Fish Totem Orb (Gilded)

A hand held aid to meditation, made from all natural products… its greatest journey will be to you.

Many fish have lived on this planet for 450 million years.
We share a quantity of DNA with this wonderful creature.
As an embryo fish and humans are difficult to tell apart.
In many cultures they represent eternal youth, abundance and faithful love.

All products in Totem Orbs are natural.

The gilded orbs are formed using gesso, and painted using a dark red, before the gold leaf and a few layers of varnish are applied. The orb, with continual use, will slowly wear away the gilding, to reveal the red underneath, as an authentic gilded item should.

In the making of these totem orbs a meditative state of mind has to be found. As they are carved, l feel my way into the chosen animal, and find out much about myself whilst l work. They turn so many times in my hands whilst they pass through the five changes, to become as you see them now. l am sure that each one carries a little of me.

At the beginning of my journey all the orbs were made from clay. I felt that l was tapping into something ancient. However, it soon became clear, as each carving took well over a week, with the more complicated pieces taking even longer, the cost had become un-viable. Therefor the orbs are made from gesso.

Learning how to cast in the round also took many years, and countless failures, before working out a way that was kind to the planet and still gave good detailed imagery. The process is still long and complicated with much re-carving and handling, seeing many changes on the journey.

The extra work involved is reflected in the price.