“dancing crane”
inspiration
Mother Nature has gifted us with so much; with everything, really. Mating rituals of various animals are fascinating. One of the most flamboyant mating dances is that of Japanese cranes. In 2020, I decided to take on the challenge of capturing the movement and grace of the female crane in courtship.
technique
Most of my sculptures begin with the fun of finding photographic references. I printed and posted them on a bulletin board at my work station. Then I began with a wire armature crafted after an image of a crane’s skeleton. I attached the armature to a threaded rod screwed into a wood platform and then began covering her skeleton in aluminum foil. The next step was to create her feathers with polymer clay, which I rolled with a pasta machine into sheets and laid over the foil. I smoothed and sculpted her feathers with a ball sculpting tool. Polymer clay can be worked until it is cured in the oven. I learned a lesson when I put her in my kitchen oven, only to find that she didn’t fit. So I bent her legs into very awkward positions to fit her in. The curing process takes only a few minutes at about 225 degrees Fahrenheit. After curing, the clay is hard to the touch and ready to paint. I used white polymer clay for the body and added the accents of red and black with acrylic paint. This lovely creature manages to dance on one foot while waiting for her future mate.
materials
Wire, polymer clay, acrylic paint
Dimensions for this piece: 18”H x 12”W x 15”D