Item details
Handmade
Material
hand painted cast stone
I carve the original of every piece in clay, make my own molds, and cast the statues by hand in our workshop in Mississippi; my wife then paints and glazes each statue. Every statue comes individually boxed, can go outside, and can stand or hang (there�s a hook on the back). This piece comes with a card stating the following:
Like many major figures in religion and literature, the origins of Willis are unknown. His beginnings are sketchy: he was seen by motorists one day walking along the highway that runs from Lafayette, Louisiana, to Breaux Bridge. Motorists remembered him because he was wearing a rhinestone collar. No one knows where he came from. Willis walked into town, where he decided to take a swim in Bayou Teche, to visit with some ducks: Willis has extraordinary inter-species skills, but the ducks weren�t interested in him. Willis came out of the bayou, shook himself off, and strolled to a house, where he saw cats lounging in the sun and tried to visit with them. They sauntered off. He ate their food and strolled up onto a porch and barked. A man appeared and said, �Baby, rhinestones are out.� Willis ignored the fashion critique and walked past the man and jumped up onto a comfortable chair. Two old dogs and six cats in the room looked at him and went back to sleep. A charmer. Willis moved in. He spends his days now taking swims with the ducks in the bayou. He also brings home lost creatures: tiny kittens who�ve been thrown away, baby ducks separated from their mothers, stray puppies. He carries them home in his mouth. He wants all lost creatures to have what he has: a home. He still has his rhinestone collar, but now only wears it for special occasions. Willis composed an autobiographical poem that runs alongside this plaque. Ir says: �Road/Walk/Water/Ducks/Cats/Man/Chair/Home.� The original of the plaque was hand carved by Karen and Hank Schlau, cast by hand by them, and handpainted.
Dimensions: 9 x 5.25 x 2 inches