"Watching the Birds" Miniature
Retablo Triptych
Retablo Triptych
While retablos originate in Mexico and Peru and normally depict a saint or religious matter, I literally worship the ground my cat, Willow, walks on. She is worthy of a little shrine. She is my soulmate, my best friend, and my savior. She saves me every day from the reality we call life right now. And, I was her savior, too, as she was adopted after being rescued from a hording situation from a Siamese backyard breeder by the rescue group, Kitten Angels. It took a full week after coming here that she hopped out of her gym "cave" and danced on her hind feet for me to pet her. I stood vigil for the whole week, singing to her, sleeping in her room, feeding her in front of the arched gym entrance, and reaching in and petting her for very short periods. She is not my only cat, and I love all three, but she is the love of my life.
This triptych is Willow staring out the window, while I assume she is day dreaming about the tasty birds outside, which she can only imagine, as she is an indoor kitty.
The sculpture was made out of Dos Air-Dry Clay, cut with two different sized cookie cutters. The painting inside is acrylic with a thick layer of varnish to create the shine of a window pane. The frame of the window is covered in gold-metal leaf with a gold painted cord around the perimeter of the back. The doors are the same size arch as the painted frame, but split in two with a knife and textured with a patterned clay roller. I finished the doors off with wrapped with cord also painted gold. I made the doors look jewel like with Rub & Buff, acrylic paint, and varnish.They are attached to the window frame with a very strong adhesive. This triptych measures roughly 3.5 X 6 inches, not counting the chain, which is hung on two small eye hooks.
