Saturday, November 30, 2013

ESCAPE

This was a rather fun piece for me. It is a self portrait at 10 years of age. References include a menagerie of much loved characters such as Stormy Misty's Foal, Kavik the Wolf Dog and cast members of Peterson's field guides to birds, insects, reptiles and amphibians.
Perched on my shoulder is what was my ever constant companion, a hand-raised starling named Chicken Hawk.
Today I live with yet another orphaned starling named Birdy and I still love to escape into books. Not much has changed really!

Hand drawing (portrait)
as well as photo transfer for the starling, frog, butterflies and wolf.
Hand and machine stitching.
Prisma color pencil and textile medium throughout.

With special thanks to Laura Kemshall who taught me that sketching is not just for paper.






By Heidi Wulfraat



8 comments:

  1. We can easily see the appeal of that photo. You have combined it in a unique way with many of your childhood 'friends'. I am glad you still escape in the same way now.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love your portrait. You have managed to incorporate many different elements successfully into a well balanced design.

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a great place to escape in your childhood where everything is like magic. I love your thoughtful creativity and your talents also shine through. A wonderful piece of art. You were such a pretty little girl.
    JB

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow, Heidi -- this is a very special piece . There's so much more to this than just a girl escaping into the stories of her book. There are your favorite characters, your orphaned bird, your love of art, your current passion for rescuing orphaned birds.... the list goes on. I believe this should be an heirloom

    ReplyDelete
  5. Great concept, Heidi and such great execution, the background makes your self portrait take on a 3D quality, seeming to come out from the piece. It reminds me a bit of Alice in Wonderland, another story of escaping into a magical land. I could look at this for a long time and enjoy all the elements you have included.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Heidi, this is so wonderful. It evokes so many memories of your childhood. It's like the beginning of an autobiography in textile!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wow, wow, wow! What an amazing piece of work.There is nothing like hand drawing! You must be so pleased with your result.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Stunning Heidi, a complete escape into fantasy. It captures the magic and mystery of childhood

    ReplyDelete