Since our early hunter-gatherer days, we hominids found uses for all that surrounded us, and wasted nothing of our harvests from nature. We used every part of the animal, as its use was intrinsic to our survival. There was no hot glue, no pneumatic nail gun, no solder. Objects had to be made of natural materials there was nothing else! Sinew and membrane from animals contain a natural glue for which early humans found many uses. And we are going to use this to our advantage!
Drop back with us into a primitive time. Search deep within to find your wild-man or your wild-woman, as we make illuminated sculpture using natural sausage casing, or hog gut. It stretches and dries to a glowing, taut, papery consistency. We’ll use this ancient material and add our modern twists. Yes, it’s weird, it’s wild, it’s primordial…. You’ll LOVE IT!
Supply List:
- Wire- a couple of gauges-18ga or 19ga for structure, and 24ga or thinner for accents.
I prefer black iron, uncoated wire often called dark annealed binding wire, or stovepipe wire. Henery’s Do It Best Hardware in Port Townsend usually has it (or they’ll order it and have it there for you when you arrive) This wire rusts! So if you don’t want rust get another type of wire. Whatever you get will slightly show through. Colored wire might be nice!
- Wire working tools -a variety of small pliers and a pair of wire cutters
- Scissors
- Tweezers will come in handy!
- A small container like a yogurt tub for water
- a small lamp- for example; a cord with small bulb that is used in ceramic Christmas houses, nightlight, or a hanging bulb/plug combo for Chinese paper lanterns AND cool burning bulbs are best!
Optional:
- Adirondack alcohol inks or other inks for coloring your creation
- Concentrated watercolor is good for this or Peerless Watercolor papers
peerlesscolor.com/products.htm (The Bell Tower art supply on Water Street in Port Townsend had them last year)
The gut can be written on and glued to! So you might want sharpies or even temporary tattoos, or Lumiere, Golden or other metallic paints
- Clear Krylon matte spray will seal and slow the rusting on the black wire
- A hairdryer to speed drying
- Basket reed and raffia to tie it at joints will make wonderful structures as well, AND it won’t produce rust.
