Digging for Gold: A Reliquary for the Dandelion

I carried this "dandelion fluff" around in a jar for over four years before making this piece. I harvested it on the family homestead in Wisconsin. I tend to have a lot of things like that hanging around to feed off of for my reliquary creations, although many times I have to have my items to contain specially shipped in when the idea finally comes to fruition. This sometimes makes for an interesting scavenger hunt for my friends, family and people I contact out of the blue. Most are up for it, but some never call back or just walk away.


The main part of this vessel was raised from one sheet of copper, hammered to resemble garden trowel shapes. Leaf embellishments and collars for the wooden shovel handles were added later. I carved all the wooden handles by hand because I was too lazy to turn them... that seems wrong doesn't it.