Saturday, February 20, 2010

Silvester and the Cupcake




So - All you folks who read my blog (if any of you are out there) I want to know what story this sculpture inspires for you when you see it. Please comment and tell me why you think he's crying, and what the cupcake has to do with anything. So far I've gotten a few delightful ideas from people who have seen it in person, and I'm curious what everyone here might come up with. Perhaps when I've gotten a few responses I'll write what I had in mind when I drew him up.

13 comments:

Holls said...

Awe, it's almost like he made a special little cupcake for a friend but didn't get invited to the party:(

The tears looks so real! And I'm digging on those socks with the sandals;)

Duygu said...

Silvester is a rare aquatic animal and today it is his birthday. You see, Silvester's species is so special because they can talk and they are known to make human friends. So, Silvester wants to celebrate his birthday with his best friend Tony, who is an old fisherman. Silvester manages to find some human clothes because the humans pollute the waters with all kinds of stuff and if one knows the right fish in the ocean, one can find anything he/she is looking for. Silvester even arranges for a lil' cupcake, in his world, it is OK to get your own cake for your own birthday. Nothing weird about that. He goes to find Tony, only to find out Tony has passed away last night. And that is why Silvester cries a river. What a tragedy, Silvester's kind get to see only one birthday, because an average individual of his kind only lives 22 months.

Very sad story indeed.

emily said...

ok, this sculpture made me so sad!

i look at him and i think that he must have made the cupcake for someone special for their birthday, but when he got there, there was already a huge birthday cake so his special someone didn't appreciate and possibly even mocked his little gift. or maybe his special someone didn't mock it, but certainly someone else did who wanted to make him feel stupid (another suitor of this special someone, perhaps?)...

ladyrach14 said...

Initially, I was thinking the same thing as Emily, but having children, I know better...

He's crying because somebody else blew out his candle, so he didn't get to make his wish. I have seen my children have an absolute melt-down over this very situation. This little guy is handling it with an extreme amount of grace and dignity compared to the drama I have been witness to.

I love the expression, Jon! Especially the little wrinkles at the corner of his right cheek. I can almost see his chin quivering!

Kathy said...

gotta love that perfect droop of the ears, too... I agree that your capture of an emotional moment in this guy's life is awesome!

Brandon May said...

I am saying something blew out the candle before he got to.. awww.. either that or the other thought was someone else's cupcake is way bigger. good stuff doood love looking..

jigawot said...

My original thought was that Sylvester was at school and he got a birthday cupcake with a candle in it. He closed his eyes to make his wish but tragically, when he wasn't looking, someone accidentally sneezed and blew out his candle. When Sylvester opened his eyes to blow out the candle, he noticed it was already extinguished and began to cry when he realized his wish was now un-makable.

Poor Sylvester.

angela said...

He made it all by himself for his mom for her birthday, and she said, "Aw, how nice!" and blew out the candle, and then said, "I don't want to eat it, though, sweety - I'm on a diet."

Sam Nielson said...

Scenario A: Sylvester's birthday gift is his first pet: a live flame that feeds on waxy wicks, placed in its cupcake-like mini-habitat! But like many first pet stories, this one ends with tragedy when he tries to play too rough with it. . .

Scenario B: Sylvester asked for a three-eyed troglundortzin for his eighth bzsootday, but his senseless mother (always behind the times in children's trends) got him some squishy carbon-based edible mound from earth instead. Poor little guy.

Kathy said...

Sam Nielson is amazingly/creatively funny! Loved both scenarios.

Anonymous said...

The first ideas that came to mind for me were that either a bully blew out the candle and told him something mean like he was a wimp or stupid or something to that effect, or that he made the cupcake for someone he cared about and they didn't like it/him so he's crying because he put his heart and soul into this gesture and it wasn't accepted as he anticipated.
Steven said it was either because it is his birthday and no one came to celebrate with him, or because the candle went out and now he has no way of lighting it.
either way it is great! I love the tears (even though their sad) mind telling how you did those?

Shimla Hills said...

Well, for me the story goes like this:
I see a lonely man crying because he lost the love of his life. He is not over her, well who can. today is her birthday and he is celebrating. that tell the story about the cake. and the crying coz he is missing her.

what i think in life we should never forget the one we loved, must keep that person in our heart forever. I know life must go on, it should. one should never hurt oneself. just enjoy the time spent. move on.

Kelly Hoffman said...

How about a cheerful take on it? He is thinking, "For me? Really? I didn't think anyone remembered my birthday."