Broken To Beautiful

I bought this swan a long time ago at a garage sale.  I wish I snapped a picture of the swan when 

it was new and also when it was falling to pieces.  It has been through all kinds of weather. It was so broken that the beak had fallen off, the wood on it would break in two so easily.  It was a hopeless case.

I was told it was just a piece of trash and I just needed to throw it away.  I held onto it for a year or so.  wondering if it was really worth the effort.  It really was a piece of trash. 

I started to glue the pieces together, but I couldn't find the beak. It took a while of digging around in boxes and I finally found it. I decided to make a plaster clay.  I worked on it for a long time letting it dry before continuing. I used aluminum foil to form a cheek for each side. I plastered it over several times letting it dry between applications.

I had some broken porcelain pieces but I also had to break pieces for this project.  I used them to make a mosaic around the bottom. I had to let it dry before I grouted with the same plaster clay. 

I worked on it in the evenings and sometime in the morning until I was ready to paint it and also to seal it when the paint was dry. 

 I painted the face and placed buttons for the eyes. I clear-coated it with polyurethane and added glitter. I drilled two holes in the bottom. Then I placed two potted plants inside of it. It is a brand-new creation.  it is no longer what it was before.  I'm very happy with how it turned out. My husband loved it and told me it was beautiful, when he says anything like that it is a real compliment.

I will take more pictures so you can see the tail and the inside of the swan.

Susan Y Nikitenko

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