Redwood Coast Creative Arts

Wild Caught Faerie I

She is the first in the Wild Caught Faeries series
She is trapped in our realm and quite distressed and disgruntled to be here. 
She has the key to the faerie realm but she can’t find the door.  She is certain that I know where it is.  She is always asking the other Mystical Beings to help her find the door and escape back to Faerie Land.

She is a Wild Forest Faerie and prefers to dance naked in the trees rather than being all dressed up in fancy finery.  She absolutely would not allow me to fix her wild mass of hair.  I was afraid that she might bite me so I just let her be! 


One of a kind, Hand sculpted polymer, hand painted , natural fiber hair, wire armature, Leather corset, silk and synthetic fabric

Lil’ Miss Moss Bit- Wee Wild Caught Faerie

At just 1.5” Lil’ Miss Moss Bit is the Teeny Weeniest  of all of the Wild Caught faeries in the series.

She is a Spring Sprout Faerie who sprouted out of a patch of moss that was growing around the roots of a tree.  Her home is in the forest in a made of rotten redwoods and mushrooms. She has a pet honey bee and feeds on honeycomb and lichen. She says that all of the trees look the same and can’t find her way back to Faerie Realm!

She is trapped in our mortal realm and lives in a little cage.  Don’t worry she can get out.  The bars are no match for her faerie magic!  She can come and go in and out of the cage as she pleases.  The bars are only symbolic of her being lost and then captured in our mortal realm!

One of a kind, Hand sculpted polymer, hand painted, wire armature, Knit fabric, faux fur hair


 

Sister Mari Isabel- The Catholic Nun

Sister Mari Isabel, The Catholic Nun

She was a favorite teacher at Saint Catherine of Alexandria's School for Orphans.  She taught literature, art, and music.  She played a guitar and sang songs about everything and anything.  no matter what the subject or lesson was Sister Mari Isabel always had a song to go along with it!
 
She was also a wine afficionado and so, when one of her students presented her with a lovely, red apple, she could hardly wait for the end of class.

Once the day of teaching lessons and singing songs was over and the children had all gone for the day, she popped the cork on her bottle of red wine and let it breathe, unwrapped her soft cheese from it's paper wrapper, polished her shiny apple on her habit and the anticipation of that juicy got the best of her.  She took a huge bite of her apple, much bigger than she was able to chew, and at that moment she realized that it was also to big to swallow.  Dear Sister Mari Isabel tried to call out for help but unfortunately, that only lodged the piece of fruit further down her throat. 

Everyone was in the dining hall, it was time for the evening meal.  By the time anyone noticed that she was missing it was to late.  A couple of children were sent back to get her and were terrified to find their favored teacher, Sister Mari Isabel, lying on the floor of the school house pointing to her throat.

Final face sculpt (well almost final).  After seeing this photo a re adjusted her brow a bit.  It was a little off.

Final paint

Pointing at her throat signifying the fact that she died choking on a piece of apple that was gifted to her by one of her beloved, students!

Sneak Peek: Mandy- The Gypsy Contortionist

The Wandering Gypsy Faerie

I was very fortunate to make it through the snow storm in the Sierras to take a cable mechanised puppetry workshop with Toby Froud in Reno, Nevada this past weekend. 

My usual 1-1/2 hour commute dragged out into a 6 hour adventure.  Not a very exciting, fast action adventure but a stuck on the road, in the mountains, in a snow storm, at a dead stop type of adventure!  Will I make it over the Summit tonight?  Will I get to sleep in a bed at the hotel or will I be stuck in the car for the night?  Will I make it to the workshop on time?  Will I be so burnt out from the journey that I am just not into the project?????  So, that was my adventure.  Not bad at all since I am the odd type of person that likes to push on through the uncertainty.  I get a kick out of it!!!

It all turned out just fine.  I made it to Reno by 10 PM, had a baked potato for dinner and headed off to bed.

