Totem Dolls...

and tiny journals, were what I made on Wednesday. Ukraina, in the photograph, surprised me a little...the leaf, as a headdress reminded me of traditional dress in the Ukraine, so hence her name. I also found myself making little folded books, pocket sized, that you could use to journal, say, on a visit to somewhere (like I visited the Salthouse exhibit, yesterday), so that you caught the essence of the day in little notes and sketches. The little book stands on its own, with the outside covered in pattern and colour, and the inside also painted, ready for notes and sketches, no scary white paper to put you off! These are smaller versions of the book I made at the workshop a couple of weeks ago. Every way you look at it, there is a different thing to see, and the same as you begin to unfold it. Inspiration in the palm of your hand...or so I hope. Must take one with me, and see. More about them on the other blog...


Returning to the dolls; I have much bigger twigs to work with, or perhaps they should be called little branches...I'm contemplating making totem dolls that will sit outside, to watch how they change over time as they deteriorate, as will their clothes...returning to the earth, completing the cycle. Not every piece of art can live for ever, and sometimes it's good to make something that is intended to reflect growth and change, as these dolls will. I may not be the greatest of gardeners, but the totems would be a spot of colour all year round...and they won't need watering, either!