chinese boxer

One of my favorite figures ever, both in terms of sculpture and the work, this figure is what today we call "vintage". It was sculpted by Mike Good some time in the early eighties (?) and I had searched high and low for it for literally 15 years after seeing the one example done by Mike of it in a book about figures. It finally popped up on eBay a few years ago and I paid a tidy sum for it - the seller had an early casting of it that was "signed and numbered" by Mike himself. I was dubious, because that doesn't happen much, but I simply asked Mike and he acknowledged the early casting and told me the story behind the piece.

This was experimentation all the way. I experimented in casting my first item in resin - the Chinese pedestal next to the figure- from a marble ink stamp my in Laws bought in China. And more importantly I experimented in the painting. I wanted to paint in actual shadows with very strong contrast. If you look  closely at the photos below, you'll see that the areas of shadow in his face are very dark, under his tunic and in the fold of his pants are also and take a look at the in progress shots of the base, you'll see the shadows on the ground painted in.

Overall truly a joy to paint, and one of the most expressive figures I've ever seen, Mike did an incredible job sculpting this piece and it frankly reinforced my passion for these "older" figures that are every bit as good if not better than castings today.

The Boxer has won numerous gold awards at every show he was entered in.