Turquoise Cow Skull

This week, I painted a cow skull using my turquoise painting technique. This was a fun challenge. Painting a 3 dimensional object, like a real bone animal skull, is a lot different than painting a flat canvas. There are so many nooks and crannies on a cow skull.

Tom found a box of skulls that had been stored away for years.  This is Colorado, after all, and I assume everyone has cow skull and deer skulls in their storage units. What to do with them? I suggested pitching them. Tom decided to give them a good cleaning, then asked me if I would paint them.

The first one I painted was a massive cow skull. First, I gave it a good coating of gesso on all the surfaces I could reach. This step ensures that the turquoise paint will adhere and gave me a white background just like my canvas paintings. Then I used my professional grade, artist acrylics to create the turquoise look.  This cow skull turned out so nice, that we decided to post it for sale in Tom's Etsy store, Tom's Critters.

I think it would look great in a western or southwestern decor. For more photos and info, see this turquoise cow skull and more for sale at Tom's Critters

2007 Colorado - Best of Show Award

My animal skull sculpture, "Battle Cry", won the
"Best of Show" Award, at the 2007 Colorado Show in La Veta.

This show was juried by artist Albert Anderson Clymer, who gave a
painting demonstration before the show opening. His art works have not
only drawn rave reviews, but have also earned him inclusion in the
prestigious Who’s Who in American Art and Men of Achievement.
Clymer’s art has catapulted into prominence through Paul Gillette’s
book The Single Man’s Indispensable Guide listing him as one of the
top three artists in America today. Here is a link to his bio. Al
Clymer bio. Thank you, Al.

 

"Speedy"Contemporary Art Sculpture, Winner!

My contemporary art sculpture, Speedy, won the People's Choice award, at the SPACe Gallery, Mixed Media Show. I am so excited! What a fun evening, meeting everyone.
3 of my paintings and my Speedy sculpture can be at the SPACe Gallery, in La Veta, Colorado, till June.

Here is the link to the show: SPACe Gallery - Mixed Media Show.

Details of Speedy, can be seen on my website: In Art Studio - Speedy Sculpture

SPACe Gallery - Mixed Media Art Show

I'm in my first show in La Veta, Colorado. Very exciting! The gallery has posted pictures on their website. Those of you familiar with my work, will find it easy to pick out. (The turquoise tetragonal is one of my 4 pieces) I also took my skull sculpture, Speedy. He made quite a hit.
Here is the link: http://www.spanishpeaksarts.org/2007_shows_events/mixed_media_07.htm

My little 8x8" paintings are selling very quickly. I have run out of 8" canvases and am waiting for an order. In the meantime, I am painting some in the 12x12" size. Should have a few ready to list by Wednesday.

New Sculpture - "Harley" The Biker

Another new sculpture just finished. "Harley" is a biker. He is bad to the bone, with his custom flame paint job. He wears a black leather Do-rag and sports a gold earring. He is so fun, I love the way he turned out. I wanted him to be free standing and viewable from all sides, so I mounted him firmly to a base. He is finished on all sides, so he looks great from every angle.
To see details and pictures of "Harley" see the link below


"Harley" Free standing Sculpture Size: 15" tall x 12" wide x 21" long

New Sculpture - "Speedy"

Some friends were over and we started talking about my sculptures. I'm not sure if it was Jim or Cindy that started the idea rolling, but the idea just took off. Each of us making more funny suggestions. So the credit for the idea of "Speedy" was a group effort. I got so excited over the design that I put my present sculpture on hold to start him.
"Speedy" is an adrenaline junkie. That tongue is outrageous! And his lips and eyes are flapping in the wind. He wears special custom made goggles and a funny hat with ear flaps. Of course he goes nowhere without his race flag scarf. He is so fun, I love the way he turned out.

"Speedy" Free standing SculptureSize: 16" tall x 15" wide x 29" long

The Making of "Battle Cry"

First comes a trip to the "Bone Yard" as I call it. I live on a ranch, and any animal carcasses are dumped in a corner of one of the fields. My problem is matching up and identifying the bones. There are so many of them, and all sizes and kinds. Pretty gruesome. My first visit, gave me the creeps. But I'm getting used to it, and now I find it interesting. I pretend I'm in a CSI episode.

