Madam Inspector, you leave me with no choice but to throw down the gauntlet: set aside your compunctions and put me to shame with your sculptural talents!

[ He takes up a chisel and offers it--handle first--with a flourish. ]

Any subject will do; follow your artistic bliss.

[ Sholmes gives it 50-50 odds whether she'll rise to the challenge. He's banking on some amount of inherited disdain from her late mentor, combined with stubborn confidence, but the young woman is still very much a wildcard. ]