Twilight Tea Party
Jenny Dowd
Have you ever wondered what happens at twilight in the woods? What if all the creatures come together for a cup of tea during the twilight shift change? Some have finished a day of foraging and are about to snuggle in for the night while others are just waking up and preparing for a night of hunting.
This question popped into my head when I saw the prompt for the upcoming exhibition and silent auction gala at ART 321 in Casper, WY: Secret Garden - Twilight in the Woodland
Here’s the story of how the predators and prey of the forest came together for tea in my shadowbox…
This started out as a sketch made to fit within a frame I already had. Then I cut up the sketch so I could lay it out as I sculpted everything out of porcelain. The animals are flat while the tree stump and teapot are a little more round.
After the bisque firing I drew details on the animals and trees with underglaze pencil and fired it again. And then of course I had to remake the tall tree after not making the edge square so it would fit snugly in the frame.
All the parts were glued together with epoxy, I wanted them to pop out a little from the background so they could cast a shadow.
The tree didn’t quite reach the top of the frame and it just needed something to make the composition softer and more complete. So I drew leaves on stiff pieces of watercolor paper, cut the edges out and attached them inside the top of the frame so they are in layers. The background needed to be soft as well, not too dark, not too light, and not busy. I ended up with an ink wash of lines, but there were are few variations before.
Everything in place! Glued in with epoxy and ready to sit on a table or hang on a wall. All the critters are ready for their tea break. Squirrel and mouse on the top branch, bird just below, spider is hanging in a hollow, hedgehog is tucked into the tree roots, and owl is flying in, fashionably late as usual!
This piece was shipped to ART 321 in Casper, WY for the Secret Garden exhibition from April 3 - 26th. The opening reception is April 3rd at 5:30 and will be part of the silent auction that concludes during the Secret Garden Gala event on April 26th.
I really enjoyed making this piece and have so many more ideas. Some with paper and some with clay and paper like this one. So stay tuned, more to come!