Scarface in a Vase.

Scarface in a Vase.

I travelled to Pasadena California for the express purpose of visiting the Huntington Gardens. While touring one of their beautiful museums I came across several fancy vases that looked as though they belonged in the Palace of Versailles. I was inspired to endeavor to create a vase of lesser quality incorporating some pop culture. My idea was to take popular culture symbols and place them in a vase adorned by baroque patterns of opulence, in a vase. I call this piece...Scarface in a Vase.

I started with a vase from Michael's Art store. Well perhaps it was a glass candy jar. I purchased a toy figure of Scarface along with paint, brushes, baroque molding for cakes, mod podge glue, and some clear epoxy resin. I formulated my theme to match the movie poster, wanting the glass to be as mini mouse, half black half white. 

This was my first time painting on glass and it is not easy. The glass surface is not porous so the paint does not sink into the object. It remains on the surface. There were multiple layers of mod podge glue an paint to a more even texture. I tried to use the pouring paint but it would pour right on off of the glass and leave pot holes. So I stuck with the hand paint and fat soft bristled paint brush.

I started by painting the inside of the vase white. Then I divided the outside of the vase with painters tape and painted have to the object black, and the other half white.

Once the paint had an even pattern I applied epoxy resin to the surface except for the oval area I planned on cutting out. I applied the epoxy using a brush giving it a textured stated when it dried as opposed to the smooth surface one would expect. A final finishing coat would have put the smooth surface back on. But for this project I left the texture on.

Paint that sits on top of glass peels so easily and residually takes the surrounding paint with it. I decided to epoxy seal down the area around the oval that I did not want to accidentally lift up from the glass. I cut out an oval shape on the outside as well as within.

Next, I poured silicone into the baroque molding and painted it using red oil based paint. This paint took a long time to dry.

Using super glue, I attached the decorative pattern along the perimeter of the cut out oval shape.

It was time for Tony to be released from his packaging and housed within his new enclosure.

I painted the top and placed some wire inside using super glue. After purchasing mini lights from Amazon, I used a garbage bag twisty, formed it into a hook and allowed the light to dangle from above.

And there we have it. The modern-day Aesop's fable of absolute power corrupting absolutely contained like a genie. Ladies and Gentlemen, Scarface in a Vase.