Melissa Manley |
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description
Using iron wire and sausage casings we will metaphorically lift log, leaf and stone to uncover the minibeasts deep in our creative unconscious. If you love creepy crawlies and don’t mind working with hog gut, this is just the type of trailblazing you’ll love. If you have experience with wire all the better, but if not, don’t be intimidated! Beginners welcome! We’ll have you forming and twisting wire in no time. Will your insects be whimsical, somewhat realistic or complete fabrications? We’ll cover our wire creations with natural hog sausage casing. It dries to a taut, translucent skin and can be colored or written on! So if you think you have the guts come make funky BUGS with us!
Class Insecta
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bio
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supply list
- Variety of jeweler’s pliers and cutters for forming and cutting wire- available at hobby stores like AC Moore, Michaels & the hobby section of Walmart. You will want some with small tips, and maybe one with serrated jaws.
- Tweezers
- Scissors
- Plastic tub- large yogurt container size for water at your workstation
- Colored wire -if you want to try that instead of the iron/steel that I will bring. It rusts, but that’s what I like!
- Beads for eyes
- Sketches/diagrams of insects for inspiration. I’ll have some too (remember we are working with wire in a limited time frame so don’t get to caught up in detail)
- Any actual bug specimens you might want for reference
- You may want to pin your insects into a specimen box. If so you’ll need whatever stuff you want to do that. I have seen some cool specimen type boxes at hobby stores. My bugs ended up too big, so they just sit on the table. Its up to you.
- Also you’ll need a box to get your bug(s) home!
- Inks or concentrated watercolor, or dye for coloring your insect. Peerless watercolors are cool too! http://www.peerlesscolor.com/products.htm
- Palette or container for working with ink (if you need it)
- Brush for applying ink
- Needle and thread if your insect needs “hairs”
- Porcupine quills might make great stingers (if that’s your thing)
- Gloves if you want
- Covering for your clothes (if you worry about being messy with ink)
- Also, if you are a wire whiz and want to bring preformed wire bug parts and to have more time to just play with covering and/or coloring them, by all means do it!
- To get inspired check out: www.melissamanleystudios.com/artfeststudents
Melissa Manley lives and works in southeastern North Carolina a few miles from Wrightsville Bch. She received her BA in studio arts from University of NC at Wilmington in the 80’s. Many years later, she went back to grad school, earning her MFA in Metal Design at East Carolina University in 2006. Melissa teaches metals at Cape Fear Community College in Wilmington. Teaching and making, keeping up with her teenage musician daughter Meredith, and her professional kayak guru and partner Robert Smith keeps her VERY busy! To see what she’s up to, Melissa’s blog: http://melissamanleystudios.blogspot.com/
