Ernie Bentley – Cow Skulls

As a young man, Ernie began working in the building trades, primarily as a mason, framer and in concrete. He had begun to dabble with mosaics on small scale projects for a few years. After seeing a cow skull for sale, he decided to try embellishing one with mosaic tiles, paint and found objects. Ernie's art pieces are done in a "forte technique. Each skull goes through a great deal of cleaning preparation before the paint is applied. Several coasts of paint are applied, with appropriate amount of curing between each layer. Sanding is done to achieve the desired look, and a few coats of crystal clear enamel are applied to create a pleasing finish. Finally, the embellishments are incorporated to complement the paint colors.