Mendocino County Exhibit - Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

The display itself was a walk-through display, with a little pathway. The first thing to do was to build some platforms for the different sections, all according to Richard's tiny paper model.

In the foreground, a short island was taking shape.

Martin built the frames for three tall redwoods. These would be draped with cloth and painted to look like redwood trees.

Here the tree skeletons are temporarily placed in front of the Skunk train to plan their spacing.

The entire display was designed to look like natural rock, and one of the best ways to achieve that look is to spray the entire exhibit with expanding foam.

Spraying expanding foam onto plywood isn't good enough, unless you want the display to look like it was built out of popcorn. The best technique is to use metal screen, which can be folded and bent to look like a rocky landscape.  In this photo, metal screen has been stapled to the edge of the island platform. It will be bent down and stapled to the plywood on the floor.

Eric worked all day stapling metal screen to the wooden platforms, carefully crimping and creasing it to give a natural, complicated appearance. 

In this photo most of the screening is done. I've added some little round platforms to hold signposts and a grapevine in the front.

Here is a close-up of the metal screen crumpled to look like rock. Richard's paper model is behind it. Click on the photo to see a larger version.

Before the spray foam is shot at the screen, we had to cover the floors,  Some foam shoots through the screen, so we had to go behind the rock and cover back there too. In this photo Nina's daughter is crouched under the screen in this confining, yet mosquito-free prison. 

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