2011 SPECIAL EXHIBITS
Proctor Museum of Natural Science
Fossil casts, also called fossil replicas or reproductions, allow students, collectors,scientists,and others interested in prehistoric life to handle and study precise duplicates of fascinating and even famous fossils without risking damage to the originals, and at a small fraction of the cost. These museum-quality fossil casts are produced from original fossil specimens (not from sculptures, as are many replicas at some Web sites). They include a variety of well-preserved and historically important specimens from several different geologic periods including trilobites, ammonites, crinoids, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals, as well as one of the largest selections of dinosaur and pre-dinosaur track casts available anywhere. Each replica is carefully cast in high-strength gypsum cement and meticulously hand painted to replicate the natural appearance of the original specimen. Resin composition is available at additional cost (please contact us for quotes on resin casts). The largely flat casts (such as the pterodactyls and ancient birds) come with sturdy hangers on the back. The paper-weight-sized and more 3-dimensional casts come with felt pads on the bottom. All include full identification labels indicating the specimen's scientific name, locality, geologic period, and formation.
Also provided by the Proctor Museum of Natural Science is a set of track ways made by Dimetrodons and other fossil reptilians. Dimetrodons were large, alligator-sized reptiles that lived during the Permian Age. Although reptiles, Dimetrodons pre-dated the Age of Dinosaurs by millions of years. Dimetrodons are distinguished by the large “sail fin” on their back (similar to the sail fin on a modern marlin fish, but much larger. The track ways on display were made using wet plaster to create a copy of the original track way located in southern New Mexico by former HGMS member Glen Kuban.
Additionally, the Proctor Museum of Natural Science will be displaying a femur (leg bone) of a 77,000,000 year-old hadrosaur (duck-billed vegetarian dinosaur) collected by Terry Proctor in Texas. (See above on-site photo of Terry with hadrosaur femur.)
Bryan Carter has chosen wildlife as the subject of his art, stone, and petrified wood as his canvas, realism as his style, and an occupation as a full-time artist. He now paints magnificent animals on beautiful pieces of petrified wood that can be 23–40 million years old! The variety of stone used by Bryan comes from all over the world, but the petrified wood comes mostly from Texas. Each piece is like a special time capsule back in earth’s fight for life within itself. The beautiful natural colors, once living tissues that gave trees their vertical strength, as well as the transformation from living to stone, make each rock beautiful and unique. The stones are truly nature’s art without a touch of paint!
Dromaeosaurus
Houston Museum of Natural Science
We are once again bringing back the HMNS and their extremely popular "hands-on" learning station for kids of all ages. They will have their ever-popular fossil molding and casting station where youngsters can create their own fossil reproductions.
They will have a "touch-cart" where kids can see, feel, and hold a wide array of Pleistocene fossils, such as a 60,000 year old mammoth tusk, horse teeth, crocodile scoots, and bones from manatees, camels, and deer. There will also be a station where kids can create their own trilobite masks and make paper models of trilobites.
HMNS will also be loaning for display a truly mammoth-sized Mammoth skull. Complete with tusks, this full-size reproduction is over 12 feet long. No wonder they call them mammoths!
Finally, they will have a display of "living fossils" to thrill young and old alike. Did you know that insects are from the Permian/Triassic (represented by a dragonfly and a live giant hissing cockroach)? Reptiles are from the Mesozoic era (represented by snakes [Cretaceous], lizards [Triassic], and an alligator [Triassic]).
Precious Metal Clay™ (PMC) is a revolutionary new craft material developed and patented by Mitsubishi Materials Corporation of Japan. It feels like potter's clay, but when objects are fired in a kiln, they are transformed into pure precious metal! The secret is microscopic particles of silver and gold suspended in an organic binder that burns out to leave solid metal.
Texas PMC is Cheryl Lucas’ company. She teaches PMC classes and creates her own PMC pieces. She will be demonstrating the art of PMC creation at the HGMS show using her own kiln. You can even have her mold pieces for you during the show.
To contact her to arrange for classes or jewelry fabrication, e-mail her at bach_art@sbcglobal.net
This is always a very popular stop at our show. The Dino Dig consists of real as well as plastic fossils and gemstones set into concrete, waiting for kids to excavate them! We provide safety goggles, hammer, and chisel to use for the excavation. Because of a large number of people wanting to try their luck at excavating, there is a time limit during high-traffic times so that everyone gets a chance.
The Mineral Section of HGMS will provide a display of fluorescent minerals for public viewing, along with a “dark room” for viewing these exotic and colorful specimens. These minerals glow in the dark under ultraviolet light in a wide variety of stunning colors. Be sure not to overlook this special “light show” treat.