Altered Moment: Grinch and Max

Avery Speas "Grinch and Max"

3x2x6, Clay and Paint, 2025 

When brainstorming ideas for the altered moments artpiece, I saw the figure I had in front of me. It was a boy and his dog. This led me to question who would have a real bond with their puppy. With Christmas time approaching, I came to the conclusion that I should replicate the Grinch with his dog Max. I was particularly inspired by the old 1966 version of the Grinch. I wanted the grinch to be that lime green color so that he stood out. I planned on putting him in his Santa suit and placing the iconic one antler on Max’s head. 

To begin, I primed the whole sculpture white. I did multiple layers so that none of the previous colors could be visible. Once it was covered in white, I looked up the color palettes of the Grinch and Max from the 1966 cartoon so that I could get their fur colors relatively the same as in the cartoon. I then used the green to paint the face and hair. I used a smaller brush to get the details on the hand and I made sure to not get the green in the eyes. After that, I painted the Grinch’s coat and pants red. I then used black to get the shoes the right color and I used black to get Max’s nose black. I then took my white and added fluff to the trim of the coat and pants. I then moved onto Max’s fur, painting it a caramel brown color. I did a darker shade of that by adding black to the original color for the ears. Then, I sculpted the hat for the Grinch and the single antler for Max. After this, they were fired and placed onto the artpiece. I’m not sure if the fire made the color of the Grinch’s skin darker or if it was changed. Ms. Garrity then painted final details like fallen ice cream so that it could be displayed for the band concert. 

This artwork symbolizes Christmas and the bond between two characters. It means having a companion who is there for you; just like how Max is always there for the Grinch. I would say it is about Christmas bringing people together because when the Grinch was isolated and alone during Christmas, he bonded with his dog Max. I want my audience to think about who they bond with in times that they need the most support. I don’t think that there is any symbolic imagery in this artpiece. I think that the most important thing that I want my viewers to take away from this is the bond between two people who are best friends. 

I believe that the most difficult part of this project was getting small details to be painted fully. Some places were hard to reach and I often had to redo the section I was on so that the right color wasn’t accidentally in the wrong spot. I also struggled with getting the shape of both the antler and the hat to be accurate. I had to start over a lot and I had to be very patient so that it would look right. However, I think that I did a good job of fixing my struggles as they were popping up. I’m not positive on what I would change if I had to start the entire project over. It was a pretty simple project with not that much difficulty. If I was to use a different idea than the Grinch and Max, I think that I would have done Charlie Brown and Snoopy because I think that they are funny and are also a really iconic duo. 

This style of art is called Fan Art. This is because I made a nod to the Grinch and Max, who are already Dr. Seuss’s artistic cartoons. I think that it makes it my style because I love recreating people and things that have impacted my life. I love dogs so it is no surprise that I chose a precious moment to redo that includes a dog. I also love Christmas time so I’m also not surprised I made a Grinch and Max altered moment. I love that I can look at it and be reminded of Christmas time. I’ve seen that cartoon a dozen times and it never fails to entertain me. I love that I can display this during Christmas time in my room. The characters are my absolute favorite and it makes me want to watch that cartoon every time I glance at it.