Bones

I just received the go ahead from FMG to blog about my entry to the Swarovski contest. I was uncertain re the rules. After leaving you, dear reader, somewhat curious (I dare to hope…), I now post my entry and my process.
 
Those who have paid attention, ahem, know I have a passing interest in skeletons. Morbid? Maybe. A few years ago I had the fortune to meet a gentleman who had access to plenty of carcasses. All I had to do was clean the bones. (Now I must tell you this is not morbid in the least. Just immensely disgusting. He fished those bones out of a decomposing pit courtesy of a taxidermist.)

All this took place in camp. Not in my Brooklyn apartment…unimaginable.
What can be done with those cleaned remains, just dream!

With this one I took various colors of orange polymer clays, a bit of red. Mixed in embossing powders, mica powders and those sheets of gold. Applied to said skull. Then went to town with Swarovski flatbacks. The poor thing was missing some teeth and the ones she had were gray and cracked. Swarovski double cone implants took care of the missing teeth.

A veneer of acrylics (parchment, warm white and gel medium) and ground glass give brightness and sparkle to the rest.

I had plenty of color left to prepare a presentation stand. Texture is a favorite area of exploration, here and on the skull I used the idea of lichen and moss growth as a design element. What supports it all? A couple of cd discs and a paper tube armature.

Something was still lacking. I started casting about my studio for the right shape, form. Ahh… BlownPolymer baubles!
And the assemblage is complete.

Valerie

forgot to mention...asked my son to name the piece. Tri, Triumphant, Triple...all referring to the two series of three. Then Trifecta hit us both and stuck.