Primitive St. Nick in His Army Issued Wool!

I love the process... 

A Styrofoam ball, some masking tape, a wood dowel, linen fabric, 

rubber stamps, black jasper beads, and paper clay!

My little other-worldly "alien" begins to take on a personality of his own. 

(love that smirk!)

A paper clay beard was a late add-on, after base-coating.

A little color and some dry-brushing...

Keep the layering coming... tone it down.

And throw in his Army issued wool blanket hooded coat...

His little lantern was made using a “candle” or “smoke graining” technique, 

which was popular between 1790 and 1890.

It has both the look and feel of aged metal... 

using nothing more than a brown grocery bag and white glue! 

Little red boots in a pile of shimmering German glass glitter snow...

What can I say?

Rusty bells and a paper clay heart... wool mittens too!

He stands 17 inches high... from the top of his rusty star hood

to the checkerboard, square-head nail and wire base.

Thank you for stopping by... Daryle

Ida P. the Pumpkin Keeper!

I recently have been exploring my primitive folk art roots...

Ida P. the Pumpkin Keeper is the result!

She is a one-of-a-kind grunge primitive doll.  She is a stately 21 inches long when hanging... or she's happy to just sit on the mantle.

Her eyes are black quartz (miss-sized) beads, she has an Osnaburg body that is coffee, vanilla and cinnamon stained; with applied decorative tissue papers to her legs and upper body.  Theatre gauze, linen and cotton clothing.

Did you notice the little seed packet tucked away in her apron pocket? 

She is signed & dated   

Cost: $65. SOLD…she has found a new home Thank you!

(includes shipping within the continental US)

Send me an e-mail if you're interested in giving Ida a new home!

Blessings... Daryle

Forlorn Faerie!

Well… it's been far too long in the coming…

a new post!

Retirement and moving (albeit only 1/2 mile)

have preoccupied my thoughts, time and energy

these past eight months!

Between packing boxes, unpacking boxes…

Downsizing (from a four bedroom house)

to a two bedroom apartment…

Well, Katie and I find ourselves in a good place!

In a word: Blessed!

Forlorn Faerie will be part of a special show:

"Midsummer Night's Dream"

opening this coming Friday, August 17th

at the Riverfront Renaissance Center for Art! 

(He will join "Butterfly Boy"…) 

Forlorn is a (vintage) photo transfer

on Osnaburg fabric, embellished with

theatre gauze, muslin, vintage buttons

and a skeleton key.

You would think he could have smiled for the camera!

Vintage Drawer Reliquary Doll

Well, eight months later... and I've finally

finished my mixed media doll: "The Butterfly Boy!"

Emerging from a chrysalis made with mulberry papers, 

dyed netting, glass beads and rusty wire.

My $4 find at the "Art of Recycle" store in Ephrata, PA

has gone from this...

To this... covered with decorative tissue papers

using paper maché, adding a print of a Monarch butterfly, 

and a vintage kitchen soap holder with a dangling chrysalis.

I sculpted a basic chrysalis shape using paper-clay

and then covered it with a photocopied print from

an actual chrysalis, using paper maché paste. 

Final touch: adding additional gold dots and highlights.

It seems to be a universal theme: "Transitions!"

Be blessed... Daryle

September? Summer Slipped By Me...

Our summer here in South Jersey has been full...

Visits from out-of-state family... 

Lots of time with our grandsons both here and up in Vermont...

Gardening...

But also... that creative muse continues to tease me.

(and I'm O.K. with that!)

I snapped this pic of Katie's favorite potted coleus, 

just as the sun was going down!

Underwater Wonders!

We took our grandsons to the Adventure Aquarium this past week...

I captured (well, on my iPhone) these alien visitors.  

Hmmmm, I suppose the truth is: I was the alien... in their world!

In life's ebb and flow here in South Jersey; 

my creative bent has taken a needful retreat!

Be blessed... Daryle

Along the Fence...

One of my favorite Robert Frost quotes:

"Don't ever take a fence down, until you know why it was put up."

These photos of our flower garden, were just now taken 

along our neighbor's split-rail fence...

Now I understand why the fence shouldn't come down:

We share with this dear neighbor our faith, our flowers, 

and...

her fence provides the perfect photo-shoot background!

We've been very slack here...on posting.

Thank you for stopping by!