Enclose

Number two of the four words updates. This was my interpretation of the word "Enclose". I think its quite obvious the link from birds to eggs to show "enclose". I also wanted to do the life cycle of birds which is also an enclosed cycle, so I ended up making up each egg as a part the story of the life of a pair of birds. They are done with goose eggs (which were a nightmare to source - but got there in the end!) and I had Sunshine's little Dremmel drill and mini drill bits to help me cut and shape. Theres also a little bit of Sculpey clay for the eggs and a few other bits and bobs. Straw from the pet store!

From the top:
Migration - Note there are two birds heading north for the breeding season.
Territory marking - Birds sing and display to mark their nesting territory and attract a mate. Note the sun which signifies both sunrise, and alludes to the yolk in the egg.
Courtship and Mating - pretty obvious, yes? With a bright red heart and all!
Nest building and egg laying - The eggs I've painted to show another circle of life within the circle of bird life. They are based on these drawings (see bottom of entry) that the tutors loved.
Feeding - then little baby birdies need a LOT of food to be able to grow strong ... decided to do just the gaping mouths - as that all you can really see of a baby bird, isn't it?
Fledgling - Then the babies have to learn from the parents how to catch their own worms.

... and back to Migration - thats why there are three birds flying south for the winter.

The bottom two photos show how the eggs were presented, in a basket of straw.

CRIT : The tutors liked the concept and execution and all the little details. Minor crits were the red on the 3rd egg was too bright - and I agree ... I don't have a daylight-bulb and hadn't quite realised how bright the red looked in relation to the other colours. Need to re-paint in a toned down red. The musical note in a speech bubble too would have been better made from a piece of egg shell, rather than some sculpey - but I had no more bits of egg shell left! Also they said the basket let it down and I could have got away with just a nest. And I agree there too. I just couldn't source the perfect thing to display them in, and ended up with this basket. I think I'll keep looking for something better, or try and make up a sturdy nest that they can all go in.