On the Aesthetic of the Victorian Naturalist's Parlor...

Recreating, or alluding to, the aesthetic of the Victorian naturalist's parlor has become very much en vogue of late. One has only to peruse any current interior decorating magazine to confirm that exhibiting mineral specimens, bones, shells and any creature preserved by means of taxidermy within the home distinguishes it's inhabitant as a man or woman of a scientific mind; trolling land, sky and sea in a quest for evidence of nature's most dramatic creations. The most delicate or prized specimens are distinguished by their tendency to be enshrined within the protective chamber of the Glass Dome. I can assure you that even a relatively pedestrian display of curios may be greatly enhanced by the act of putting a few choice specimens under glass domes of various sizes. Many chic retailers are now offering glass domes to the aspiring collector at greatly inflated prices:

$40 and $160, base and contents not included.

Without question, the best place for the decorator-on-a-budget to acquire glass domes is the local thrift store. How do such fine display accessories end up in a thrift store, you ask? Well, very often they are seen covering some imported brass-toned "antique" clock like the one below:

Also, In the 1970's, it was not uncommon for crafty folk to compose arrangements of dried weeds and butterflies and display them under glass domes, and these will very often be spied among the bric-a-brac at the local thrift store as well. I recently picked up the dome below at the thrift store for only $3.99. It contains a "real rose, preserved for eternity (by dipping it in red paint!)" Just remember not to let whatever hideous object you see inside color your decision to take it or leave it; $3.99 is a great price for a bell jar, after I ditch the rose and lace and paint the base!



The image below is another fine dome and base found recently for $5.99 at a thrift store. Unfortunately, I had eagerly discarded the most offensive portions of the set before taking this photo, which consisted of a small clock supported by an arch covered in pastel flowers like those around the base. Beneath the arch stood a small plastic bride and groom which, aided by a small battery powered motor in the base, "danced" in lazy circles of wedded bliss.



The arch was easily cut down with a little hand saw, the bride and groom were plucked from the rotating post, and the raised flowery vine encircling the base was easily sanded off with an electric sander. I then applied a few coats of primer and white paint, and ended up with a very nice dome and base that one would never suspect to have been a tacky wedding gift. The dome on the far right of the first image of this posting is the completed project, containing a coral tuft. Should I desire, a suitable curio may be mounted on the left-over rotating post sticking out of the base, adding rotating motion to the display! *Update* On the first morning of the new year I awoke to the sound of breaking glass: my naughty kitty had pushed this dome off the shelf! Im glad I hadn't paid $160 for it! All three of the domes in the title image were purchased from thrift stores, and none cost more than $8.00. Should you find a dome with no base, purchase it and proceed at once to the "woodcraft" aisle of your local Michael's or Crafts, Etc., where you may purchase an appropriately sized round pine plaque with a routed edge for only a few dollars to serve as the base. Now, perhaps you wonder what sort of natural curiosities you might display within your new dome? I beg you spend some time perusing the excellent photographs British artist Lucy Harvey has taken among the Natural History collections of some very fine British museums, including Oxford's trove of curiosa, The Pitt Rivers Museum, which may be further explored by embarking on a virtual tour of their galleries here

Now get out there, You, and start collecting!

addendum: Ok, Ok... if you simply must have a bell jar and something to display within poste haste, allow me to guide you to San Francisco's Paxton Gate, a delightful shop that will surely slake your thirst for the unusual... for now.

Deer Skull Embellished in the Style of the Huichol Indians of Mexico.

While living in Los Angeles, I initiated a ramble through the scrubby hills of Laguna Beach in search of treasure. I found it in the form of the remains of a deer which had clearly slipped on a gravelly slope leading into a densely vegetated ravine. Entangled in the scrub and injured by the fall, the deer's fate was sealed, the bones scattered in the vicinity evidence that coyotes had ensured that the creatures death was not in vain. Alas, the effects of time and searing sun left my treasure clean and brightly bleached, and I hiked back to the car in possession of a fine dear skull with attached antlers!

Upon arrival back at the shop, I sat down and contemplated how I might best display the skull. I arrived upon the idea of cutting the "skull cap" with the attached antlers away from the rest of the skull, and mounting that skull cap on a plaque of some sort in the fashion of what is known as a "European Style Trophy Mount" in taxidermy circles. The cutting was performed on a bandsaw, great care having been taken to protect the eyes and lungs from the great cloud of truly awful smelling bone dust that was generated in the process. The operation was successful, and I managed to retain all of the fingers with which I was originally provided!

