The Base:
The base is made of wood and measures 8 inches high and 30 inches in diameter. The puzzle on the top was made by putting together a 26 inch round puzzle with 300 pieces. Then a rubbing was made of the puzzle. That was then traced onto a round piece of thin plywood that was painted white. All pieces of the border and staggered pieces inside were then painted different colors; each piece had to be painted 8 times to insure the colors were solid. A layer of clear resin was poured on top to permanently preserve the final surface.
The Figure:
The figure is life-sized and would stand 4 ½ feet tall. He was first carved out of high density poly styrene foam (lower extremities, torso and arms done separately) and then each section was covered with thin layers of Bondo until perfectly smooth. The hands, feet and face were sculpted in clay. Molds were made for each and then cast in Bondo. All the pieces were joined together and all seams were then erased with Bondo as well. A great deal of time was spent on the facial features. He is smiling but it is a fake smile. Upon close observation you can see that he is crying.
The Subject:
The boy has Autism. He is surrounded by the puzzle “maze”. His pants are blue: the unofficial color of Autism awareness. The lead weight IS the diagnosis to which he is chained. The words on the lead weight are many of the hardships that go along with the diagnosis. He has been consistently bullied as evidenced by the bruises, black eye and split lip. He is trying to communicate his frustration with his phone, a method that requires the least human contact. His overall statement is outside the puzzle. He doesn’t care about the doctors’ medical mysteries, all he wants are solutions, compassion and understanding…what we all expect.
Materials:
Bondo, wood, clear resin, (wig and eyelashes are store bought, I’m good but not that good), all paint is Delco Ceramcoat acrylic
Completed: March 2020
