The detail that caught me off guard has nothing to do with metal or stone: while the maker was documenting the finished sculpture, a live brown-and-tan patterned snake appeared at the shop door and crawled right across the piece. The maker noted the timing was fitting and figured the visitor was a bull. Whether that guess holds up is one thing I am still curious about.
The build itself is a caged stone piece holding a sculpted bust of a skeletal warrior. The cage is mild steel, worked with an oxy/acetylene torch. The Corinthian-style helmet, complete with a high crest, was sculpted in clay first and then cast in bronze, and the finish mixes a verdigris green patina with metallic brass tones and reddish-orange highlights.
The torso and neck are built from irregular turquoise or light green mineral stones, held together by twisted copper-colored vine structures, and the face is a dark teal or metallic blue skull entwined with sculpted vines of its own. The stone is Bloodstone, and in the Greek myth it stands for what Prometheus did for humanity.
If I had to pick a favorite element, it would be the helmet finish; the layered patina and warm highlights give the bronze a real sense of age. Binding irregular stones into a torso with vine structures seems like a demanding way to work, and the maker made it hold together beautifully.
Project by McCallister Sculpture. Watch it on their YouTube channel: