First if all I must thank doll artist Paula Nerhus for so sweetly giving her blessing in posting these photos. She is a fabulous dollmaker of mostly one of a kind steampunk dolls, and a wonderful photographer to boot! I saw in a 2011 Art Doll Quarterly photos of a most fantastical dolly made by her and was challenged in myself to attempt one. These photos represent my attempt and in no way are meant to represent Paula's stunning work. Dryadia is 5'6" tall with her 24" tall cone hat. The little antique shoes are 6"Lx21/4"W. By the way, Paula said I did a wonderful job!
Dryadia comes from the word dryad in Greek mythology meaning tree nymph, that is a female spirit of a tree. In Greek drys signifies "oak". Thus dryads are specifically then "nymphs of oak trees". They are normally considered to be very shy creatures. They are believed to live in the forest and be the protector of those with 'pure spirit' who enter the forest.
Dryads like all nymphs, are supernaturally long-lived and tied to their homes, but some are a step beyond most nymphs. These are the 'hamadryads
' who are an integral part of their trees, such that if a tree dies,
the 'hamadryad' associated with it dies as well. For these reasons, dryads
and the Greek Gods punished any mortals who harmed trees without first propitiating the tree-nymp.
They can be rather curious creatures and though they dwell deep in the forest
they will sometimes drift near the edge where they can see the 'humans'
play. They are swift and fleeting and almost impossible to see. If you are able to spot a dryad in the trees it is said to be good luck.
Dryadia is 5'6" tall with her 24" tall cone hat. The little shoes are real antiques and are 6"Lx2 1/4"W. Her underslip and dress were made by hand-stitching and on my antique sewing machine. Her socks are sleeves cut from a child's lightweight vintage sweater. Dryadia is made of paper clay using my own special recipe. She is painted with artists acrylics and several coats of protective sealant. She was definitely a labor of love!
Happy Hunting!!
Oh, my Janice! What a charming doll Dryadia is! Her face is so sweet and I love her clothing. You never cease to amaze me with what you create. Wow! and Wow again! I adore her woodland fairy hat and her amazing shoes too!
ReplyDeleteYup, it's me!
Teresa
Hey Ladye!!! I hope you're having a grand week! I've been sort of down for a few days but I'm fighting my way back! I'm glad you like my big dollye and I especially appreciate Paula Nerhus allowing me post them. I had finished the doll almost 2 months ago and had to work up the nerve to contact Paula, as I would never have posted them without her permission. She was very nice and complimentary and encouraging. You must go to her blog and then you'll really swoon! I've been sort of down for a few days but I'm fighting my way back! She's amazing! Love and blessings, Jan
DeleteOh, my Janice! What a charming doll Dryadia is! Her face is so sweet and I love her clothing. You never cease to amaze me with what you create. Wow! and Wow again! I adore her woodland fairy hat and her amazing shoes too!
ReplyDeleteYup, it's me!
Teresa
She is truly fantastic, Jan (in a BIG way) ;-) !!
ReplyDeleteHow long it take you to create Dyadia? It's neat how you showed part of the process, as it is so much fun to see before's and afters.
Also, isn't it cool that you found out about the challenge and went for it?
Congtats to you!!
xox
Constance