Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Seahorse


Seahorses are some of my favorite creatures, they rate right up there with unicorns. Except unicorns are fictional and seahorses are real. But somehow seahorses seem fictional to my mind's eye. Perhaps that's why I am so drawn to them. They're so fragile and innocent looking.


Several months ago I saw this ad in a magazine for a seahorse bath towel and I was immediately drawn to the picture. So I clipped it out to place in my journal in hopes of making a piece in clay. Last week I noticed Tracey posted about an iron seahorse she found at a flea market and it reminded me of the seahorse I wanted to make. So today I made this seahorse wall sculpture; it's about 9 x 12 inches. Now I want to make some more wall sculptures with those fish I saw in the fish tank. So many ideas and so little time.


For this sculpture first I painted the background with several shades of blue slip, then I painted the seagrass strands with several colors. Next I sculpted the seahorse sprig and painted it with slip and then applied it to the background. I wish I had made the seagrass as sprigs to make the piece more dimensional, next time. I might darken the color of the seagrass; they seem lost in comparison to the brightness of the seahorse colors. We're finally getting much needed rain. More than three and half inches yesterday and more today. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

6 comments:

  1. I also find seahorses almost mythical looking. I believe they are asexual, to, in that they don't need a mate to reproduce. Maybe they're secretly the most intelligent life on the planet. :)

    Great idea for your clay.

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  2. wonderful Linda- and they are so special- I find them pretty amazing.

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  3. Hi Teresa, thanks, I think I read the males fertilize the eggs in the water and then they take the egges inside a pouch they have and bring them to birth. We just don't really know who is the most intelligent do we.

    Hi Meredith, thanks, there is amazing stuff all around us, so much to be thankful for.

    I have drawing for another seahorse this morning with a more stylized modern water and seagrass behind the seahorse and I like it, better I think. Picture water from the sailboat below behind the seahorse.

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  4. haha! I have another photo on my desktop that I was going to post on my blog, guess what? a seahorse! I have a friend that calls this heightened awareness, love that phrase. I have been seeing a lot of seahorses lately, I wonder what has made me more aware of them? I'm sure I see them all the time and have just started paying attention to them. Love your tile! I made a mold last week of one and am making ornaments for Christmas, so far so good!

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  5. I love seahorses. They are so cute and eat like vacuum cleaners.

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  6. Hi Tracey, thanks, yes this is heightened awareness of seahorses, the most wonderful creatures. I hope your mold work out, these little guys are so cool.

    Hi Patti, thanks, eat like vacuum cleaners, yeah, bring them to my house, ha.

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