Inspiration
When my son was twelve, he studied power animals and spirit guides. He was searching for connections in Nature to guide him through life’s adventures. He thought that my spirit animal was the Eagle. “The Eagle,” he said, “is the protector of the space between Earth and Heaven. And you help keep me grounded here on Earth as I make my way through everyday life, but also focused on God, and Heaven, and what is to come later.” That blew me away. Ever since, I’ve been drawn toward the Eagle and eagle themes crop up routinely in my designs, often unwittingly.
This project, Vespucci the Explorer, is a study in creating a snuff bottle in the form of a female juvenile eagle. I aimed for a fairly realistic representation with a touch of whimsey. Her curious nature shows her leaning back as she peruses the sky before setting forth on a new life of discovery and adventure. She is named for Amerigo Vespucci, an Italian merchant, explorer, and navigator from whose name the term “America” is derived.
Techniques
Vespucci was created using Art Clay Sterling Silver. Her eyes are 3mm yellow Cubic Zirconia.
In the design stage, I searched through and studied hundreds of photographs, statues, clip art figures, and real-life experiences with eagles to hone in on a design for Vespucci. My goal was to form a juvenile female eagle full of curiosity, seriousness, and determination. The technical aspects of also creating her as a functioning snuff bottle with a built-in spoon wand was a wonderful challenge.
The main body, neck, and thighs of the eagle were formed as a single hollow unit using cork clay as a burnout material. The cork clay was shaped, dried, and then coated with Elmer’s water-based glue to create a smooth forming surface for the metal clay.
Separate templates were created for the body, tail feathers, and neck fringe. A tube-shaped collar was placed above the neck to provide a uniform seat for the head to rest on the body. Each wing feather was separately formed using whimsical textures, then individually placed on the body in the greenware stage to impart both dimension and a sense of fun and fluff.
Vespucci’s head has both an exterior collar and an interior stopper that were designed to fit neatly over both the outside of her neck and the inside of the collar. The wand was created from a single square metal clay rod that was twisted in the wet clay stage and formed at one end into a tiny spoon shape. The rod was pre-fired and then secured inside the head’s flange. By orienting Vespucci’s head in different orientations, you can change her attitude and perspective. Her eyes and beak were molded and carved to create her unique expression.
Vespucci proudly wears a beaded necklace that is only visible when her head is removed.
Vespucci’s feet and tail feathers are attached to a twig that was found on a walk, molded in two-part silicone, and formed in metal clay. Her feet and forelegs were formed directly on top of the twig using lump-forming, coil-forming, syringe-forming, and sculpting techniques.
The positioning of Vespucci’s body over her feet and tail feathers gives the bottle physical balance while capturing the young eagle’s total focus in her search of the sky. She may look like she is about to fall, but this chick is ready to fly!
After four firings, the project was completed by hand using rotary tools, a flex shaft, manual skills, and sheer determination.
Kudos for the early development of this project go to Holly Ginsberg Gage and her online class, Nefertem Perfume Bottle, which introduced me to some of the key technical concepts incorporated in this piece.
Materials
200 grams Art Clay Sterling Silver
Art Clay Silver Paste (fine silver)
Art Clay Silver Syringe (fine silver)
Two 3mm yellow Cubic Zirconia
Cork Clay (burnout material)
Elmer’s Glue (burnout material)
Found Twig
Two-part Silicone Mold Material
JAX Black Patina followed by Baking Soda Rinse
Pikal Care Metal Polish
About the Artist – Loretta Hackman, USA
Loretta is a metal clay artist, jewelry artist, and instructor working predominantly in metal clay, beading, and wire work. She recently closed her teaching studio in Sugar Land, Texas and will soon open a new studio in Cincinnati, Ohio USA. She has enjoyed working with metal clay since 2002.
Loretta has a twenty-year long devotion to continuing art education… both hers and yours! She is a Senior Certifying Art Clay Instructor with ten metal clay certifications through Art Clay World, Rio Grande, and PMC Connection. She is a “forever” student of numerous metal clay artists, metalsmiths, and art jewelry instructors. Loretta teaches both student-directed one-on-one lessons and small-group skill-based classes. She encourages her students to stretch their goals, skill sets, and art legs. What do you want to learn?
Superbly Sintered: Masterful Designs in Metal Clay celebrated the very best designs from metal clay artists around the world.
22 pieces of exceptional work were chosen by a distinguished jury. The exhibition was shown at the Sinter Conference in Pittsburgh, May 2022
