(Update 2: September 8th, 2018 – The Greenman won a first place ribbon and BEST OF SHOW at the Utah State Fair in the Creative Arts Amateur Category!!! I’m thrilled! My other piece, “The Fighter” was awarded a first place ribbon as well!)
(Update August 11, 2018 – I entered this piece along with “The Fighter” in our local county fair. I am happy to say that “The Green Man was the grand prize winner in the Fine Arts (FA) Sculpture category! I am thrilled!)
The Green Man is typically a sculpture of a face made from or surrounded by leaves. This image can be found on buildings and churches reaching far back into history. Images of the Green Man can be found as far back as 420 BCE in the form of a leaf-clad statue of Dionysus. Although not specifically pagan, the image and sculptures are often associated with pagan culture.
My inspiration for sculpting a Green Man comes from my wife’s garden. She is an avid gardener and definitely has a green thumb. I decided she needed a Green Man to look over and protect her garden from any evils that may lurk in the shadows and want to do her beautiful plants harm.
I started this one by gluing a half sphere of foam to a board and then sculpted the image using oil-based clay. Once I was happy with the image, I created a silicone mold of the sculpt and layered that with a mother mold to support the silicone.
I cast this in Rondo. A mixture of Bondo and fiberglass resin as it has to stand up to the elements. I finished it in sandstone textured paint with a matte sealant.
After the texture paint cured, I added an antique brown layer to make the texture pop. I cast a cement version of this to plant in the garden as this one now hangs in our entryway to greet visitors as they come in the front door!
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