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About Me and the Creation of the Antler Pendants
Horses have always been my favorite animal and favorite subject when it comes to art. As a very young child in school, my teachers always had to deal with little horse and pony drawings all of my school work. I never did grow out of it! I love miniature painting - there is something about the "tiny-ness" that intrigues me. I have always been fussy about little details, perhaps that has something to do with it. My Antler Discovery My dad is always tinkering with something, from coconuts to cans and everything in between. I thought it a bit odd one day when he gave me a bucket of deer antlers. Why would he give me some of his precious tinkering objects? How very strange indeed, I thought. The bucket sat in my barn for two years - I walked by it several times a day. I never gave that bucket a second thought. One cold, nasty, windy, blustery Northern Michigan winter day I treaded through two feet of freshly fallen snow and into the barn to do chores. I heard the horses nickering as they patiently waited for me, as they did each morning. Then, without warning - that darn bucket - I tripped over it....and the grain I was carrying spilled all over. Snow was blowing into the barn and the cold wet stuff was all over. What an idiot I thought- how could I have tripped over that darn bucket? As I was getting back up off the ground I must admit I was not a very happy camper. So there I was - cold, wet, unhappy with a bad look on my face thinking about the mess I had to clean up. I annoyingly looked around at the antlers that had made their way all over the ground. I noticed for the first time how unique they are. I leaned over and picked one up, examining it. I found its shape and texture to be very intriguing. I wondered what I could do with such a thing.
I decided I wanted to know what the inside of an antler looked like. I always knew what the burrs (bases) looked like as I have seen elk antler buckles, etc. But what about a Whitetail antler? Where they the same? What color where they? I knew they were not hollow - so what excitement could there possibly be inside there.... I was hooked the first time I cut one open. I still remember it - that piece I had first picked up off the ground, staring at it with the snow blowing in the barn door, covering us both in winters fury. I realized that the shape of each and every antler is like a snowflake - so unique they could never be grown the same way twice. And the inside?....Some are plain, yet others have very neat variations of colors and designs. Some of these 'designs' are not even noticed by the average looker - there are often times color variations (such as grays and browns) that create them. Others have natural little holes or dips and still others are perfectly and solidly colored. Thus, pavilionpony antler jewelry was born.
I must admit this is not a clean job. It is in fact, something most people would not even consider doing. Just my style! :) Every pendant goes through a strict process. There is much, much more to creating these than simply cutting a piece off and painting it. First off, not all antler are even worthy of the pendant process. Some are old, pitted and chalky. Others look great, but you don't really know until you see the inside. The choosing process is many times, if not most, by chance of getting good pieces. There are also extreme safety precautions that must be taken - metal cutting blades spinning faster than you can watch are unforgiving on most everything - and this definitely includes fingers. I cannot tell you how many times stray pieces have gone whizzing by at high rates of speed. The sanding process....well....lets just say it helps to be ambidextrous - how I do it would be nearly impossible if I was not. During this process, the antler piece will get extremely HOT. Many times too hot for touch and leaving me with blisters or burns. Picky. I am very, very picky. Each piece is scrutinized before it leaves the sanding area. The fun, yet tedious part of course is the painting. Many of the brushes used have about four hairs......! They have a few more than that, but you get the idea. They are very tiny. When doing custom orders from photos, I take great care in getting markings right - that's what makes each animal so different looking from each other and each pendant so special. Sealing and curing time for each pendant is usually 48 hours.....as you can tell, there is nothing fast about a pendants creation. Funny thing is, I am just as excited with each pendant that I paint now as I was with the very first one, almost twelve years ago! Sometimes, I have to make myself leave them alone. I really enjoy painting them and it is hard to put them down. There are of course, a few others steps that are not mentioned here. After all, I can't give away all my secrets now can I.
I still have that darn bucket. It is blue, with whitetail deer on it. Thanks dad. :)
I am always in search of new ideas and things to try with artwork. If you have any suggestions or are looking for something you just can't seem to find, please email me.
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