This piece was hand-built and carved from slabs of clay wrapped around a form that I made of wood and paper. I fired it and used multiple glazes and then re-fired. At first, I envisioned a whimsical woman with a big hat that had flowers all over and then this serious woman appeared. I removed many of the other flowers and stuck to the magnolia itself. It seemed "right" and fit the contest better anyway. Oddly enough, this often happens to me. I start in one direction and it transforms almost completely by the end.