Is there a story behind the colors chosen for this craft sculpture?

Oh, absolutely there is a story behind the colors—in fact, every shade you see here has its own little history. When I first started working on this sculpture, I wanted it to breathe, to feel alive, not just sit there looking pretty. So I chose colors that carry meaning.

Let me start with the deep, earthy red you see at the base. That’s not just any red—it’s a red I mixed from natural ochre I collected myself during a trip to the countryside in Tuscany. I remember sitting on a sun-baked hillside, grinding the pigment with a stone, feeling the dust between my fingers. That red represents the raw, grounding energy of the earth—the foundation of everything.

Now, the soft blue along the curve? That’s a nod to a childhood memory. When I was a kid, my grandmother had a cobalt glass vase that caught the afternoon light just so. That blue always made me feel calm, protected. So I blended a custom cobalt with a touch of white titanium to mimic that hazy, comforting glow. It’s my way of bringing her presence into my work.

And the golden flecks? Those are real crushed mica. I didn’t just paint them on—I embedded them in the final glaze layer. They catch the light differently depending on where you stand. To me, those flecks represent those small moments of unexpected joy, like catching a beam of sunlight through leaves. They’re not loud, but they make the whole piece sing.

But the story doesn’t end with me. The day I completed the sculpture, I held it up to the window, and the afternoon sun hit that blue just right. For a split second, the whole room turned the same cobalt as Grandma’s vase. I swear I felt her smile. So yes—every color here has a story. It’s part of me, part of my memories, and now part of yours when you see it.