I joined the sculpture swap with a pretty loose idea that I wanted to make something playful and a little over-the-top, and I ended up going with paper mache for the build. The structure itself was actually the straightforward part. I used the traditional balloon base layered with newspaper strips. I went with watered down glue though and not flour because it’s really wet here in New England right now, and I was worried about mold. The legs are wire wrapped in floral tape, brushed with black acrylic and Mod Podge, and the beak is paper clay built up over wire. The form came together pretty easily.
The challenge was the painting.
This owl went through two completely different painted versions before I landed on the rainbow fever dream version.
Take 1:
Take 2:
Painting isn’t where I feel most confident, and I tend to overwork things, so there was a lot of repainting involved. What helped, more than anything, was realizing I could just let layers dry and start over, and I did multiple times.
The final version leans into a kind of rainbow maximalism that pulls from late 80s and early 90s design. Think school supplies, stickers, and accessories. Lots of saturated color and mixed patterns.
I was also thinking a lot about Sparkledog aesthetics while working on it. That style comes out of online furry art spaces where artists go over the top so think bright, clashing colors, layered patterns, exaggerated details, and a general “more is more” approach. It’s playful, and a little chaotic.
Because the finished piece has such a strong late 80s / early 90s energy, I sent it along with some rainbow jelly bracelets and Pop Rocks to match that vibe. 
