Diver Mioplosus

My next adventure for fossil fish preparation is a 12 1/2 inch Mioplosus, the plate is 17 inches long and 8 1/2 inches wide. The matrix is 1 inch thick. This is an interesting project because the fossil fish settled into the sediments at an angle. The head is nearly 1/2 inch above the tail end. When the fish is prepared it will appear the head has more dimension the rest of the body.

The plate required some paleobond adhesive for a small crack on the plate, which was sealed from the back side. I had to fill and elmer's glue a few smaller cracks. The head and tail were preped by hand. We had to do some restoration to the body as some of the scales peeled.

This finished out a nice deep bodied sample of this predatory species

What's for Dinner

I decided to do a change of pace today.Thought I would fix dinner first before I prepared fossil fish.
Using about a pound of ground elk, onion, parsley, season pepper,chopped celery,sliced black olives, a quarter cup of barley for filler, 2/3 of a container of ricotta cheese and fresh spinach, a couple of hands full.
Cooked the burger, added other ingredients, mixed together, then I stuffed the ingredients into the large pasta snail shells, chopped up zucchini squash, layered squash with the filled shells, covered with mozzarella cheese.
Will bake on 325 for 30 minutes and dinner is severed.

19 inches of the Predatory Phareodus

As this project reaches completion I am humbled by my inability to restore things the way they should be. It seems as I set out to match paint colors or blend colors I get into trouble, then try to camouflage my goofs.
The learning curve continues to grow with each project,this keeps life interesting and me humble.

Final Project 2009 Phareodus

I finally got this beast put back together and patched things up as best I could. It will be interesting to see what it looks like when the paint restoration and final seal is done. I hope I can match colors well enough to make it look appealing. Plate will be16 X 22 1/2 inches, fish size is @19 inches.
It's hard to imagine fish of this size and bigger swimming around looking for other fish to eat.

As this fish came out in three major pieces it required a backing board, filling all the cracks and paint restoration. It was to large and rare not to restore.

Seasons Greetings and Happy Holidays

Here it is December 1,2009 and I have one more big projects to go from my fossil fish projects of 2008. I think I can make it happen.
I am rounding stuff up for Lyman's craft show this weekend, should be fun.

Worked through all my ash plate paintings for the craft show and finsihed up a triple enlay plate. The enlay was a thin Priscacara with broken tail and lost fins. We did some restoration work and enhanced it with some acryillic paints.Both of the fish to the right and left were also enlayed,making this a four species plate.The band was the imprint of plant materials enhanced  for contrasts.

I have a trwo foot Phareodus on the work bench awaiting some backer board for enlaying. Perhaps This will gret completed this week.
Got to get my Christmas decorations done before the next cold snap.

Week of the Mioplosus/ Mini Ray

It's hard to believe that I am still working on fossil fish projects from last year. Before I can start on new projects I must complete those that are incomplete. This week I tried to catchup to those unfinished projects from 08.

I completed two Mioplosus this week, the first about 9 inches was broken, so I backed it with birch plywood and filled the seams, the second is @12 inches and is enlayed on a banded plate.

I couldn't resist in finishing this tiny sting ray. It was one of our best finds this summer.

Thankisgiving"Flutist"

Tis the season to be thankful!
In the wilds of Wyoming we have to resort to the resources at hand. The native American's of this area might use the Flutist to describe their happiness and thanksgiving to nature for the wonders of cration and all good things in their lives.

As I was digging fossils this summer I came across these ash layers of rocks which have an interesting pattern.They were to well designed by mother nature to discard. So here is my native American view for these rocks, that were colored by volcanic ash layers. We should all blow our trumpets loud and strong in praise for the blessings from our creator.

The blessings of abundance and the challenge of the hunt.

Ray completion

The ray project has finally reached completion!
It is so exciting to find such a specimen as a 50 to 55 million year old fossil even if it is broken and torn into pieces. With a little glue, paint and patience one can make a broken piece look fairly good. What was once broken is now one piece with two fracture lines restored, the torn away parts have been filled and painted. I will have to put the final seal on the entire piece.

It is hard to even imagine this ray swam around in a lake only forty miles from where I live. Fossil Lake provided a home for the world's best preserved fossil fish.

Completion,first mural complete

After near six weeks of gathering,sizing, cuting, cleaning, gluing,framing, and sealing this project is complete.There are still options as to hanging or using a n easel. At present I am leaning toward hanging it centered on the wall directly behind the mural. I think the chevon design of the wall behind will enhance the view of the mural.

Now I have full appreciation of the time and tallents that is necessary to complete such a project. The larger the scale the more time is needed, along with other considerations, such as, weight, wall size and stud spacings.

