My Final Project

My final project will feature found objects that would be common to come across on a farm or in a field, but uncommon to the rest of society. I plan to create images on these objects and then encase them in epoxy resin, in way similar to the way insects are incased in amber. For presentation, I will place the finished resin “bricks/stones” in a container of dirt so that it appears as if they have just been discovered in the ground.
I plan to gather a large number, between ten and twenty small found objects from around the area where I live and paint small images on them. These objects may include (depending on what I can find) small pieces of animal bone, small (speckled) bird eggs, neck-chain number tags from cows, arrowheads, nubs of cow horns, dead insects, small rusted parts from old tractors, fence insulators and other objects if necessary.
After I have finished drawing and painting on each object, I will coat the image with a sealant to protect it from the next step, which is to encase the found object(s) in a desired position in epoxy resin. I will also use dye to give the resin a yellowed appearance, like amber, but not dark enough that it obscures the images.
The images I plan to draw vary with each object, but I plan to draw images that would not normally be associated with them. Some of these objects relate particularly to farming and therefore appear quite masculine and rugged. I plan to take some of that ruggedness away by painting extremely feminine, delicate, Victorian designs on them. Others, like the bird eggs, are considered feminine fragile and delicate. I plan to paint raging elephants on the bird eggs and put the dead insects in and around the bird eggs when I encase them.
There are some possible problems I can see arising throughout this project, the major concern being my lack of experience with epoxy resin. I have never worked with this material before, but it intrigues me and I am willing to try it even though I think it will be difficult. The issue is that because I am working with found objects that cannot be easily replaced, there is little room for error when setting them in the resin. I am also concerned that the resin may be sticky when I finish the bricks, which may make the dirt stick to them. If this happens, I will need to coat them in another sealant after they are dry. Other than that, the surfaces of some of the objects will be difficult to draw/paint, but I believe that it can be done with patience and practice.