Holy Cow! ... A Lunar Eclipse in Bronze !

12 3/4" diameter

    After finishing the wooden clamp & figures project (see my blog entry for 5/4/14), I began the process of readying the elements I would need to complete the "cow jumping over the moon" piece. The first thing that I did was use a tap & die to drill 2 threaded holes in the back side of the bronze moon and 1 in the peg on the back of the cow. These would enable me to bolt the pieces to the base. Next I made a walnut piece to fit into the central depression of the walnut tray that I was using for the sculpture's base. This would give me a secure depth of wood to which I could fasten the moon. I drilled 2 holes through both the walnut insert and the tray that matched the positioning of the holes in the back of the bronze moon. I also drilled a hole in the tray for the cow's attachment peg. I slightly widened the holes on the back side of the tray to accommodate the addition of washers and nuts.
     Once I sprayed both the cow and the moon with clear satin lacquer in order to retain their bronze color, I proceeded to mount each piece to the base using short lengths of threaded rod - the moon first and then the cow. (I put a small amount of epoxy in each hole in the bronze so that the rods would not unscrew when I tightened the nuts at the back of the base.) Next I tackled the small wooden knob top that needed to be colored to represent the earth. First I coated the knob with a white primer and then I used water color pencils to create the illusion of the North and South American continents and surrounding oceans. I sealed it with clear satin lacquer. After it dried, I drilled a hole in the back of the knob and glued in a short wooden peg. I put wood glue on the peg and inserted it into a hole I had drilled in the base just below and to the right of the moon. The final step was put screw eyes and a hanging wire on the back of the piece. Because of the weight of the bronze, I also added a small piece of wood at the bottom of the base that would allow the piece to hang at an appropriate angle to the wall. 
    Another piece completed - and on to the next! I think I hear someone at the "door" ... stay tuned!

*For more information and background on this piece see my blog entries for - 3/3/14, 3/15/14, 4/10/14, & 4/23/14.