artists copy: favourite things #80 'hanachozu'

For the festive season, I've added a couple of 'artist copy' pieces - works that I made to try something out or to use as reference for other pieces - they have never been for sale.

Artist's notes on style, materials and inspiration:

A large wood girl piece inspired by the Japanese 'hanachozu' or flower basins, where basins for purification at the entrances to shrines and temples have been filled with cut flower heads - sometimes just as decorations or as part of town-wide displays, but they were also used during the Covid19 pandemic to prevent people from scooping water and spreading the disease.

The girl has a mossy stone basin atop her head, with five tiny wood girls inside - each with a little chrysanthemum flower painted on top of her head. The girls dress is painted with a soft blue sky background and a display of chrysanthemums, as often seen in temple and shrine grounds during the autumn months. The chrysanthemum pattern is based on a painting on two silk panels believed to have been painted by Hokusai, and now in the collection of the Nagano Hokusai Museum.

Favourite Things girls are numbered on the base, this one is #80 - but she was my artists copy and has never been for sale before - she had a sister (no.#78) who was sold in 2023.

My 'favourite things' wood girl series share the places and things I love, a favourite motif, object or theme, or are inspired by a microseason. Turned from American Tulipwood, a sustainable and interestingly grained timber, the pieces are turned by a production wood turner in the UK to my designs, then added to and painted by me, a British artist. They are finished in a clear matt acrylic protective top coat.

This piece is approximately 25.5cm in height. The five tiny flower girls are 3.2cm.

My pieces are painted in a naïve and simple style, with visible brush strokes and differing paint consistencies. It is important to note that these dolls are made from real wood which will have naturally occurring markings and grain, and sometimes there will be small amount of bleeding along the grain, or knots, which is to be expected when using untreated wood - please make sure you consult the pictures carefully before purchasing.

PLEASE NOTE: Wood girls should be kept away from water which can damage the wood and painted surface, and also away from direct heat/ sunlight which also can affect the surface colour and the timber itself.