Grimm’s
Grimm’s Fairytales became a subject for a series of works where I could investigate imagining Grimm’s characters, and creating new dimensional compositions, stretching the work beyond the clay figure, constructing, and painting the backgrounds for the tales.
The impetus for this series began as I reflected on my first years of teaching with a close colleague, Janet Davies. We would use Grimm fairytales to motivate our students as they made their own papier mâché hand-puppets, teaming with other students to design and paint their own scenery, and perform their plays for their class and others.
Hare's Bride Puppet Show (from Brother's Grimm)
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oxide-stained clay and colored pencil, gouache painted background, calligraphy, fabricated "stage".
Dimensions: 36" height, 12" width, 9" depth
Red and Big Bad (from Brother's Grimm)
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oxide-stained clay figures, colored pencil, gouache painted background, fabricated background, mixed media
Dimensions: 17" height, 18" width, 9" depth
Rumpelstiltskin (from Brother's Grimm)
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clay, colored pencil, gouache; fabricated structure, painted and dimensional setting
Dimensions: 29" height 20" width 7" depth
Three Grimm Tales; The White Snake, Girl with No Hands, The Juniper Tree
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These small 'Italianate-style' versions of Grimm's Tales illustrations are begin as oxide-stained clay, colored pencil, and a metallic wax patina on each to highlight and compliment aspects of the illustrations. Girl with No Hands also has a pair of silver wings.
Dimensions: 12" - 14" height, 8" width 2 - 3" depth