall). I know.... its kinda morbid. But, my next project is going to be even better - a dead rat. haha Like I have said before, I think that death makes people uncomfortable and I am really curious to see how people react to my pieces. Anyways, I hope to get my rat finished next class so I can start on another (dead) project.

I feel like my work has changed quite a bit lately. Nothing I make is disgusting or gory, but there is a sense of disturbance. I guess my main goal in fixating on death - as that seems to be a reoccurring theme in my pieces - is the hope that people will come to terms with the idea of dying. As a culture, we tend to fear death, to see it has a depressing end to a short life. But, maybe its something more. This doesn't really make sense but it is a way to get a different reaction out of people. I don't really feel like I should post a picture with this post...