Drunken Rat Goblet
This was a serendipitous carving. I seldom look at a piece of material and see a carving waiting for release. This one however suggested itself immediately I found it again wedged at the back of a bin I keep odds and ends in. I can't think why I never saw it before but there was the rat as clear as day... This is precisely the moment when things go awry however as one struggles to preserve the original spontaneity whilst trying to make it apparent to everyone else. When in use the goblet shows the rat lying on his back, a paw up to his closed eye, his legs akimbo and very drunk. The interior of the goblet has been covered first with gold leaf and then with a mosaic of silver leaf, oxidized to various colours..  When inverted the goblet resembles the aftermath; the rat, his nose jammed into the ground,stares at the ground whilst he passes a paw across his head. Whereas before he closed an eye to see straight, now he would rather open only one eye to the day. The goblet has been used several times and is stable on a flat area on the back of the rat and with its thin lip it is good to drink from. The fact that it does not have as large a base as a normal glass means that it would not be suitable for a boisterous party but may survive a restrained orgy, perhaps. I would really like to make a set of these, either with stands or attached bases for proper use. I have a few good ideas for the interiors too, so I look forward to taking a commission for these, people. - signed , of course. At this moment the drinking horn is upside down, its owner , no doubt, resolving never to repeat the experience .