Sculpture Sustained Investigation #1

This was the first in a series of five sustained sculptural investigations. For these five projects I have chosen to focus on endangered birds. I have always loved birds and I personally don't think that endangered birds get the attention and recognition they deserve. This specific bird shown in the photos above is a Lear's Macaw. They live in Brazil and there are just over 1,000 individuals left in the wild. It population has been showing some signs of improvement because its conservation status is now endangered whereas before it was critically endangered.

The material I used to make the bird is sculpy. I used several different colors and then added highlights and shadows using acrylic paint. I wanted it to look more realistic than it would if it was just the solid colors of the sculpy. There is also a small piece of wood from a toothpick in one of the wings to keep it upright.

This project was an interesting experience for me. I don't often work with sculpy and this came out better than I thought it would. When I took it out of the oven the bird fell over and broke apart but I think I was able to glue it back together sufficiently enough. Overall, I'm pleased with this first project.