I try to select a skull that is relatively clean and intact. The word "clean" means little, to no nasty bits or bugs. I cart all this home for a through scrubbing and closer inspection. Once scrubbed with disinfectant soap and hot water, the skull is ready to be glued and sealed. I glue any loose joints and always the teeth. Then the whole thing is sealed. I found from experimentation, that this keeps the joints from spreading when exposed to the heat of baking.

The skull, clean and glued and ready for sealing. This is a huge skull. I'm pretty sure it was a yak (Tibetan bison)

Did I mention baking? You have to have a nice large oven for this project. I use polymer clay for the sculpting. It requires baking at 265 degrees F for 30 minutes to cure. Since my only oven is in the kitchen, this is truly a test of one's love of their art. There is a horrid smell produced when baking an animal skull. I was in the middle of my first sculpture, "Father Time", when I had a date over to pick me up for dinner. Might as well let the guy in on my little secret early on in the relationship. Well, to make a long story short, he never called again. Just proves he wasn't the perfect man for me. But I digress.

Once everything is nicely sealed, creating the armature begins. I use all kinds of wire sizes, depending on what the situation calls for. Mostly aluminum and galvanized steel wire, for their non-rusting properties. The skull provides many natural holes for inserting wire, but I always have to drill a few extra holes. With the first sculpture, I made the mistake of wiring the jaw assembly
to the head too soon. With the mouth wide open, I had a hard time fitting the whole thing into the oven. I've learned that the jaw should be attached, only after all the baking and painting is completed. This is the completed armature, ready for clay. The head is not attached, just propped up for visual effect. He's starting to look interesting, huh?

This skull is heavy and huge! Barely fits in the oven. His tongue looks like a giant jalapeno pepper. The color of clay I used was whatever was plentiful, looks silly in orange and green, but it all gets painted.

Applying the clay is the tricky part. The clay needs to be seamless. I roll out large pieces with the pasta machine, and then join them by rolling together between 2 pieces of wax paper. Then I drape and smooth the clay over the armature, trimming any excess as I go. The first bake is never perfect. That's OK because I know I can go back and sand off any lumps and add more clay where needed. This process repeats until I am satisfied.

Once I'm happy with the clay, the whole thing is given multiple coats of gesso, and then I make the stand. And he's ready to stand on his own. The lower jaw is still not attached. Makes it easier to paint the underside.

The painting is now well under way. Notice how he's now residing on the kitchen table? He has become too tall to work on comfortably on my workbench. Lovely kitchen decor I think. And the teasing comments from my friends, "Are we having teradactyl for dinner tonight?"

I decide that the feathers need to be detachable, and build a separate armature to hold them. This armature is painted to match and attaches to the back of the scull with 4 tiny screws. I also decided the base was too tall, and cut 5 inches off the bottom of the 2x2.

Well "Battle Cry" is finished, and I'm excited to start the next sculpture, "Speedy." He will be fun and comical. Why am I creating these sculptures? Good question. They really challenge my design abilities, and I love a good challenge. Each sculpture is unique, with new design problems to solve. I have conquered the "gross out" factor, and no longer have that queasy feeling in my stomach. I've learned a lot about bones, and now view them as fascinating material to work with. And maybe in the end, I am somehow honoring the animal by giving it a second life.

Wild New Sculpture, "Father Time"

We have all seen "Father Time" represented as an kindly, old man with a long beard. My version of "Father Time" is not so gentle and kind looking. I wanted to illustrate time in relation to space. Time as infinity, yet time as short, with teeth. Wake up! Get going, before time bites you in the ass!

"Father Time" was a huge stretch for my design skills. More than once, I thought about giving up and working on something less challenging. I'm glad I didn't, I love the way he turned out. The whole concept started with an old rusty clock mechanism. I wanted to find a way to incorporate it into a sculpture. Then I found an old skull in a creek bed, and the finished sculpture sprang into my mind. I saw it completely painted and assembled in my imagination. But taking an idea from concept to completion is another thing. How in the world could I make this work? The jaw bone was only half there. I had to sculpt the other half, and the eyes, nose, teeth and that wild tongue! I wanted him to be free standing and viewable from all sides, so I had to mount him firmly to a base I made. Then the task of painting began. I used images from the Hubble Space Telescope. There are galaxies, planets, nebulas and stars. And an image of a clock sliding down his throat, representing time sliding into a black hole in space. He is finished on all sides, so he looks great from every angle.

This sculpture was so much fun, that I've started another one. Just how far can I take this whole concept? Just wait and see.

"Father Time" Free standing Sculpture
Size: 27" tall x 9" wide x 17" long