Chandra's Box of Stars

Thistledown Grinberry

A new faerie creature has taken up residence here in my studio, a ten and a quarter inch elf named Thistledown Grinberry.

 
He is a one of a kind sculpt in a professional grade polymer clay, and he has been hand painted with Genesis Heat Set Paints.

 
He wears a silver duponi silk shirt, and pants made of fabric that was hand woven by my mother, Southern Highland Guild Artist Peggy Cerchione.

 

The wool felt vest has been needle felted.

 
Back view of the needle felted vest.

 
His hair is a wonderful mix of specialty fibers!  Thanks for looking!

Garden Variety Goblin: Pumpkinhead with a Bowler Hat on a Pumpkin

I'm a little late in posting this, as the new July 31st sale at the EHAG Emporium obviously went up a few days ago.  Below is my offering, but please be sure to click the EHAG link to see what the other fabulous EHAG artists still have on offer.

 
This Garden Variety Goblin is dressed to the nines in his spiffy green bowler hat, ready for a spook-tacular evening on Hallowe'en Night!

 
A one of a kind piece sculpted in polymer clay, this pumpkinhead in a bowler hat has been hand painted with Genesis Heat Set Paints and wrapped in mohair yarn.

 
His wool felt pumpkin has been embellished with free motion embroidery (a technique that involves manipulating the fabric beneath a moving sewing machine needle to literally "draw" with thread) and hand beading.

 
On the back of his pumpkin the pumpkinhead stands at about five inches tall.

To see this and more of my work, please visit my Etsy Shop!  Thanks for looking!

Thistledown: A Goblin of Gleeful Glen

Welcome to the Gleeful Glen!! Here is one of the Glen's rarely spotted denizens: the young goblin known to his friends by the name of Thistledown, for as the lovers of Faerie know faerie creatures must never reveal their True Names. To know a faerie's True Name is to have power over him or her!

 

If you leave out saucers of milk and hunks of cheese, Thistledown might eventually be persuaded to share his True Name, but do not offer him a present, or he will be sure to quit your home, never to return!

 

Thistledown is a one of a kind sculpt made of the best quality polymer clay. He has been wrapped with wool fibers, and has a ruff made of specialty fibers.

 

His wig comes from 100 percent wool, and his striped knit hat has been trimmed with a ball of wool felt.

 

Thistledown stands at a very proud 7 1/2".

 

Thistledown is currently available on Etsy.  Thanks for looking!

Miss Chronika Crumpet: A Faerie From the Unseelie Court

New for the June EHAG Emporium sale is Miss Chronika Crumpet!  Miss Chronika is a mischievious goblin girl who rides with the wild Unseelie Court of Scottish folklore every Hallowe'en night! 

 

She is a OOAK sculpt in polymer clay, finely painted with Genesis Heat Set Paint, and is dressed in pure dupioni silk, wool felt, sari fabric and trims.

 

Miss Chronika Crumpet carries a hand sculpted pumpkin-headed basket to frighten the unsuspecting populace throughout the countryside!

 

She is priced at $375 (plus $10 shipping), and is available through Etsy.

 

Please check out more wonderful Hallowe'en art offered through the EHAG Emporium!

 

Thanks for looking!

Wow!! It has been since April since I last blogged! Well, it has been a very busy time, with two back-to-back shows: the Spring 2011 Tennessee Artists Craft Association (TACA) Show was held May 6-8 at Centennial Park in Nashville, TN, and artfusion occured only about three weeks later on June 3-4 at the Factory in Franklin, TN! Here is a shot of Franklin show:

Miss Biddy Boggle for the March EHAG Emporium Sale

Last night new items went on display online for the March 31st EHAG Emporium sale!  The Eclectic Halloween Artists Group is a highly juried organization consisting of professional artists, a group that I joined July of last year.  My contribution is my pumpkin-headed witch, Miss Biddy Boggle!

 
Biddy is the traditional name for a doll constructed from the last sheaves of a harvest, meant to ensure a good harvest for the following year. A boggle is a type of faerie creature not known for helping or harming humans, but for causing general confusion and mayhem. Hence you have Miss Biddy Boggle!

 
Miss Biddy Boggle is a OOAK sculpt in polymer clay painted with Genesis Heat Set Paints, 8".

 
 She is wrapped with mohair yarn and is dressed in tulle and a hand-dyed silk ribbon.

 
Her bodice is a fabric sandwich of tulle, silk and Angelina fibers, embellished with free motion embroidery.
 
Miss Biddy Boggle is available for sale at My Etsy Shop.

 
Thank you for looking!!  Goodbye!

Pumpkin-Headed Witch Work in Progress

Here are a few pictures illustrating the development of my eight inch tall polymer clay witch. 

 

In the second image she is pictured unpainted with a polymer clay goblin.

 

Now she is shown with her first coat of paint.

 

Finally the painting is finished, and she has been wrapped with mohair yarn. 

 

Next step will be to costume her!

Works in Progress

Here's a quick look at some of the things that I'm working on:

 
These are wool felt ornaments embellished with free motion embroidery, awaiting hand beading and either a pixie or pumpkin-headed rider.

 
This the beginning of what will be a pumpkin headed witch!

 
 
And finally this is a work in progress pic of my Little Red Riding Hood.

Goblin Fruit: The March EHAG Ghosts and Goblins Challenge!

 
Hi Folks!  For the month of March EHAG members were challenged to create an original piece of art inspired by the theme of ghosts and goblins.  I decided to also take inspiration from the poem Goblin Market by Christina Rossetti, the 19th century poet and sister of Pre-Raphaelite painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti.  The poem has at it's heart the folkloric proscription of eating faerie food.  Anyone foolish enough to eat faerie food is doomed to forever pine after it.  Here is a quote:

"We must not look at goblin men, / We must not buy their fruits:
Who knows upon what soil they fed / Their hungry thirsty roots?"

Here is my version, entitled Goblin Fruit!  He is a OOAK sculpt in polymer clay that has been painted with Genesis Heat Set Paints.  My Goblin is dressed in dupioni silk, needle felted wool felt, silk ribbon, wool felt balls, and his trousers are made from a fabric that was hand woven by my mother, Peggy Cerchione.  His wig is made from specialty fibers, and he stands at almost 13 inches with his hat.  He is available for sale on Etsy.  Thanks for looking!

 

 
 
 
 
 

Making Pixies

Getting ready to bake...