Below are pictures from the making of the 2nd piece from the series featured in my solo undergrad show.
I wasn't going to make any more chalices after the mouse one, but I encountered the bat pictured above on a cross-country road trip and ended up being accidentally responsible for its death. I felt so awful that I decided to build a chalice in the poor creature's honor.
This was the first sketch for this piece.
The square part of the base was carved from a solid lump of clay.
The base is almost dry (and in its most fragile state) in this picture.
At this point, the base has already gone through its first firing. The bowl is still wet and being air-dried so it will be rigid enough to support the bat faces waiting to be attached.
The faces have just been attached. Wet paper towels are wrapped around the joints to prevent cracking.
The base after it went through its second firing (the first glaze firing).
A very frazzled me putting the pattern on the round section of the base.
And finally, here's a shot of the inside of the bowl after its final firing.