Want to see realistic clay sculptures of your favorite celebrities? Mike K Viner is here to show you!
Mike K Viner — known for his clay sculptures — caught the attention of many Hollywood A-list celebrities over the years, including Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Christopher Lloyd who famously played Dr. Emmett Brown in “Back To The Future.” He took some time to speak to us about his craft and where his inspiration derives from.
His first encounter with polymer clay was early in his childhood. Viner, who is based in Israel, had a neighbor who was a miniaturist artist that often made detailed miniature sculptures of Napoleon soldiers. That was the moment when Viner fell in love with the clay material and all the properties of the clay that enabled him to mold chunks into detailed pieces.
One of the perks of working with clay, as he described to us was the fact that clay allows you to take your time due to everlasting softness of the material. He mentioned “… it stays in just the same soft condition as long as you need, so my personal hatred to being in hurry does not bother me any longer.” Since his specialty is to make realistic-looking figures, not having a time limit on the clay hardening is something he finds beneficial.
Viner’s inspirations stems from different resources. He first mentioned his love for good cinema and the movie stars featured in those films. As you check out the slideshow below, you will definitely notice some major Hollywood stars and athletes — Elijah Wood as Frodo in “Lord of the Rings,” Morgan Freeman from “Shawshank Redemption,” Jack Nicholson, the King of Rock and Roll Elvis Presley, boxing legend Muhammad Ali, basketball legend Kobe Bryant, just to name a few.
Another inspiration he brought up was his fascination with the human face. He described it as, “I never stop wondering how capable they are of expressing a great variety of feelings and thoughts, and so the faces themselves have always inspired me to catch that particular look, slightest grimace making each of them so individual and unique.”
For more information on his work, make sure to check out his Instagram and site!
