Nature Spirit Art Doll
I was walking my dog through the park and spotted this beautiful red leaf on the ground. So I picked it up to bring home and display on my desk, as I sometimes do with lovely bits of flora I find on my walks. As I walked home I realized the veins on the leaf were quite pronounced and it occurred to me I could make a lovely texture plate from it, then use that to create raised leaf veins in clay pieces. I actually went straight to my clay work desk and made the plate right away.
This nature spirit doll bears the mark of the red leaf. The leaf has since faded and I released it back to nature, yet its mark lives on in this doll and other polymer clay items I’ll make in the future.
I grew up in the Indiana countryside and spent a lot of time outdoors. Now I live in the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia and am quite out of touch with nature, really. This doll reminds me that we must stay in touch with, and respect, nature.
I plan to share more about this doll in my next post … I just need to take some more photos first!
(This post relates to Art Doll number 10, Nature Spirit Doll, February 08, by Stacey Apeitos.)
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A beautiful work of art Stacey. Colours, facial expression, everything. Well done. It reminds me of a Nature Mystic - a facinating topic and one of my favorites. Regards, Arrigo.
very you, stacey, I will make it my responsibility to keep you advised of all things natural - do you need an update on the development of the contents of my compost bin? - thats very natural. Maybe a compost spirit doll? No, my red eucalypt flowers are much prettier. Jane
Thanks for the feedback, Arrigo and Jane. I’d love to say I hand modelled the face but it was made using a mold I created from a Buddha figurine I have here at home.
A compost spirit doll - that prompts some ideas! And I have seen a photo of your red eucalypt flower-inspired mini- art quilts, Jane and put this challenge to you: How about making a red eucalypt spirit doll, or an image of one on a mini-quilt? And what symbolic meanining might this spirit possess?
Oh! Ok…I have to do this to! Love the idea of making a plate from a leaf. I’ll have to put down the felting and pick up the clay again!