Plaster work(s) in winter

It is often difficult to heat my work space for short durations in the Winter. I usually swing out of bed early, run out and light the woodstove, return to the house to make coffee, and tentatively approach the studio again in a couple of hours. It also hard to work with water-based materials at this time of year, namely clay. I just removed a clay bust from its mould and found the original a solid block. It was easier to withdraw from the silicon, but I wondered if I'd damaged the whole operation.

Currently I'm working on several plaster figures, building up layers of density in order to start shaving/sculpting the form. They are proving to be images of men and woman who are dressed as kings and queens, but performing some ordinary act or behaviour.