Bright and Shiny

After being sprayed in his impressive protective overcoat, Scarlet Red Hare met his 80 plus pals at Burford Garden Centre. Sadly I was away in Berlin, but Ann Taylor and Abigail Large went on behalf of myself and the Museum in the Park and were impressed by the feast of creativity. After the preview, the hares were al taken to their destinations where they will be for the rest of the year. Scarlet Red Hare is now looking regal and on guard in the courtyard of the Museum, welcoming visitors as they enter. It's the perfect spot as visitors enjoying a cup of tea can get a clear view of his rear - which is just as important as his front in my opinion! Here he is in his final resting place for all to admire and enjoy.

Hare highlights

After finally putting the last few touches to Scarlet Red Hare, we took him outside into the Museum courtyard to get some photos done. Suddenly he seemed to come to life with the natural light on him. He may even get the award rear of the year with his fetching tennis ball tail!

And then it was hare removal time....having worked so hard on him and seeing him come to life, it felt hard letting him go to join his friends in Burford. What worried me most was the thought that the paint would run when he got sprayed....did I cover all the acrylic paint marker? As I am away in Berlin until March 10th, sadly I won't see him in Burford Garden Centre where he will meet his fellow hares for the first time on March 9th. I do hope you stand up tall Scarlet Red Hare and do Stroud proud!

Touching up

Having a few days off in between painting gives me chance to stand back and take stock. Sometimes I flit from one small detail to another, then notice something else and I quickly wash my brushes in order to complete another task. Being a perfectionist, I guess I will always see the wrong stroke, where paint has overlapped too much or a crooked line - so it is important to stand back and see it as a whole. Here are some more images of the final touches being made.

Hare extensions

During December the Museum in the Park is closed to the public and much goes on behind the scenes: cleaning, moving and decorating. Whilst it is great to talk to people as they come and go, the fact there were no visitors, meant a lot of work could be done without interruption. I was able to turn the hare over, upside down, on his side and get to parts that I normally can't reach and apply extra coats of paint where necessary. I added some mills and refined some details. These images are the progression made over those weeks.

At the feet of my hare

This hare is bigger than me in so many ways. I have so far spent hours working on him yet I feel I still have a long way to go. I discovered today that although I thought my black paint liner was secure, it still rubs if I get it wet, so it will mean I will have to go over every black line with a tiny paint brush and black acrylic to seal it. Today I was back on my knees working on the hare's cuff and adding details to the bowls which is in honour of my dear Grampie, George Ham who discovered a talent for playing bowls after spending years watering the green. He did so well, he earned a place in the England team. The bowls on the hare's left hand paw has an England rose on it in his honour, but also because he was an expert in roses and was often a judge at horticultural shows (including Stroud Show). It is also my mum Jan's favourite flower and she too used to live in the Mansion House.

Adding the mills

The sounds heard in the Stroud valleys would have been very different centuries ago. The plethora of mills around Stroud turned out high quality woollen cloth, and with it came the immense and deafening sound of machinery. One by one the mills closed - apart from Cam Mills and Lodegmore Mills, the two sister mills which still produce the billiard, tennis and uniform cloth today - but they are far from forgotten. Many of the mill buildings no longer exist, yet the ones which do now have a different sound such as that of a restaurant, a manufacturing industry, council headquarters, fitness centre or accommodation. I have paid tribute to the mills on the hare's legs and also added in part of a very famous image of the scarlet cloth left out to dry in the Stroud fields.

The awkward parts!

Had to get help to tip the hare over in order to reach the unreachable aspects of his anatomy. He looked very sad lying on his side but it had to be done. A repeat performance will have to be carried out to ensure the other side is equally covered too. Not an easy shape by any means, a challenge indeed yet one I am determined to overcome!