Snuggle Bunnies

This is actually a piece that I had sitting around for quite some time trying to decide the constant question of...is this art or is it just cutesy.


top view of bunnies

front view of bunnies

I decided that some people might like cute and not have an attitude about the controversy.

A few summers ago I found a tiny bunny in my back yard and knew instantly that I had to do a piece involving rabbits.

I was quickly reminded of a time long ago when our family collie used to bring up little baby rabbits in her mouth very gently depositing them on the steps. She was a natural mother and did not realize that they would die being almost hairless at that time.



shows wax of bunnies

This was like a lot of my pieces, it was an act of love and went very quickly and lesson learned is to trust your instinct on what will be attractive to patrons and what will not.  It has done rather well even though it has not been on the market but a few months and many patrons have even picked their own patina which makes it even more personal for them.

Snuggle Bunnies Ed 5/15

traditional patina

showing without the base which could be an option for patron

my favorite

This shows the unmolded wax ready to be sprued and poured at the foundry. This is also a good view of the wax piece and the mold I had just taken it out of which would also show the high ridges that are in the negative (mold) which you have to deal with when pouring.  You pour the first time with 200 degrees to pick up detail and then thereafter you get cooler and cooler until you actually have to spoon pour the edge of the ridge to get it to adhere. Just remember you do not want your wax too thick 1/8th of an inch is fine....about 3 or four pours.

This also shows the versatility of the patina and the change in the affect. There is such a difference in the opaque and the translucent patina.  My favorite is the last Snuggle Bunnies in the close up.  This just goes to show that you can not only produce cute art but you can enjoy and have fun with it also.

Moose, moose, only a mother could love!

I have been working hard on finishing a moose and doing the research on this animal was just as much fun as doing the actual clay work.

desktop armature for Moose

This is the armature I have chosen for the piece I am currently working on, as you can see I have surrounded myself with not only my own research photograhs but anything I can get my hands on with a moose shown. 

As my son says though you can not take bits and pieces of each you have to decide exactly what season it will be and at what point in time you are depicting. Also with moose they differ so much in each region that you have to be careful not to use the wrong example.You can use your pictures for reference but have to create your own sculpture, otherwise it may look as though you have taken pieces of different puzzles and tried to glue them together.



moose without horns

I first decided that I wanted a mature bull, Alaskan or upper 65th parallel, they are 7 to 8 feet at the shoulder there and the horn formation is quite interesting and can be almost bazarre. I also wanted it to be walking among river rocks which I myself love.

Researching Moose for Piece



This would be a small guy compared to Alaska Moose



Recently in my research to do a moose piece I came across a wonderful book "Moose Behavior, Ecology and Conservation", text by Valerius Geist and photography by Michael H. Francis.

Besides the wonderful photography I found the text so educational that I thought I would pass it along. "A century ago American wildlife was all but gone" "overshadowed by World War I was the birth of North America's continental system of wildlife conservation...wildlife flourished...species once barely alive flourished."

learning to use my Canon digital

"Science was enshrined as a guide to proper public wildlife management".  Thereby entered a unique profession, the wildlife biologist, restoring through intelligent management and for most I have met a passion for the wildlife they conserve. I have had the wonderful pleasure of working with these professionals as a volunteer and have never met a biologist that was not passionate about their work.

Another team to watch in their wonderful photography and reading are Erwin Bauer and wife Peggy, artist or just wildlife lovers have ultimate books to refer or browse through and enjoy

Hopefully any one reading this blog realizes the importance of game management  and continue the legacy begun by our great grand parents. Next time you are buying pesticides or cleaning agents there are numerous new products out there that will not harm our environment or our wildlife and children...leave the legacy in tact.

Thanks to all the wonderful authors that enlighten us and remind us to treat the earth and its wildlife with respect and to also remember John Muir's quote:

"When we tug on a single thing in nature we find it attached to everything else." John Muir