Starfish Lullaby

For the first time, I've made a sculpture without an actual story in mind. I picked up this smooth granite stone off rocky Rye Beach in New Hampshire. I saw a starfish. I saw a mermaid. I brought the rock home to let the story create itself. Well! It worked somewhat; the sculpture came out easily enough from my imagination... but the story still remains at large.

This adorable mermaid is indeed tuckered out. She sleeps snugly under the cozy arm of a starfish. However, why is she doing this? Something tells me there's a friendship story in this little sculpture. Perhaps this is a good contest question.

I'm looking forward to another trip out to the rocky Atlantic coast so I can take pictures of the pair in their 'natural environment'. Nothing beats a natural setting. As I only completed this sculpture today, I had to make due with white paper and a light box.

Her glass bead belt and her sparkling tail are best viewed in person. You should all come to Wilton, NH to see her. :)

The starfish came first. I blended 3 colors and 2 brands of polymer clay to get the right color, shine and strength that I wanted. I used an eye dropper tip to impress all of those little bumps which are common on starfish of the NH coast.

The mermaid was just plain fun. Unlike the 'Captive Mermaid' and 'Shell Maiden' sculptures I created before her, she has wing like fins shooting from her back. Her copious blue hair shimmers with silver specks of light and it unfortunately hides her awesome shoulder fins. But, the beauty of art dolls is that you can move her hair and style her hair to reveal her lovely shoulders. :)

Is it just me or does the Captive Mermaid look... happier? o.O

If I can't grow flowers, I'll make 'em! (Or make faeries for them)

I like little ole Milford and the apartment my father and I have lived in for the past 11 years. However, living in a second story flat has its downside.... no garden!! Granted, my balcony looks like the Hanging Gardens of Babylon every summer thanks to my ambitious green thumb, but for years I've dreamed of having my own, real, in the earth garden. I even doodled sketches last year in hopes that I might secure a little plot somewhere. If Milford has a community garden, it's well hidden. I finally put two and two together today when I was drawn yet again to silk flowers in the craft store.

For those who know my work, you know I'm creating an OOAK fantasy flower line ('ooak flower spirit' to be precise). This came about when I fell in love with some awesome blue tiger lilies at Michaels Crafts floral department. With a tag saying 50% off the hefty priced flowers, I bought myself a new inspiration! You may recognize this little gem of a sculpture from my Etsy shop (listing here) or one of the dozen treasuries she's been in. (Thank you etsy curators! You all rock!)

I loved making her and just had to keep going. With another idea planted in my head, I created this next lovely; a fantasy style orchid. I improved a little I think. The only parts of her that are not polymer are her leaves and the terracotta pot she graces. She found a perfect home. :3

I have so many ideas for flowers now that my imagination is like a stuffy greenhouse. Everything from elegant and intricate to comical and cartoonish all stuffed in that little nut I call my mind. Check out my Dandelion ... get it? Dandy-Lion? Ok, so it looks a little more like a puppy in a lion's mane. I plan to keep the idea but rework the face.

Then I drifted back to that darned floral department. I just finished my Captive Mermaid and wanted to get back to practicing my faeries. But another flower! And there's still snow on the ground! Another flower wouldn't be a bad thing, I convinced myself, much influenced by the new 60% off sale (those sales kill me!). I bought a big lavender colored bloom. I'm not sure if it's fashioned after a real flower. It sat in the studio with me for a while and I was torn between using it to create a new flower or making a baby to sleep in it. Well... here's the winning idea. This adorable baby is a lot like my adult faeries - all hand sculpted without the use of molds. The wings are hand made too.

And of course, the big flower was just too soft and inviting not to have a faery baby snuggling on it!