Dandelion Dali

I am currently designing for the Shining Lights diamond design competition for which the theme is the Women of Africa. My interpretation is a dandelion and it's associated superstitions passed down as folklore from generation to generation of young girls.

I found this wonderful image of one of my favourite artists, Salvidor Dali, holding a larger than life dandelion "clock."

Also, as I type this (I kid you not) there is a dandelion diagrette between the "H" and "J "of my keyboard. Blurry evidencial photos to follow soon.

Beautiful paper doll art.

I found these gorgeous faery tale paper dolls while looking for Images of old Victorian bird cage toys. I feel somewhat inspired to draw and paint. I love the interactive element of these special works of art.

A New Year full of Old Things.

I work with the broad theme of Nostalgia but have found that this can branch into so many smaller or more specific themes. For a while I focused a lot on the aesthetic or visual side of nostalgia, with specific attention to the Victorian aesthetic, and ended up focussing more and more on smaller detail such as pattern and motif.
At the moment I am once again exploring a more iconic sort of referencing by using recognisable imagery. For this I am turning to folklore, faerie tale and nursery rhyme.
I see storytelling as an old tradition with an opportunity to reinterpret over and over again. Today folklore is told or at least hinted at in a number of different ways other than oral narrative, where it began. Illustrations, art, music, and (popularly now) movies, aside from those which are themselves a part of folklore, can reference it strongly in a more visual sense.
In recent years movies such as The Twilight Saga, Wolfman, Red Riding Hood, Ever After (an adaptation of cinderella) and Clash of the Titans, have shown that some folklore, as is it's nature, is timeless and continues to be relevant and well worth remembering and retelling.
I hope to retell some tried and tested folklore and also include some which has perhaps become folklore in more modern times.
I am busy working on some classical cameos with a twist- using folklore characters as the cameo subject.
I am also considering it an opportunity to include something which i have found difficulty with in meshing my Euro-nostalgic aesthetic. This being my background in dealing with the modern day San, who have told me so many of their own "fables" over the years. My aim is to, however subtly, make reminders of folklore, mostly by use of one or more recognisable characters or objects.
I think the "look" of my pieces will still be heavily influenced by the "olden-day" styles which I have previously tried to use.