Difference between revisions of "Figurehead"

; A soft blush gives life to the russet tones of this flawlessly carved, rosewood figurehead. The feminine curves of an Atavian woman rise up along the arc of the prow, her immense wings spread behind to embrace the hull. Arms outstretched, palms to the sky, an enraptured countenance envelopes an upturned face. Shattered steel shackles, the likely object of the ecstatic demeanour, dangle from delicate wrists to rattle feebly in the wind. Sapphire lacquer adds a gleaming touch of colour to flowing robes wrapped loosely around a toned body. Seated within the right hand, a meticulously hewn raven casts its ebon gaze out to sea.

Masterfully crafted from driftwood pieces, the massive bust of an intimidating skeleton is the focal point of this fully functional work of art. The hips and legs of the skeleton fade seamlessly into the prow of the ship, giving the impression of a rising manifestation of the ship's spirit. Clutched in the skeleton's gnarled hands are five symbolic skulls, each representing an inferior counterpart, from one silenced by a spear through its jaw to the charcoaled, oaken spikes protruding from the eye sockets of another. Carefully preserved with natural beeswax, the slightly darkened wood and soft shine lend the splintered, driftwood bones a still-decomposing look. As a final touch, hanging from the skeleton's neck on a crude, sea grass cord is a small, handsomely crafted sapphire falcon with extended wings.

Variegated shades of pale and bleached poplar ripple through the flared wings of this fanciful figurehead. Stylised with atavian features, the pointed nose and elegant slope of the young maiden's forehead are raised skyward, her eyes closed in wistful bliss, while her billowing robes swathe her form in folds of polished, rounded wood. Her hands clasp a sceptre against her bosom, and her left foot is lifted as though to step towards the heavens, dainty and pointed.