Back in February I was contacted by F.R.I.E.N.D.S. (Florida Research Institute for Equine Nurturing Development and Safety) to see if I might be interested in helping with a fundraiser they are having in June. The help they were wanting was to paint a pig. As in a little ceramic piggy bank. Since the organization supports horses and a couple of other farm animals, and most equestrians love farm animals, they decided on the piggy banks for artists around the country to get creative. The only requirement was that they had to have them by the end of March.
The fundraiser is an online auction that is from June 1 to June 15, 2017. For tickets (if you plan on being in the area) or more info, please visit their website by clicking here.
I usually don’t do too many fundraisers, not that I am not wanting to give, but I am usually busy or already have my giving lined up for the year. I gave it some thought and immediately had a couple of ideas come to mind: a Jump Hog (for the English riders) and a Trail Hog (for the Western riders). I asked for two and immediately set to work. Below is a record of the process and the end result. Would love to know your thoughts on these!
I wanted to mold saddles on the banks, and leave the coin slot opening intact. I started applying blobs of drywall paste to start forming the saddles. This had to be done in small applications as the blobs of paste would start sagging down the sides and flattening out. So, that meant a number of apply/dry sessions to get the desired forms.
Next, it was time to shave with an artist’s knife and sand for a clean, smooth finish to prep for painting.
I then began painting with latex house paint, added a couple of layers of satin acrylic varnish, and finally added a few adornments for reins and bling!
This was a really fun project, and I hope they bring a good price for the fundraiser. Hope you all have a blessed week!
All photos and artwork ©2017 Denny Martindale, All Rights Reserved
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