Polymer Clay Fossils?

 My original idea for this piece included the addition of polymer clay fossils as embellishment.  I wish I could audition these on the design wall, but I just have to settle for looking at it on my worktable.

As I contemplate the proportion (will I trim away some from the bottom of this piece?) I must also contemplate the addition of the 3D polymer clay fossils.  I am surprised by how much I like the color variations in the fossils - they kind of complement the colors in the sky.  Not sure they really add anything, though.  For what it's worth - my 7 year old grandson, Airus likes the polymer clay fossils.  Opinions welcome.

Fossils Series #6

After a long break from the studio, I had to get back on track.
Since I was visiting my family in Central Montana, I needed to make a stop at Gallery 16 in Great Falls. Last year this gallery honored me with a solo show. They have continued to market my work, and my stock there was quite depleted.

Fossils #6 is 16 x 20" stretched over stretcher bars.
The pieced fabrics are hand dyed and screen printed,pieced, machine quilted, and embellished with polymer clay hand crafted fossil replicas.

Beneath the Surface

An interview with me is on today's Dinner at Eight Blog.

Curators Jamie Fingal and Leslie Tucker Jenison have been posting daily interviews with each of the 37 artists from the Beneath the Surface Exhibit. The exhibit will debut at the Long Beach Festival this July 23-25, in Long Beach, CA.

Check it out: http://dinnerateightartists.blogspot.com/

Fossil Series - More Details

A few more detail images from a large piece. This has been a fun series. I am sure I will do more with it over time.

Fossils Series - Details

Here are some detail shots from a recent piece. I won't be showing the full view.
At least, not yet.

Fossil Series - Starfish and Trilobites

This piece is 15" square.

Fossil Series - 3 Fish

This piece is 12" square.

Fossil Series 12 Inch Square

Finished piece - 12 inches square.
Hand dyed, screen printed cotton, molded polymer clay fossils, pearl cotton.

Fossil Series - Auditioning Embellishments

I have been working on a 12" square. Now I am auditioning the embellishments.
Once I settle on an arrangement that suits me, I will most likely attach with "The Ultimate" glue, followed by stitching over the top of each embellishment.

All of the fabrics are hand dyed and screen printed. The piece has been free motion quilted.

Fossils Series - Polymer Clay Embellishments

Here are some of the molded fossils I made using my own collection as originals to create the molds. I am quite delighted with the way these have turned out.
Next, I will seal the Pearl Ex pigments in place, and then will rub on a darker shade of acrylic. The darker shade will fill the depressions to emphasize the dimension of these pieces.

Fossil Series - Making Molds

I searched online for interesting fossil specimens to attach to the quilts in this new series.
I was a bit overwhelmed by the price of nice specimens, so I decided to try using the fossils I already have in my collection to create molds so I could make my own embellishments of polymer clay.

I've never done this before, but I did find this mold making clay at Hobby Lobby. I dusted the fossils with corn starch before pressing them into the "Mold Maker" (a Sculpey product).
The molds are baked in the oven for 20 minutes and they come out flexible yet firm.

When molding with polymer clay, I dusted the mold first with these Pearl Ex pigments, which created a nice sheen on the molded pieces, but also helped them release nicely. I'll show my results tomorrow!

Making Faces - Polymer Clay

Since my first doll pin prototype was satisfactory, I decided to make some more faces - I didn't have any more in the correct size.
3 year old grandson, Airus has played with my collection of polymer faces since he was very small. They always interested him, for some reason and he could be entertained for a very long time - just looking at them.

Anyway, he was here one day last week, and this turned out to be something we could do together. Age three seems pretty young for a kid to be so interested in modeling with polymer clay, but he asked me if he could make one - it wasn't my idea.

His paternal grandfather is a professional bronze sculptor, as is his biological father as well as several paternal uncles - all very talented (between them, most of the bronze sculptures in the area have been done by members of the family). No doubt, this is something Airus has in him. He is remarkably skilled with the plastic tools and he loved pulling the formed faces from the mold. He made a lot of colorful faces, while I tried to make mine somewhat flesh toned.

Airus did not want me to bake his faces, preferring them to remain soft and pliable. I suppose he will be recreating them again next time he comes over.

I rubbed some acrylic paints over the surface to emphasize the features. These are now ready for a body!