Project

Project in progress- altered doll head for garden.

I have decided to just go ahead and be as 'colorful' as I want- and that includes turning the yarden at Tanglewood into an environment.  Of course, it wins hands-down as a natural environment, over grown and wild, full of life- but I mean an art environment.  I am horrid at gardening, but I am good at art- and this seems like a fun thing to do.  And it is a project for *me*- not because I *have* to do it to meet someones standards and deadlines, but because I *want* to do it.  Now, trick is just making time for it, and not turning it into another albatross.  

Sunday I began- not that I didn't have anything else to do- a multitude of school work for the new semester at both schools, plus the writing-that-I've-been-avoiding, plus the portrait of Meg (I hate painting portraits- just sayin), plus a request to redesign the HOSA flag for school (In my spare time before Wednesday), plus wash the dishes, pay the bills, the regular lump and bump of the house hold.   So, I put on my apron and worked back and forth between school work and creative work- and yes, right now it is creepy, but I have a vision for this doll's head.

The head itself is one of those large plastic Barbie heads for little girls to learn how to style hair and apply cosmetics.  I acquired it at an auction long ago, already 'beautified' by some girly somewhere.  I took it to school, where it hung out until it became 'zombified' as part of last years 'Zombies ate my Homework' project.  After the project was over, it ventured all over the school hiding in strange places, happily startling everyone...but then I decided that it's time has come, and it is ready for a new life.  (Don't worry- the zombie head has been replaced with the werewolf hand- sporting a French Manicure-) 

In my hoard of pinterest images I have one of a similar head that was placed in a garden, hollowed out and used as a planter with 'chia-pet' type hair.  I like the idea, but decided to do it my way- and transform the head into a faux metal/stone 'sculpture' that will rest in the yarden and be covered with vines.  I cut off the long hair (matted it was, and a mixture of original blonde, zombie green and black) and spray painted the whole thing black.  The face itself had been altered during the zombie project- wax was added, parts filed off, scratches all over- which is great because it makes the whole effect more believably weathered. I have been working over it with layers of paint- black, white, bronze- and powdered sepia worked into the wax.  The crockpot is on and I am using more wax to build or seal areas, playing, playing until I get it the way I want to.  Then the whole thing will be clear coated (not shiny, satin- so it has that dull luster of old metal/stone).  When I find the right place in the yarden, I will train vines (we have vines a-plenty) to climb up over it's head creating the hair.  It will probably still be a bit creepy, but hopefully in a good way-

Other things I want to do is rehang the teacup tree (took them down to wash them and they never made it back up), bedazzle the frog prince, do something with the ponies and the bell jars.  We already have a bottle tree, vine-covered chair, pink flamingo (slightly faded), cauldron of flowers and 'magic tower'- the strange metal triangle tower with the giant blue glass globe on top. I want our yarden to be weird and wonderful, one of those places that create curiosity.  I want to just have some fun~