Using my last sad drooping anemone as a model....I cut copper leaves for a commisioned fairy wall piece. I start with a basic shape and in this care I simplify the leaf pattern because the leaves will not be the most prominent factor. I will then heat, vein, shape and hammer the leaf before brasing to a stem and onto the flower. The fine detail of jagged edges is cut later with a Dremel.  

BUILDING THE FRAME
Preparing a piece for the Antler gallery show, The Ribbon, and the frame is almost done. Above is a photo of the part I just made. It is a copper wreath of sorts mounted on wood and then primed. It was a surprise when the contruction took on the shape of a heart. A great bonus from my subconscious.

After two days of many hours of braising the copper components, I then fitted the shape for a final time on the wood plate. To do this I drill precise holes in the disc for the tabs welded into the copper wreath. I then used a high quality archival spray to unify the two parts. Eventually I will add a matte black gesso to pull some aspects back visually.
While this 'frame' dries I gather supplies to continue the layout. Layout is a huge part of the process. Sometimes I see a piece fully formed, but other times -like this time- it is vague and hard to track.

Above is the dried frame with porcelain parts being put in for layout. I then add garden leaves of real plants to try out their size/color and spacing- I call it foliage blocking. It can take hours to make the copper leaves so it helps to carefully layout test parts and to do multiple sketches, coloring in if necessary.

​USING AI FOR LAYOUT
I also used some other tools this time around. I used AI Imaging to get rough ideas of what I wanted for layout. It mostly helped me determine what theoretically didn't work. I don't want to give away the final piece before delivery to the gallery so I will post those AI pics later in October.

COLOR MATCHING STARTING POINT
​​Another great new tool was using a photo of one of my favorite artists, Lucy Hunter, a flower arrangement genius. This gave me the color pallette I was aiming for. I could hold the photo up against the black frame for accuracy.

Lucy Hunter is THE FLOWER HUNTER. I adore her work and use it as inspiration. In this picture I found the color pallete I needed to start from in THE RIBBON piece. chartreuse, white, pinks, cream and yellow.

In the studio I am also making flower arrangements in porcelain but they are huge in 'time resource'. I have only finished one-see it below. I hope to have 5 pieces for Olympia Spring Artwalk APRIL/2026. 
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RIBBON PIECE
I am so excited to have an artwork at the Antler/Talon Gallery for their special show, The Ribbon. The exhibit is about the circle of life, rebirth, and emergence. It is a celebration of Susannah Kelly's life, one of the co-creators of the gallery with her husband Neil.

Getting ready for a show is like an athlete in training! Every artist has their way, mine is pretty specific.
I clean the studio, prep all the work stations....in this case I am using about 5 areas (in and outdoor) for one piece!
And of course I had months of sculpting and final firings to ready the porcelain components.

PAINTS: Ready the china paints: since most of my paints are rare and old pigments, I do run out of favorite colors and must scrounge from china painters or order colors faintly in the ballpark. As china painting is a fading art, there seem to be very few companies left in the business.
I am making china paint samples in the rage of pinks today since I need very specific colors for this piece. I paint way more flowers than needed, and usually start with them for warming up the the special big parts.  However, I cannot wait to paint the falcon and snakes in this work. 
BRAISING THE COPPER: Clearing the braising table for the long strands of ivy making. A key ingredient of my new work for The Ribbon. I also am working on acanthus leaves and other foliage. hundres of leaves await-precut.
SANDING: A sanding area. There is extensive sanding just to get my porcelain parts ready. Both in greenware and bisque stage. Then after the high fire 'Bisque', I sand a final time in a high grit. Either by hand or with a Dremel or both. Even tiny buds only 3/16 wide. A soft smooth surface creates a better final coat. 
NEXT....MAKE BACKGROUND PART: My studio has multiple areas... porcelain/paint/wood/copper/assemblage/adhesive/spray paint.....you get the idea!
And making the boxes or mounting wood parts is critical to get the final layout of an artwork. Today I finish a round wood disc by cutting hardwood, sanding and then about 6 coats of black gesso sanded each layer with a final coat of uv sealant put on tomorrow. I use an antique metal cart outside on the braising deck.
ASSEMBLAGE: I am far from the final days (but only 5 weeks to completion and delivery) but I have to have an area to work on assembly. I usually have a preconceived notion of a layout, but this piece has eluded me. So I am using AI imagery to assemble theoretical versions....Then I put pieces out on the assembly table in trays to get a closer notion of final imagery. 

