Naomi Rivkis's review

For Sara E. Lynch

• Oct 20th 2018

I was the original customer for the Little Ganesha statue. Years later, and after several moves, we couldn't find my Ganesha, so I asked Sara to make me a new one. In the meantime, I'd bought a different god statue from her -- the Hawaiian goddess Pele -- so Sara suggested making the new Ganesha statue in the same raw red clay that the Pele used, so they would go together. That way, if I ever find the little white Ganesha, the three of them will make visual sense as a group, with the new Ganesha holding the other two together.

This kind of thoughtful design decision is one of the reasons I keep coming back to Sara. She is so good at thinking out the details that I rarely have to make specific requests; I tell her what I want to make, and she handles the rest. She researched Ganesha on her own and discovered that he's typically portrayed as having only one tusk, so she asked if I wanted her to break one off on purpose, to fit the tradition. She originated all the decisions about what he's holding in his four hands, or what images and designs are all over him in the blue and gold, after looking up traditions surrounding the god. I've always been kept in the loop about what she's come up with, and asked for my input if I want to give it, but almost always I'm best off going with what Sara suggests, because the sculptures consistently come out perfectly that way.

Sara's prices are not low, and they shouldn't be, given the quality of her work. But I've never found them unreasonable. Her treasures are packed with the kind of care necessary to protect them; I've ordered three complex ceramic sculptures from her by now and never had them arrive chipped or broken. I don't have a serious objection anywhere... perhaps things might arrive more consistently on time, but she's never more than slightly late, and I'd rather, with this kind of special treasure, she ships "only mostly on time" than "only mostly perfect." And I've never had a single complaint about the work itself, after three separate projects. I will definitely be back to order more from Sara, when I need a new god for my collection.