Carousel Gourd

The winter months provide a time for some experimentation since that is the season when I feel like I don't need to be as productive.  I am still productive, mind you, but I feel a little freer to just "play".  Two new projects are in the "play" category, one I am not finished with and will share later.  This one however, is ready to be shared! ​

​ A carousel theme is not one that I would typically be attracted to.  But Pinterest, ah Pinterest, the place where inspiration lurks to be found.  Somehow in my feed came a photo of an antique carousel, but not a horse, it was a cat.  I thought it was pretty neat so I started searching for other such things.  

Lo and behold there are many antique carousel animals, tigers, giraffes, bear, deer, etc. Who knew? There are some very cool modern ones as well, like the Calgary Zoo that features a bat, an otter and a poison dart frog.  Or the Bug Carousel at the Bronx Zoo.  After just a little bit of digging I found more and more incredibly cool carousels- I mean who wouldn't want to ride a giant barn owl or a snow leopard? 

So I started a meager little gourd with a few of my favorite animals, a cat, rabbit, wolf and bear.  I used a bit of mixed media to accentuate the pyrography.  Some gold leaf, inks and metallic pigment powder, and my new set of colored pencils.  I intend on doing some more experimentation with the pencils so stay tuned with that!

This project was. a lot of fun and I may do a few more.  After all, I only featured four animals!

What do you think?  Do you like carousels?  Have you ever taken the time to really look at the details that go into these?  Here are some links for you to enjoy, and if you know of one to add to the list, please let me know in the comments!

The Greenway Carousel- what I first loved about this is how incredibly gorgeous the sculpted animals are on this, but what I love even more is that it was developed to be ADA accessible for people with physical, sensory and cognitive disabilities to enjoy.

The Bug Carousel- at the Bronx Zoo.  I mean, yeah, you are riding bugs.  Too cool!

Fort Wayne Children's Zoo- An endangered species carousel!  Have you ever seen a tapir or a dugong on a carousel ride?  Very unique.

Calgary Zoo- This one boasts endangered species from all seven continents, includes a swift fox and a bat!