Driftwood Alligator
The alligator began with the head/neck piece of driftwood which I thought resembled an alligator head. I had been holding another piece of driftwood for quite some time which had a very interesting texture on one side that I always thought resembled some kind of reptile back. This was the torso/right arm piece and it was a good match for the head. I then added the tip of the tail and the other 3 legs. I then made the eyes from serpentine stones, as well as the claws and teeth which were made from bird bone fragments. The final touches were the underside skin texture which was made with cedar bark, and the scales on the back which are pine cone scales. I applied more that usual amounts of paint/stain for this piece to achieve a proper cohesion of color.
Prior to assembly all part go through a cleaning and heat treatment process. The final product is mounted on a black wood base, and coated with a protective matte sealant.
