patchwork crab

I've checked out a big stack of sculptural technique books from the library. Most of these are pretty old, 1960's and 70's, and the text is rather dated, but the images have gotten me inspired to branch out again.  It has been birds birds birds here for nearly a year and a half now and I don't feel finished with them, but I do crave the excited of creating new forms. 

After a late night perusal of Wire Sculpture and Other Three Dimensional Construction by Gerald F. Brommer (1968)

I felt the immediate need to make a patchwork crab.

You might remember the last crab like this. I'm from Maryland originally and I love crabs.  I love making the button jointed claws on crabs. It is like a double tab – one on top and one underneath – with the claw inserted in between.  The claws can move back and forth this way for some little crab playtime. 

And this time around I was able to work out a technical problem I had in the last one with attaching all those skinny legs – I made this crab an apron, like real Maryland blue crabs have, to cover the attachment points. Here is a view of his underside. 

And, as I am sure Roxanne will point out when she gets home from school, this crab has already been cooked. Raw crabs are blue.