Well I have some time this morning to update all my fans. All two of you... :-)
So spent most of the summer at the cabin doing some work. Had to replace the back deck since it was rotting and getting dangerous.
It came out rather nice. New steps were a big hit for my Mother-in-law Betty, who at 92 needs all the help she can when it comes to stairs.
After that I started back on my moose head made out of birch bark sculpture for the cabin. After all the tests with the paper folding idea templates I found that birch bark does not work like real paper and trying to line up all the tabs was insane since there were over 1000 of them. Tossed that idea finally.
So start over for the third time.
I decided that if I had a form I could use to wrap the birch bark around then I might have a much better chance. If it worked then I could do many of them. Decided to do a blank with some left over blue foam board left over from a cabin project. Did some research and found that 3M Super 77 spray glue works with foam. So off we go!
Made a heck of a mess but it worked out.
Then I got my hot glue gun out and started applying the bark.
Had to take a trip to Berlin Germany so brought it back home with us and I started up again in my studio at home. I added more bark knowing that I had to cut out the foam blank. Once I had enough bark together to hold the shape I cut the bark from the top of the form to the middle of the head and popped out the blue foam blank. Was sweating bullets but it worked out just great. the blank form is now ready for deer head number 2.
The antlers were fun to figure out how to do but with some coat hanger wire...
Showed the following picture to a total stranger at a print show opening that I was in and she exclaimed "Oh! A pig deer!!"
Dang... next day I did a deer rhinoplasty and she was right this looks much more natural.
Then I did some follow up work and then did two coats of polyacrylic and it darkened it up and also added some stability to the antlers.
Of to the annual Rochester Contemporary Art Center Members show it goes.
Then on opening night I found out I won the "WOW" award. Gosh.....
So spent most of the summer at the cabin doing some work. Had to replace the back deck since it was rotting and getting dangerous.
It came out rather nice. New steps were a big hit for my Mother-in-law Betty, who at 92 needs all the help she can when it comes to stairs.
After that I started back on my moose head made out of birch bark sculpture for the cabin. After all the tests with the paper folding idea templates I found that birch bark does not work like real paper and trying to line up all the tabs was insane since there were over 1000 of them. Tossed that idea finally.
So start over for the third time.
I decided that if I had a form I could use to wrap the birch bark around then I might have a much better chance. If it worked then I could do many of them. Decided to do a blank with some left over blue foam board left over from a cabin project. Did some research and found that 3M Super 77 spray glue works with foam. So off we go!
Made a heck of a mess but it worked out.
Then I got my hot glue gun out and started applying the bark.
Had to take a trip to Berlin Germany so brought it back home with us and I started up again in my studio at home. I added more bark knowing that I had to cut out the foam blank. Once I had enough bark together to hold the shape I cut the bark from the top of the form to the middle of the head and popped out the blue foam blank. Was sweating bullets but it worked out just great. the blank form is now ready for deer head number 2.
The antlers were fun to figure out how to do but with some coat hanger wire...
Showed the following picture to a total stranger at a print show opening that I was in and she exclaimed "Oh! A pig deer!!"
Dang... next day I did a deer rhinoplasty and she was right this looks much more natural.
 |
| Before |
 |
| After |
Of to the annual Rochester Contemporary Art Center Members show it goes.
Then on opening night I found out I won the "WOW" award. Gosh.....
 |
| Me on the far left with all the other award winners from that night |
