Peregrine Falcon

May I introduce Peregrine Falcon my most recently completed needle felted wall figure. Often I am inspired by music and that was the case for Peregrine. The piano of David Lanz  "The Enchantment" from his Painting the Sun album started this journey and along the way I was accompanied by other pianists- Michelle Mclaughlin, Rick Seaton and Joe Bongiorno to name but a few.

She is approximately 27 inches long from the top of her antlers to the tips of her toes.
She is my first forest creature but certainly not my last- so fun to create!
Her antlers are made from paper clay which I painted some brown highlights on and then varnished. Her head and arms are needle felted wool, her torso is stuffed cotton and her legs are stuffed cotton skinned with needle felted wool.

I picked up the material for her skirt at my last Tart's meeting. Often members will bring fabrics from their stash to put out for the taking. I picked up this piece and a second somewhat similar piece that I plan on using for a second forest character in the future.  I think it is a polyester blend but it has the feel of velvet. Her cowl is actually a piece of velvet. Her blouse is sheer nylon that frays very easily making it quite nasty to work with but I wanted to give her a bit of a frayed look which is very difficult for me as I tend to tailor everything- even when I don't want to somehow it ends up tailored.
Her hair is  pure wool yarn that is loosely felted. The falcon is perched on a black leather protector made from part of an old glove. All the ribbons are pure silk. Her satchel is wool with a rawhide strap. Inside it I've enclosed part of the poem- Walking Through the Woods on a Snowy Eve by Robert Frost.

Peregrine

I am close to completing my 12th wall doll so I thought I would photo just a tiny bit today...

It's a Peregrine Falcon that sits on the arm of a very lovely forest creature. Her name will be Peregrine following the tradition of using the letter P to begin each wall doll's name. This little falcon is just 4 inches tall from the very tip of its blinder feather to claws (which I will be cutting back once I determine how to attach it). I initially made the bird without the blinder so it actually does have  eyes but then didn't think it looked formidable enough so I attached the headgear. I like it better now.

Wolves

An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life.  “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. “ It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.  One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego”. He continued, “the other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.  The same fight is going on inside you – and every other person, too.

The grandson though about it and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”

The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

WIP- these wolves are almost finished. I just put the color on the seated one and have not completed some of the detail work but as I had a Tart's meeting yesterday and shared them at the meeting I feel it is ok to post today. Mary Ellen Maney, a member of the Tart's, supplied the above story which I do love.

End of the Rainbow Exhibition

Currently I have two wall figures on exhibition at League of NH Craftsmen headquarters, Concord New Hampshire. It is the first time I have put my wall figures in a gallery and they were very well received- selling both the day before the opening reception!

June Dog: Jolene

A friend of mine, a fellow Tart's member, sent me a picture of her workmate's dog and asked if I would make a felted figure of her- Jolene. Here is the picture:

What an incredibly beautiful dog! Also, such a challenge for me- the black becomes literally blinding after a while when working with it. Sounds crazy I know, but I had to keep repositioning it while working because all the black tended to obscure the details. Anyway, enough excuses, here is my interpretation of Jolene.

May Dog: Beagle

I just made it under the wire. Here is my May dog of my "dog a month" challenge. He is a cute beagle. I hope you like him too.

 And here he is in my hand so you can gauge his size...  

 I never realized a beagle's tail stood higher than its head until I researched them for this project. I guess you learn something new every day.

Possibilities

Please welcome my most recent figure: Possibilities

As I am just now venturing out into the world with my figures I feel this wall doll represents my current place in time. She is a strong figure with her high top laced boots and lambswool hat. She also wears a bit of body armor for protection from the more cruel elements she may face in the world. But she is fearless in her draped plaid and ready to try new experiences.

Possibilities
24 inch Wall Figure