Making a fairy is a rewarding, yet time-consuming task. Orange Blossom is the first fairy that I have attempted, and despite her birthing pains, I can see more fairies in my future.
Right now she is visiting the Grin Gallery studio in Bedford, Pennsylvania. Bedford is a quaint, historic town that is very arts-friendly. I love how the owner of the studio, Marlaina Pacifico, placed her in this antique lantern. What a great photo backdrop for Orange Blossom!
Making a Fairy
I sculpted her from Premo! Sculpey polymer clay. I used a lot of translucent clay for her body so that she has a soft waxy feel. Wings are gold filigree jewelry findings that I backed with translucent clay. For her house I used a hollow duck egg that my friend and coworker, Mary, was kind enough to share with me. It made a good, sturdy base to hold the wire and foil armature for the mushroom roof. The roof is capped off with a beautiful purple glass bead. Most of the color comes from the polymer itself, but oil paints and alcohol inks give the piece a final hit of color without loosing the waxy glow. Check of the flecks of glitter in her dress and wings!
I originally created Orange Blossom as part of the monthly challenge in my guild, the Polymer Clay Artists Guild Of Etsy. The theme that month was “Fairy Houses.” The challenges are a great way for the member artists to try new things that may be outside of their comfort zone and I can certainly say that participating has done that for me.