Underwater Work Bench...

I've been hard at work making all kinds of things!  Here's a few of the goodies I've been cooking up!

I've been surrounded by mermaids at the shop and have been thinking about them a lot lately.  I carved this Mermaid Stone bead last week and poured a few more in resin.  CLICK HERE to see the original.  This is my first batch.  I ended up going a little wild with the colors and I think for the second batch, I'll do a solid color with a few light washes on top.  We'll see!

While I was painting the others, I carved this other mermaid.  It'll eventually be a pendant/ornament.  I had some problems with the first few attempts at molding, but I think I worked out the kinks.  Over the next few days, I'll be working on drilling holes and painting them.

While this isn't a mermaid, the inspiration is from something originally from the ocean.  When I was in school, I studied a lot about different symbols in art.  I loved how artists were able to hide secret messages in plain sight.  The idea for the faux coral came from Renaissance paintings.  You'll usually see it depicted in paintings dangling over the heads of children or sewn to their clothing.  It was thought that the coral branches would protect children from harm.

I made them by shaping wire and building an armature and then covering the pieces in polymer clay. I've had them sitting around the studio for a few years, so I finally took the opportunity to paint them and coat them in resin to give them a high-gloss shine!  I envision hanging them from a mobile, maybe with pieces of driftwood, sea glass, and air plants.  I think they'll make really interesting cast shadows and will be a POP of color!