Firstly, many thanks to all for the comments.
Lance-- Thank you - and so are you, for saying that. LOL.
Dan-- Thank you, man. Your comments mean a great deal to me.
Kam-- Most appreciative, I thank you so very much.
Raptor-- That's an interesting suggestion. I don't know how visible it is in the photos, but the face actually does have a feint serpent motif on it. It's gold paint on gold paint, though, so it's very muted.
Thank you for the comment, very sincerely.
Pluv-- I appreciate that very much, thank you. I will always try to include a few raw pics in each post.
The Gong was indeed meant to be
somewhat ornate, while at the same time, represent the common community of Oasis. So I didn't want to overdo anything to a point where it would become unnecessarily gaudy.
Overall, this piece probably ought to be taken somewhat in context. The Gong is located in a relatively lush part of Oasis (Edengarden), so it is intended to be rather opulent in comparison to some other parts of the village. This is why I opted for the gold accents.
I hope that makes some sense, and thank you again.
bindy-- LOL... Um, no, I tend not to deviate. You've been sniffing the ink in those old Atlantic Reporters, though, haven't you?
Thanks for the comments, dude.
Thanks again, everyone.
JZ