Imaginary Hummingbird

[musket]

What the hell, not much going on here (as expected), so another oldie.

This was a fun piece to do, because I violated every rule of trad bird carving with it, but it sold faster than any other piece I did. I just made the bird up. It's anatomically impossible. It also gives the appearance of being a male, with the fancy crown and gorget, but males are never found at the nest. They're little lotharios who have nothing to do with raising the young. Hummingbirds typically have a clutch of two, and the eggs are much smaller than this. I gilded the gorget, which didn't quite work, but the buyer didn't care.

The opal is much greener than shows here. They're a pain to photograph, especially white base.

Tupelo
Boxwood
Acrylics
Acrylic Modeling Paste
Black Jade
Opal
Grapevine
Manzanita Root
Epoxy Putty
Mulberry Paper
Silk Thread
Lint from my laundry drier
Owyhee Jasper

 

[snoball]

Love it Musket! It is exquisite. Go ahead and post all you want, heaven knows I've piled a bunch in lately!

 

[Artyczar]

I LOVE his green color. I don't care if he/she is imaginary. Maybe I love it more because of that. It's beautiful and I am in love. What detailed work.

 

[musket]

Thanx sno and Arty. She's a she. There are a few very fancy females in the hummingbird world, down in the tropics.

We named her Belmont, after Virginia Belmont, who had a famed bird shop in Rockefeller Center for many years. My sweetie bought an umbrella cockatoo there a long time ago, ages before we met.

Ms. Belmont was the trainer of TV, the even more famed talking Mynah bird who was featured in the commercials for Westinghouse-- "You can be sure if it's Westinghouse."

 

[snoball]

I sure wish you could still do these Musket. You did such a beautiful job on all your carvings. ❤

 

[joe1It]

it is a wonderful work.
wonderful

 

[musket]

Thank you. I wish I could too.