Bird Lady

'Bird Lady,' 2022, mixed-media

 

Not sure how happy I am about this finished piece. Its something I have wanted to make for a while and typical of those sort of pieces it never works out the way you picture it in your head.

I have been collecting my conures tail feathers for ages and still I didn't have quit enough to cover the cone, opting to finish it with some of the budgie and bourke feathers as well.

I wanted the feathers to stick downwards rather than outwards , like hair. Of course the feathers have also faded with time, loosing their luster. When I fired the cone the original face blew off so I had to use a previously fired face to replace it. This sort of worked out for the better as I then used molted chicken feathers for the crown around the face, the break made the attachment of the feathers easier.

I think it is a piece I will go back and fiddle with, adjust it as Bertie my conure looses her tail feathers in time. See if I can make it look less mangy.

The piece is made up of pit-fired ceramic, sinew, and feathers.