some kind of artist

The balcony is my work space. Finishing the elephant jump started my desire to do something, so this afternoon I tackled another project that has been on my list for the past six months or so: the deer head. Battling the Texas afternoon sun while overlooking a parking lot, I asked Alex what people must think when they see me hanging out on the balcony working on some weirdo project. "They probably think you're some kind of artist," Alex said. Indeed: I'm some kind of artist. The kind who doesn't get paid or show her work in a gallery, but I enjoy the process.

In case you forgot what our little buck looked like, here's a reminder. I painted the cheesy wood mounting white last week while working on the elephant.

After careful consideration on what to do with this guy, I decided to go with the paper mache thing. The kids and I ripped up back issues of the New York Times magazine, and here is my bag of goodies that got this project started. It turns out that I was a bit over-zealous regarding the number of scraps I would actually need to cover the head, but it's always good to have options.

Here is the work in progress--I was a little surprised that the Mod Podge actually stuck to the deer fur...or whatever it is.

Three hours later my project was complete. I don't think it looks as freaky in real life as it does from the angle in this picture. 

I still need to figure out what to do with the antlers. Something inside of me is still saying to paint them pink, but we'll see. Maybe we should find a wall to hang it on first.