The initial ear-fungus ready for the mold to be cast, modelled after my own ear. The seams of the mold box are sealed with neon-colored plastic clay bought at the local drugstore.
After over a year of thought and planning, the initial mold was made, and the first experimentsl piece was built and installed in October 2012 during a residency at the Ragdale Foundation in Lake Forest, IL. The weather was humid and drying times were quite long for both plaster and cast paper.
Originally, I had planned for all the works to be sited on dead trees. This location near the studio had the bonus of a similarly-shaped large shelf fungus growing on a downed tree directly in the sight lines.
The next morning, I discovered what a change in light could do for the piece. I was super excited to see this work come to its initial fruition, and loved the way it fit into the landscape.