Time progression of two projects

The mural progressed from the rough cuts to final stages. Final cuts,gluing to the backer board, grouting the joints between tile, cutting the mural  and the intial stages of framing. Once framed the wood and mural will be sealed and ready for showing.

The ray came together well. It was glued to a backer board, materials were cut and added to the bottom so the tail could be reattached. Then we prepared patch materials to fill in the places that were peeled; parts of the vertebrae, and the central part of the disk. Lucky that 98% of the disk is in good shape. Put a simple frame around the plate, now we need to touch up the patched areas with acyrillic paints. We will then seal the plate and the wooden frame.

Recent projects

After quarrying all summer,it took a few days to put things away. Organization helps to prioritize projects. It is nice to have stacks of projects ranging in sizes and shape. Some are so perfectly fossilized they need no preparation. While others require a timely bit of restoration.
In the past month I worked on my first mural, a collection of thirty two pieces; including fossil fish of four different species,two eocene fossilized leaves, one fossilzed aquatic plant and spacer tile of various sizes.
An associate gave us the peel side of a sting ray. The plate requires backing, glueing, restoration, sealing and framing.

The pictures are project still roughed out but nearing completion. Will post final views at a later date.

Seasonal Fun

It is time to get into the seasonal drift of fall. The leaves are starting to fall, weather turning cooler and pumpkins are starting to appear.

New shop updates!

What a fantastic learning opportunity for your children.  I have added a new fossil option to the shop; a discovery kit.  It includes a practice piece and a 4x6 inch piece with a complete fish outlined.  There are directions to follow and a scribing tool to use.  What a fun indoor project to keep the kids busy. 

I thought that Halloween needed a few extra skeletons.  

So its pumpkins and skeletal remains of ancient fish.

These fish can be used for wall decor, desk paper weights to refridgerator magnets.

Don't let fall pass you by without adding a few skeletons to your home decor.  

Check out these new items in my shop.

Stormy Weather and progress on the Range

As I traveled to and from the quarry today you could see the cloud formations and snow on the peaks.

Another noticeable transition was the sheep wagon and the oil rig in the background.  

Not only do we see progression in the weather changes, we see a sign of things to come; oil industry and the cattle industry on the same range.

Wild Wyoming Winds

This will be my last trip to the frozen, snowy, windy Quarry for 2009.The winds were howling up to 40 mph bringing the windchill down to about 8 degrees F.

The rocks slabs were frozen with ice, frost and snow on them. I will take them to a lower elevation and a warmer garage where they will become manageable. Hopefully they will contain lots of fossil fish.

Return to the Quarry

Today we returned to the frost covered quarry to haul out our saw, tables and some cut fish. Kind of a bitter sweet day, nice to conclude a season of digging, yet sad to know the days are getting shorter and winters grip is upon us.

days at the quarry

We wanted to share a few photos from our adventures at the quarry.   

We spend many days at the quarry.  Digging, hammering, hunting for the best fossil fish.  My wife, Carol, joins me many of the days.  Talk about a journey through life, the fossils we find have such history.

The days are long and the work is tough.  By the end of the day we are dusty and tired.

Our drive back to civilization sometimes involves driving past a herd of cattle.  Can you imagine?!

We love Wyoming.

packing up

The saga continues... Journeyed back to the fossil quarry today, finding more snow than we expected. At @7300 ft. in elevation shows the true picture of the cold desert environment. Our goal today was to extract our primative camper. The good Lord was welling, the creek didn't rise, and we are home safe. Wow what a process all in the name of fun!  This photo was one our son took earlier in the summer when the weather was more favorable for fossil digging.

frozen fish market

Awoke to 18 degrees this morning, mountains are white, I am looking for my warmer clothes. This is surely a sign of old age or Wyoming wisdom.  I still have materials and a camper I need to extract from the quarry. So tomorrow I will attempt another journey to the fridgid north country. Now instead of fossil fish I have a frozen fish market.

This is a photo of my camper... home sweet home (away from home).

little beauty

Here is a little beauty 5x7 that jumped out of the fossil quarry. We cut it to fit, cleaned it up , sealed it an now it is ready for sale. 

Diplomystus, the second most abundant fish in the ancient Fossil Lake. 50-55 million years old makes it a true piece of antiquity. See more at MWNaturesAntiquities.esty.com 

Cold Quarry, Cold Rock

Fossil quarry world is begining to look like winter, new snow also brought about 1/16th of an inch of frost this morning. The above photo is one of my saw and the area where I get the slabs ready to haul back to my shop a few hours away.  

Let's talk about icing on the cake. Icing on the rock is very uncooperative. It's starting to get COLD in Wyoming.  The above photo is one of the quarry, I call home much of the week during the warm Wyoming months.  Thank God for Sunshine, radiant heat; warms me to the bone and thaws out my rocks. Life is good. Thanks be to an awesome creator, God.