Mud Puppy

Mud Puppy refers not to the salamander-type water creatures, but rather to my own love of playing in the dirt. Whether it's digging in the garden, making adobe bricks, or squishing my hands into a deliciously cool blob of clay, I consider myself a mud puppy.


While this mask is finished in acrylics and wood beads, it reflects the colors of my favorite clays. The clay body underneath the paint is actually white, which I would usually cover with glaze. But for this particular work, it begged to look like the clays that inspired its creation.