Here is a pic of the head that I sculpted the first day of our workshop:

At this point she is a raw head of clay sculpted over a ball of aluminum foil.  At this stage she had not yet told me her story but I knew that she was a wise and wordly woman, of a certain age, and not a young pippy still green and wet behind the ears.

Even at this very "fresh" stage she held her head high and gazed upon the horizon of unlimited possibility...............................................................................................................

 

Here she is fully cured.  She found a body and got a little bit of sun.

Her close up

She hasn't told me her name yet but, I know that she travels and follows the whispers of the wind.  Perhaps once her eyes come through she will be able and willing to give me her name.

 

Orris Ruth- a Wild Caught Faerie

Here she is, Miss Orris Ruth (pronounced in Spanish Root, the "H" is silent).  Another member of  The Wild Caught Faerie Clan. 

Orris is the botanical name for Iris.  Miss Orris was formed from the root as it was curing in preparation for distillation for perfume.  The orris root is used in perfumes after drying and curing for up to five years.  It has a woody, violet like scent.  I use it in my natural hand made soaps.  It is also used in Morrocan cooking.  It has a raspberry-like flavor. 

She is the 4th in my Wild Caught Faerie series.  Although she appears to be locked up in her cage you should know that I would never be so cruel.  Those cage bars are no match for her faerie magic.  She could escape the cage at any time.  The bars are more symbolic of her trapped status.  You see, Miss Orris Ruth came out to play while her flower was in full bloom but neglected to get back into the bulb before the blossom faded and so, she is trapped, stuck here in our realm until her flower comes into bloom again next year.  

Orris Ruth is 2 3/4" tall when seated.  She is hand scuplted of polymer clay over a wire armature.  He tulle gown is hand sewn directly to her body.  Her hair is hand, dyed, Tibetan mohair which I applied directly to her scalp, her feather wings were also hand dyed to match her hair and the blossom from which she sprung from. 

The cage is manufactured but I distressed and patinaed it to give it a bit of old world charm.  She can be removed from her cage.  her arms can be repositioned.  The rest of her body is sculpted in a fixed pose.  

Noh Mask Hashi-hime

Hashi-hime- Face of a jealous woman.

The mask is based on the legendary woman in a Noh play called, Hashi-hime, who was driven by jealousy to drown herself. It features thicker eyebrows and reddish face.

I helped my niece, Marlesia, with this school project.  Her teacher talked her into giving it to her after the assignments were due back, What a jerk!  I'm flattered but, I'd rather she gave it to me!

It was all hand sculpted and formed 100% out of polymer clay and painted with acrylics. 

What's on my work bench?

Why a purple faerie WIP, of couse!

She is just 2 3/4" tall when seated.  She is a member of my Wild Caught Faerie Clan. 

I promise to post more pic's as she progresses along.  I will also try to get more information about her and her particular species.  I believe that she is a flower faerie, possibly related to the Begonia family or perhaps the Irises???  Some sort of bulb or tuberous flora is certain but, sometimes these little ones are very hard to understand.  They communicate at such high frequencies that sometimes it is down right painful to be in their presence!

Anyhow, here she is.  Please indulge her a bit.  She has been quite pampered, as she was born and raised in a comfy flower bed, and is quite used to being tended to regularly!

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Paint in progress

 

I Caught a Tiny Wild Faerie in my Garden

Wild Caught Faerie

My Wild caught faerie is 2 inches tall when seated, hand sculpted of polymer clay.  She has acrylic fur hair, acrylic "make-up, and natural fiber clothing painrd with acrylics.  She sits on a bed of soft, Spanish moss and her cage is manufactured.

Don't worry, She is only here as long as she wants to be.  Bars are no match for faerie magic.  Should she choose to fly off she easily could do so.  I will just enjoy her while it lasts.  I hope that you do too!

Little Miss Moss Bit. She is a wild caught faerie. The tiniest of all of the wild caught faeries. She lives in the forest in a home made of rotten redwoods and mushrooms. She has a pet honey bee and feeds on honeycomb and lichen.