MAKING: But its GO TIME! And the energy is flowing, the music pumping! (Chilltrax). Pour another espresso and get it done!

Just plugging away at preparing for the big show I am in with two other great artists in Fall 2026. Though falcons are not considered night animals, they do hunt at dawn and dust. I am very interested in sculpting them anyhow, so they go to the big show. 
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And of course bats must soon join them! I have designed bat and moth pieces for the wall. And as I begin the new bats I am amazed at how difficult they can be. Ultra thin parts make it tricky. One of the ways I cope is to use parchment paper. I can move the wings carefully for drying in curved shapes. after this rough start ABOVE I will dry it slightly for further detailing and carving. When its dry a very very delicate job of sanding will begin.
There are 16 types pf bats in Washington state and many of them are dwindling. With so many animals disappearing I love to sculpt them, to focus on them and bring that energy on into my reality.

FALCONS

Technically we don't see falcons as night birds, but since they hunt in the early morning I am doing some raptors for the Fall 2026 Nocturnal show. I have designed 20 pieces for this show and hope I can do a few more. Had to start somewhere! 
I made a falcon and an owl over the winter to test the NZ porcelain in larger sculptures. They are well on the way, fired and ready for paint. This porcelain shrinks considerably and vitrifies at 06. But it doesnt like to be used in sculptures over 10in.
The flower elements are drying for next months firings. Each animal/bird piece will have a wreath like 'portal' of sorts around it. Though hundreds of components are ready, I have hundreds more to make. I ordered additional flower molds among them: jasmine, petunias, dogwood, mini roses.
​I am posting quick videos on instagram of the process: @mysticglenstudio.

EVERLASTING! FLORAL SCULPTURE
For many years I have wanted to just have fun arranging my handsculpted flowers, but have not taken the time to do it. So after I dropped off my work for the Creature Comforts group show at CEG....I took a month to start 5 floral sculptures. I should be getting the numerous sculptures ready for a Nocturnal show later in 2026 but couldn't help but stray from the schedule.

With so many flower pieces created over the winter I have a big selection to choose from. Ranunculus, peonies, anenomes, poppy, blackberries, apple blossoms, acorns, pears, cherries, snowberries, blackberries, mulberries, rugosa roses, lithanthius and more. Foliage in ivy, poppy leaves, branches, geraniums, clover and more. And of course I will have to add insects: bees, flies, snails, spiders, butterflies, moths, yellow jackets....

TRADITIONAL PORCELAIN FLOWER ARRANGEMENTS
For hundreds of years there have been elaborate floral sculptures, usually for the very rich and displayed in great houses or palaces around the world. I posted the one below as an extreme example of a porcelain bouquet. I cannot imagine how much work this one was!
Entire factories came about in Germany and China to create these wonders. Meissen in Germany, Capodimonte in Italy are just a few.
I imagine these works were in lieu of fresh flowers in winter months or just extravagant shows of wealth. And perhaps It allowed one to mix flowers from areas far away or unavailable into one bouquet. I like that aspect for my own work as well.
My favorite thing was adding the final touches, tiny tidbits like fruit, cocoons, and flying insects!

BACK TO MY OWN ATTEMPT AT FLORAL ARANGING IN PORCELAIN... I researched shapes I like for vases and then carefully selected a few samples in antique stores last month. I adore the one to the left. A jardiniere of sorts. So I started with that one as inspiration.
The first sculpture is started! You can see in the pic farther below- just the copper pieces braised together, at about 170 pieces so far. 

The work for March has to dry slowly, be sanded, bisque fired, sanded, high fired and then prepped for its accessories. Working this late in the game I have prepared a backup sculpture, 'just in case'. It's my smallest cat, Werewolf.