Ceramic or porcelain sculpture of a dog's head, resembling a husky or similar breed, with detailed fur, expressive eyes, and large ears, mounted on a base.

Susan Sherwin

After 16 years teaching Costume Design at the university level, and 10 years as a professional portrait painter, I found clay. I throw and hand build but I love creating sculpture. I am drawn to animals. I started with toads because they aren’t cute. Foxes are such an interesting cross between a cat and a dog, with such beautiful forms. A sweet tiny fawn poses such interesting challenges. The ultimate freedom for me is to sculpt gargoyles or grotesques. There is no right way to form a gargoyle. The more outlandish the proportions the better. I use 6 different clay bodies. Most are fired in my electric kiln, but my favorite firing is in a salt kiln. The irregularities caused by the atmosphere are so appealing for a fur coat.