Young Chunk started as a demo piece back at Open Studios in September 2025. It just happened to be Fat Bear Week at the time, and Chunk was my pick to win (which he did!) 

I was so touched that so many of my Elk Grove High students came to visit me during Open Studios that I decided to make Chunk into a high school student, too. So he got an EG shirt, Birks and socks, a backpack, a cell phone and even some headphones.

It took awhile to finish up sculpting the details, and he’s been through a couple of glaze firings to get everything how I imagined. It’s been 7+ months since he was started until his completion. Overall, he’s been a fun piece to work on. He’s a bit of a departure from my usual imaginary creatures, but he has definitely made me smile. I hope Young Chunk makes you smile, too.