'Centaur': Sculpture Process

I had a day to play with and decided to start in with a centaur sculpture project I've wanted to do for a few months. Thought it might make good blog to do a quick run down of what happened.

10th Century BC Greek
terracotta centaur

7th Century BC Greek vase
painting of centaur

Searched for some images of centaurs to consider the style and content of centaurs through the ages. I've tried to place them in what I guess is a chronological order as dates are not always stated at the source.

530 BC centaur

Looked up the wiki page on centaurs.

Gallenius Apollo centaur with classic bow and arrow.

This constellation depiction seems to
me as bordering on the Renaissance.
Now I understand why I should study
art history....

Notice how the two constellation images
differ? What gives? Guess I'm gonna
have to hit the books again. Help me,
Sky Pilot. You're my only hope.

Centaur with Cupid

Hercules battles with a centuar

Thought the sculpture (above) with Hercules battling a centaur was interesting as he was mentored by Chiron. Then I remember the tale of Hercules defending Pholus' cave against some wine-fueled centaurs gone mad. Later, Chiron inspected one of Hercules' arrows poisoned with Hydra blood, wondering how such a thing could kill a centaur. The arrow slipped from Chiron's hand and cut his foot. The pain was such that Chiron appealed to Zeus for an end to his immortality and release him from the pain of the Hydra's blood. That's the way I remember it, anyway. All next week I'll be reciting Homer's 'The Odyssey' in the shower.

Kind and wise centaur king, Chiron,
mentors Achilles learning the harp.

I like the connection between the bow and the harp. Weapon and musical instrument. Then I tossed my hat into the ring. You can study too much...I've had the centaur with me since a grade school trip to the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) and saw an awesome black bronze centaur.

Centaur sketch 3 months ago.

Centaur gesture painting (5th of 8)
done today.

Threw this 'centaur doodle dandy'
together. It was nice to see something
in 3D. I wrestled with it like Hercules!

'Christ Centaur' reimagining the
centaur now that I see something
as a three dimensional form.

'Winged Centaur' blob. This one
just happened without much thought.
I remember reading at some point
that ancient stories involved a
variety of winged centaurs. Possibly
some connection with pre-Hellenic
King Ixion mating with a cloud, and
so the ability to fly.

Well, it's a start. Gonna leave it stew in my mind for a while. I've just made a 'bear god' with wings, so.... Wings on a centaur?

What would people think?