MOTHERLODE
MammothThis carving was originally inspired by some Black Bulgar fungi I found on a rotten branch.The fungus is very unappealing being of a hard and dingy black nature. However the inside of this piece would appear to be of solid gold to judge by the cracks. Moreover the black exterior would appear to be beautifully shiny.
Previously known by the tongue-in-cheek title of 'The Undoubted Charm of the Aged', the carving refers to how attractive great wealth is, no matter how unattractive the exterior may be. It has also been known as 'The Sugardaddy' for the same reason, but I have decided to rename it because it may seem that I am passing judgement; on the contrary, I find the phenomena not only amusing but completely understandable.
The crackelure effect was achieved by freezing the carving and then subjecting it to a blow lamp very carefully lest it should split completely. It took me several attempts but finally I got what I wanted. What surprised me, however, was how long it took to fill the cracks with gold leaf; the gold had to be rolled up and then inserted because the cracks were too deep for the gold to reach the bottom when used the usual way. Because of the heat treatment the stain took very strongly, hence the deep black shiny lustre. The carving is 1.5" (4cm) by 1.5" and .75" (2cm) high.