Kind of Strange

Just thought I’d post an updated shot of the bone mask.  Still plenty to be done to it, but the overall concept is starting to come together.  It’s actually wearable now, with straps made from thrift store salvage belts, snaps and a bit of wire rigging.

Lazily shot on my hallway carpet.  Surprisingly the cat is nowhere to be found.

I’ve had a request for a larger shot of Late Spring.

While not necessarily a new image, here is the original image in a larger format, which gives a slightly better picture of the detail and overall color.

Behind the cut due to general bandwidth hoggery…

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Two more work-in-progress shots of pieces from the upcoming Naturalist series.

“Late Spring” - Hand painted with bright green, gold, antiqued gold and black.  Detailed shots coming after I finalize the top and coat the center section with some matte poly.

Currently unnamed - a modification on an earlier design. 

With the addition of my foredom, I’m now able to drill through stone!  I had initially purchased some round, pre-drilled stones for use in this series. After trying them out, I found their shape was far too refined and overly symmetrical for the sort of style I’m trying to accomplish.

I’ve been working with a few pieces that will eventually make up a new series in the Order of the Bone line.  Currently called ‘The Naturalist’ line, though that name is not yet set in stone.

Squirrel jawbone, very thin brass wire and some manner of very brittle maroon and black stone.

Still to do:

• Replace chain with soft, beige leather necklace
• Stain small sections of the jawbone on either side
• Possibly add a small brass charm on top of the stone
• Take better pictures with real lighting, rather than the ‘it’s 1am, tired and can’t be bothered with appropriate lighting’ effect 

Working on a few new pieces tonight, one far enough along in the process to share a first look.

The copper spiral will be shaped, hammered and buffed to be a bit more flat before the leaf charm is attached, and the brass wire bits will be wrapped up and sealed.  That was an exercise in patience as the brass wire is one continuous piece, hand threaded and wrapped.

More images to follow as it wraps up.

Also experimenting with more natural materials in other pieces, so more images to follow soon. 

I was asked over the weekend whether or not I ever work in bones other than mink.  The answer is yes, but not often.  The only bones I can tend to find in bulk of the right size outside of mink tend to be bird bones.  If you’ve ever gotten to take a good look at a bird bone, you know that they’re very light and brittle.  They’re designed to fly and thus their bones are hollow and light.  Good for flying, not so good for adornment or re-imagining through hand drilling and reworking.

Occassionally I find a good turkey bone that will work, though they are few and far between as most turkeys have been cooked and/or boiled before I get at them and their bones degraded in the process. 

But it is possible!  Just a considerable amount more tricky to find.

The Navigator here is an example of a turkey bone being used in an OotB piece:

Another shot:

The Navigator will always be a bit more fragile than his mink-based brethren, and will stain a bit more easily (I’ve had a hard enough time trying to keep the varnish where I want it) so I’m hesistant to sell this one off when it’s done without knowing the owner will take good care of it and understand the limitations.  I am rather protective, though I know I need to get a bit better about letting them go on to their new owners.

Another option is putting this one in a display case of some sort.  I like to angle for wearable pieces, but I can entertain the idea of something neat to hang on the wall as well.

Not ready to show the new OotB pieces just yet, but in the meantime I have a few other things to show.

In progress shot of the ‘Happy Fox steals the Moon’ in PMC:

He still needs a bit of work before going into the kiln, but thus far I’m pleased with the results.  The ‘moon’ at his tail is a dichroic glass cabochon and has flecks of purple and blue within it.

More behind the cut…

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The newest set of stained bones, still mostly naked in appearance with naught but stain to adorn them.  Completely dry and ready for tinkering with. 

 More behind the cut….

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The first set of little bones I’ve been working on.  These are works in progress, though fairly well along.  

Image heavy.

Unfortunately my camera needs a bit of work, so both the color and focus are a bit off.  I’ll remedy this soon enough with better lighting and perhaps a borrowed camera, but for now it will suffice.

Fall

Many more behind the cut…

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Work in progress shot of a walking staff I’m working on.

Piece of found driftwood, some manner of horn (not entirely certain, I bought it at a salvage shop unlabled), brass and scraps from some leather salvage.