Not quite an eagle

My dear husband wanted to share progress on a bird of his own - chicken BBQ'd on an open can of beer. Delicious!

The Eagle Has Landed

Now that I’m running my fingers along the contours of the actual 3-d sculpture, fresh ideas have surfaced from the depths of my wee but creative brain and I’ve decided to all but abandon the preliminary 2-d sketches.

I’ll remain true to the original concept discussed with my eagle’s sponsor (thank you A&A Contract Customs Brokers!) - themes of nurturing and community. The finished piece will be an expression of the importance of social responsibility and cohesive community in relation to our multicultural youth.

I’m keenly aware of the unique set of challenges I face working with an unpainted sculpture designed and created by someone else; with a purpose to raise money for charity; will often be viewed from long distances and seen for only a few seconds from passing cars. It must engage the imagination of the viewer immediately. It should encourage the viewer to draw closer for a second and third look.

Perhaps I should eat Wheaties for breakfast before I begin painting ...

The Eagle Has Landed

I bought a silicone half-mask yesterday, complete with particle canisters, and began working on the eagle with a soft sanding sponge. I gave it an earnest twice-all-over sanding and will repeat today to get a truly smooth surface. I've been researching images of bald eagles, feathers, beaks, talons, wing structure, etc., and am revved up for interpreting these features on the sculpture in my usual style as soon as the prep work is completed.

The Eagle Has Landed

Here are images of parts of the eagle; the last image shows the texture I have to sand off to create a smooth surface to paint on. I'm going to buy myself a good ventilator mask before I begin sanding; sanding isn't my favourite part of the process, but it's a necessary precursor to the creative part - PAINTING!