Merrimack Valley Artisans | Musings from the Moonroom

I’m happy to share with you today my newest Ornimal ornaments-two new cats and two new dogs.

Before Features are Painted

I use sculptor’s grade polymer clay to create my Ornimal ornaments. Each piece is sculpted one at a time over a glass base. After the clay has been cured (hardened) in a clay dedicated oven, I apply a thin wash of brown acrylic paint over the piece to accent the texture.

I call this the piggy-ghost phase because many of these pieces look like piggies in this first phase. The ghosty part is because the eyes haven’t been painted. The Ornimals really don’t come to life until the all features are added.

Here is what this new group looked like after the wash of paint and before the features were added.

Cat and Dog Ornimals
Acrylic wash
Amy A. Crawley (2012)

And here is how they look after the features are painted on the clay.

New Cat Ornimals

Tuxedo Cat with Mohawk
Amy A. Crawley (2012)

Orange Tiger Cat with Striped Hat
Amy A. Crawley (2012)

New Dog Ornimals

Golden Lab with Cap
Amy A. Crawley (2012)

Chihuahua with Top Hat
Amy A. Crawley (2012)

And here is the whole brood. Who says cats and dogs can’t live together?

New Cat and Dog Ornimals
Amy A. Crawley (2012)

These new Ornimals are 2 3/8″ in diameter (60mm) and approximately 3″ tall.

Art Show This Month

These new Ornimals will be joining me at my first holiday show of the season. You’re all invited to come to the Merrimack Valley Artisans 23rd Annual Art Show & Sale on October 20-21, in Chelmsford, MA. Admission is $3.00. You’ll also have the opportunity to enter a raffle to win select pieces of artwork donated by the artists, including this special Ornimal:

When Pigs Fly…
Amy Crawley (2012)

Merrimack Valley Artisans
23rd Annual Art Show & Sale
October 20-21, 2012

Thanks for stopping by.

Have a great weekend!

I’m in the process of packing artwork for my first show of the holiday season. This weekend I’ll be selling my artwork at the Merrimack Valley Artisans 22nd Annual Art Show & Sale. This is my first show with MVA (formerly the Dunstable Artisans Guild). The show is at the Chelmsford Elks Lodge, 300 Littleton Road, Chelmsford, MA. Show hours are 10-5 each day. Admission is $2.00. If you’re in the area, please stop by!

Ornimals

Accompanying me to the show will be three of my newest Ornimals: a cardinal, a black-capped chickadee, and a puffer fish. These Ornimals are sculpted over 55mm glass ornaments.

The Cardinal

First the Cardinal. I love cardinals. They are such a joy to see at the bird feeder, especially in the winter. I enjoy catching that flash of red against freshly fallen snow. We refer to the pairs of cardinals as “Mr and Mrs C.”

The Chickadee

Chickadees are one of my other favorite birds. Their bird song makes me giggle; “chick-a-dee-dee, chick-a-dee-dee.” I smile when I hear them chirping away as I fill the bird feeder. Sometimes I watch them watching me. They’ll just sit on the branch until I finish filling the feeder.

The Puffer Fish

I’m not sure what draws me to puffer fish. Something about their faces. I always wanted one for our fish tank. But we didn’t have salt water fishies. When “Finding Nemo” came out I loved Pixar’s rendering of the puffer fish, especially when he inflated. I think the puffer fish I used for my interpretation was a brackish water species. Here he is….now affectionately named Yoda.