New Haniwa

After an 8 month hiatus, I am have started to work on haniwa again.
For inspiration I’ve been thinking a lot about my childhood memories, of places I’ve been, of people I’ve met, and of music I love. Places I’ve traveled, movies I’ve watched countless times, and books I’ve read have also featured prominently in their creation.
It’s been a challenge to actually break open a bag of clay and to actually start making something, but once I’m doing it I love the process. It’s like that with a lot of things I find, whether it be cooking, exercise, or reading. In my mind, I know it’s going to be fun, but I still need to push myself to actually do it.
Other notes:
I’ve taken the Komainu (guardian dogs) and reinterpreted them. The ungyo and agyo themes seem to work well as octopi.
I think I’ll do a set of Japanese kana characters. Doesn’t it look like he’s saying “O”?
Patterns from kimono, ancient pottery, and other graphic sources make great sources of inspiration for patterning.
It’s kind of nice working only with clay, and not messing with glazes and such. I’d like to start working with wood burning kilns in order to see what kind of effects that I can get by manipulating heat, ash, and clay mixtures.