Another fairy tale inspired piece, this time from the brothers Grimm.  This is my twist on Red Riding Hood – the wolf is her companion.

Red Riding Hood walks through the night time forest

This wire and papier mache sculpture stands 28cm wide, 33cm high and 22cm deep.

Red Riding Hood with her companion

The figure is made from wire and papier mache, accompanied by the trees and her wolf she rises out of the book from which they are formed. Her hair is made from a soft viscose material which is gathered and ruched, then falls into a long plait. Her dress is 100% cream silk, with three buttons down the side. Flowing behind her, the vibrant red cloak is also 100% silk.

To find out more about the authors – the brothers Grimm and the fairy tale, try these Wikipedia pages – the authors or the fairy tale. If you would like to read the fairy tale, you’ll find it along with other fairy tales freely available in Kindle format and many more, here at the wonderful Project Gutenberg .  If you’ve lost your copy of the fairy tale and want to replace it or would like to buy a hard copy, try Amazon – Little Red Riding Hood

To purchase this item, please, visit Our Etsy Shop for further details.

I’ve been working on the “The Princess and the Pea” for what seems like ages but, she’s finally here.

The Princess and the Pea - Papier Mache, Wire and Fabric Sculpture.

Of course, she’s inspired by the well known Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale “The Princess and the Pea”. In the fairy tale, a young girl is revealed as a princess after claiming to have had a restless night, caused by a pea being placed under the multitude of matresses and featherbeds upon which she slept (the actual number was 20 matresses and 20 featherbeds – I stopped at 15 ).

The Princess and the Pea - Papier Mache, Wire and Fabric Sculpture

23cm wide, 33cm high and 16cm deep, the piece depicts a small princess wearing a billowing silk nightdress, awakeing from her restless slumber, yawning and streching as morning approaches.

The figure is made from wire and papire mache. Her hair is made from soft viscose, gathered and ruched, which falls in a lomg plait to the floor. Her nightdress is 100% silk – after all, she is a princess! On the rug are her discarded slippers, patiently made form little pieces of paper.

Now to the bed, it’s also made form wire and papier mache and sits atop a book as if coming alive from the story. A ladder sweeps in a curve to the top of the bed. Whilst her mattresses, each one individually handmade, come from all over the world - Indian cottons, Chinese silk and satins, beautiful cottons, linens and 100% cashmere. The sheets under which she lay, like her nightdress are made from 100% silk, overlayed with warm luxurious blankest made form vintage lace and cahmere.

The photos shown here, unlike the ones on Etsy, were taken against a dark background. I’m  not to sure which I like best, what do you think?

To find out more about the author – Hans Christian Andersen and the fairy tale, try these Wikipedia pages – the author or the fairy tale. If you would like to read the fairy tale, you’ll find it along with other Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales freely available in Kindle format and many more, here at the wonderful Project Gutenberg .  If you’ve lost your copy of the fairy tale and want to replace it or would like to buy a hard copy, try Amazon – The Princess and the Pea

To purchase this item, please, visit Our Etsy Shop for further details.

Art Dress Assemblage - What Katy Did

Art Dress Assemblage - What Katy Did

She’s been a while coming but here is the next in the series.

Please visit Our Etsy Shop for further details.

Tom said I should let everybody know that I’m still working on the Princess And The Pea.  I’ve made some of the mattresses and the bed frame.  The bed frame is not yet ready for public consumption but, in the interests of domestic harmony I’ve agreed to post some photos of the mattresses.  Hope you like them.  Quite a few more to go yet.

Princess And The Pea - Mattresses

Princess And The Pea - Mattresses

Princess And The Pea - Mattresses

Princess And The Pea - Mattresses

Princess And The Pea - Mattresses

Princess And The Pea - Mattresses

Art Dress Assemblage - What Katy Did

Art Dress Assemblage - What Katy Did

I did say there was more than one so, here is What Katy Did – number 3.  I always try to post extra photos to back up those I use on Etsy but, on this occasion they all turned out being somewhat the same. I didn’t want to just have repeats of those Etsy photos so, here instead is a video of What Katy Did – number 3.

Of course you can always pop over to Etsy to see the photo set, click here

Like Susan Coolidge wrote more than one novel about Katy, I’ve made more than one dress based on the original novel. 

Art Dress Assemblage - What Katy Did (2)

This is the second but, unlike Susan Coolidge, I didn’t want to call it What Katy Did Next.  Why? Because I’ve caught a Katy bug and I’m working on another.  This one may not be the last in this mini series so, if I were to name each dress after one of the Katy novels I’d eventually run out of names.

 
To findout more about the author – Susan M. Coolidge and the novel, try these Wikipedia pages – the author or the novel . If you would like to read the novel, it is avilable free and in several different formats, here at the wonderful Project Gutenberg. If you’ve lost your copy of the novel and would like to buy it again, then you can always try Amazon What Katy Did (Wordsworth Children’s Classics)

As usual the dress is available in my Etsy Store . If you like the bunting used in the photographs, it was made by my daughter and is also available on Etsy.

Now we’re in March I can see that spring has arrived; the delicate but hardy snowdrop has had its time, the bright yellow of our daffodils alluding to the spray of colours yet to come.

Daffodils mark the end of winter

This put me in mind of a poem by Sarah Chauncey Woolsey – Time To Go, the opening verse which reads:

They know the time to go!
The fairy clocks strike their inaudible hour
In field and woodland, and each punctual flower
Bows at the signal an obedient head
And hastes to bed.

So who was Sarah Chauncey Woolsey? We know her better for her novels rather than her poetry; to me her most well known novel was What Katy Did.  Have you worked out who she is yet? Of course, it’s Susan M. Coolidge.

Art Dress Assemblage - What Katy Did

Born January 29, 1835, Sarah Chauncey Woolsey worked as a nurse during the American Civil War (1861–1865), after which she started to write. What Katy Did, was published in 1872 under her pseudonym Susan M. Coolidge.

Art Dress Assemblage - What Katy Did

So far I’ve looked to classic English novels for the inspiration for my art dress assemblages. Perhaps now is the time to balance the books some, what better inspiration than What Katy Did – a novel about a 12 year old girl forever getting into scrapes but wishing to be beautiful and beloved.

To findout more about the author – Susan M. Coolidge and the novel, try these Wikipedia pages – the author or the novel .  If you would like to read the novel, it is avilable free and in several different formats, here at the wonderful Project Gutenberg.  If you’ve lost your copy of the novel and would like to buy it again, then you can always try Amazon  What Katy Did (Wordsworth Children’s Classics)

As usual the dress is available in my Etsy Store.  If you like the bunting used in the photographs, it was made by my daughter and is also available on Etsy.

Sculpture of Birds in Flight made from old Guiness cans

 Each Monday I teach an art group and each year they enter the competition at the Oriel Mon Gallery, here on the Isle of Anglesey.  Each year several of the group have their work accepted but, this year one of the group won the major prize with the work shown here and it has been sold.  Others in the group also sold pieces  and we’ve all been very excited.  Congrats to everybody!!!

 I did like the way the piece was lit, the shadows it cast on the nearby wall were very  intriguing.