While finishing up the antlers, I received as a gift a curious craft which is commonly referred to as a "Huichol Yarn Painting", so named both for the tribal peoples who make the things, and the material from which they are fashioned.



I'll refrain from boring the reader with too much information on the Huichols, as there are entire websites devoted to them accessible via a quick Google search. Suffice it to say, then, that these remarkable people utilize such common materials as yarn and beads to fashion otherworldly artifacts which are truly otherworldly in the sense that much of the imagery and symbolism apparent derives from visions encountered during the ceremonial use of the hallucinogenic Peyote cactus (Lophophora Williamsii).

A quiet sort of revelation ensued when I happened upon images of ceremonial gourd bowls that the Huichols had embellished with colored glass seed beads in complex and colorful geometric patterns. The deer being of great importance in the scheme of Huichol religion, it became apparent that I should try my hand at Huichol style beadwork on the deer skull I had just prepared for display!

Some easy sleuthing revealed that the craft is affected by pushing the colored beads into a sticky coating which is applied to the substrate (wooden mask, gourd bowl, deer skull). The most commonly used "sticky substance" is a mixture of melted copal resin and beeswax blended together and applied while liquid. Upon cooling, the mixture firms up but maintains a tenacious tackiness which holds the beads firm to the substrate indefinitely. The same process is used in the yarn paintings, except colored strands of yarn are pressed into the wax blend instead of beads.




I had, from previous craft projects, a nice assortment of colored seed beads in the size "12" which is just a little smaller than the usual craft-store bought bead. There are many fine retailers of Native American crafts supplies that sell vast arrays of sizes and colors of seed beads (although I recommend avoiding Crazy Crow Trading Company as their stock is unpredictable and customer service is poor) and if you live near a Michael's or Crafts, Etc. you might peruse their selection of seed beads. It is worth noting that the Huichols make excellent use of the most vivid colors imaginable; It is mind boggling to imagine the stores of beads and yarns these folks must have on hand when one really looks closely at the stunning array of colors utilized in the average yarn painting or bead bowl. Pure beeswax is also available from your local craft supply merchant.

Now, as far as the copal is concerned, the substance is a resin which is exuded from a tree (Bursera fagaroides) in much the same way that a pine tree exudes sticky "pitch". Copal is commonly sold in Mexico and South America as an aromatic incense; it releases a heavenly aroma reminiscent of oranges when burned, and finds much use in religious ceremonies. I had some on hand which I had purchased in Tulum, Mexico, but for the purposes of the sticky base, one might very plausibly substitute pitch or sap collected from any of a number of species of conifers. If you are inclined to do things as the Huichols do, however, copal may be acquired rather inexpensively from Mazatec Garden. To make the sticky base, I simply heated equal parts broken up copal resin and beeswax in a can on a double boiler until the copal had melted completely and was thoroughly blended with the beeswax. The resulting liquid was then brushed over the whole skull such that the resulting sticky base measured about 1/8" in thickness.

Next it was time to think about an overall pattern that might look pleasing on the skull. I consulted countless photographs before arriving at the design I finally executed. The design is not a direct copy of any one Huichol piece, but rather a collection of ideas and symbolic imagery rendered in the colors available to me, and scaled to suit the shape of the skull. The application of beads began in the middle of the skull and was worked out towards the edges. An awl was used to pick up each bead individually and push it lightly into the sticky wax mixture.



The imagery used in this case was not complex; The dominant green form represents the peyote cactus, between the antlers is a representation of a deer head with antlers. Smaller peyotes are also represented, as are various colorful radiating auras of "life energy". The whole application process took maybe three days, working 5 or so hours a day.

Finally, I prepared the skull for mounting by embedding a bolt in plaster poured into the cranial cavity (back part) of the skull:



I created a plaque for the skull out of a curious type of plastic known to fans of the contemporary artist Matthew Barney as "Self-Lubricating Plastic", some scraps of which I had salvaged from the trash during the installation of his retrospective at The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art I think it makes a fine, contemporary looking background for the beaded skull, which is attached by drilling a hole in the plaque and threading the bolt through, then securing that with a nut.



The resulting artifact looks, to my eye, every bit as authentic as a true Huichol made piece, and makes a fine accompaniment to my authentic Huichol yarn painting. It is worth mentioning that, as is sadly the case with many indigenous people of the Americas, the Huichols are, monetarily, quite poor. I support purchasing true, Huichol made crafts when possible, as such support helps to ensure the survival of the people and their culture. I hope that this post will propagate a better understanding of and respect for Native craft techniques and inspire anyone who is so inclined, to roll up their shirtsleeves and try their own hand at Huichol style beadwork!