'Jenny's Critter' mail holder

Jenny wanted a mail holder, not unlike my ‘armadillo mail holder’.  Except she didn’t want an armadillo.  

So I pulled an exoskeleton from my scrap pile of previously-started-then-aborted projects -- in this case, an attempt at a pea pod using my tack-and-bend technique.  

Fresh from the scrap pile, the pea pod became the underbelly of the new critter.  I added rods here and there, and a fanciful bird-like creature began taking shape.  I was winging the design of this piece -- as opposed to having a drawing or firm image in my head of what I was making.  

Since I throw away very little steel, the nubs and cut-offs from past projects went into the creation of this little guy.  For example, this critter’s eyes are scraps of forged pipe from a recent project.  The beak is also crafted from leftovers.  

Speaking of those eyes, Jenny has this to say about them:  “Oh my goodness! I absolutely love it!!! The eyes! It is so unique!”    

I hope to be uniting Jenny with her critter soon, who measures a compact 7.5” tall x 8.5” long x 6” wide wingspan.

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A neighbor saw this functional sculpture and surmised it would make a good napkin holder.  I couldn’t agree more!  Another observation:  Jenny’s Critter looks very much to me like a Viking ship from the side...not that that has anything to do with anything at all...