Catoctin Mountain Park
Thurmont, Maryland
This was another project subcontracted through Color-Ad, Inc. for the National Park Service. I was tasked with fabricating the lichen covered boulders that serve as seating in front of the photomural of the view at chimney rock, along with various other tactile reproductions and natural history models representing a rattlesnake, a raccoon, a rabbit, two wild turkey chicks, a collier's mound, charcoal, two projectile points, dried corn in a barrel, and four tree segments representing American Beech, White Oak, Tulip Poplar, and Shagbark Hickory.
The boulders were framed with 2x4 lumber and 3/4" plywood, filled with urethane foam that was then sculpted and encapsulated in fiberglass, which was then coated and textured with Polygem epoxy, and painted with vinyl acrylics. The projectile point reproductions were sculpted with Apoxy clay over .063" aluminum bases attached to small bolts, and then painted with vinyl acrylics.
The natural history models were sculpted with Polgem epoxy and Apoxie clay over allthread armatures built out with aluminum screening and then painted with vinyl acrylics. The collier's mound was built in a similar fashion. The reproduction charcoal was molded from actual pieces of locally made charcoal and cast in pigmented polyurethane with embedded mounting bolts.
The corn in barrel was first formed by embedding dried corn into an epoxy form to hold it in place while a mold was made. A polyurethane cast was pulled, embedded with a 3/4" plywood base, and then meticulously painted with vinyl acrylics. For the tree segments I made silicone putty molds of the actual tree species' bark. I then built a semi-circular jig to hold the molds while I made casts with Polygem epoxy embedded with 3/4" plywood bases. They were then finished and painted with vinyl acrylics.
Many Thanks once again to Heather McDade for providing me these beautiful pics of all the elements installed onsite!