Skull Appreciation: Captain Basura SOLD!

Skull Appreciation Day is June 4th, 2011 at Gallery 5.  Over 100 artists were invited to participate by decorating the same brown papier-mâché skull base.  Here is what mine looked like before decorating.  I knew I wanted to use all recycled materials, but it was my three year old daughter that noticed the decoupaged floral newspaper band on his forehead looked like a pirate bandana. 

From there, a pirate was born.

Captain Basura

 He was first covered in newspaper print for his face, barcode eyebrows from coupons, and floral magazine pages to cover his head.  For added layer, I used some tissue paper to make the hankerchief and also to fashion the flower which has onion mesh bag as the stamen.

I then used an burned-out light bulb that I smashed with a hammer in an old plastic bag to create the teeth which were painted white and gold.  I used buttons and feathers from a discarded art project to form lips and a mustache.

I used a Gatorade cap which I decoupaged postal stamps onto, using some beads from a broken bracelet to create the eye patch. No pirate is complete with out an earring so I poked out the center of a Blue Moon bottle cap (fav beer).  The hair is made from old onion and orange mesh bags with a little raffia for added texture.

The other eyeball is made using the stem of the broken light bulb which is secured by an old watercolor sponge I used to use.

100% of the proceeds to this skull will go to the  Richmond Peace Education Center.