Camino de Santiago 2016

Every single one of us possesses the strength to attempt something he isn't sure he can accomplish. It can be running a mile, or a 10 k race, or 100 miles. It can be changing a career, losing 5 lbs., or telling someone you love her (or him).
-- Scott Jurek

Old age is the time to be dangerous. Dangerously fun loving, dangerously alive . . . This is the time to do every single thing we can possibly do with all the life we can bring to it. This is the time to live with an edge, with strength, with abandon. There is nothing for which to save our energy. Now it is simply time to spend time well.
-- Joan Chittister

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Wild Woman of the Woods


Finally got around to putting in some of my work and would love to have your comments.

The face-bead in this piece reminded me of the NW Coast Canadian First Nation tribes legend, “The Wild Woman of the Woods,” or Dzunuk’wa. According to the legend, she is a dark and hairy ogress with supernatural powers. Her almost blind eyes are large and sunken and she is usually portrayed making her wild call (“Uh, huu, uu, uu”) with her open mouth and thick red puckered lips.

Reminiscent of Hansel and Gretel, it is said that if children foolishly wander into the forest, the Wild Woman will capture them, take them to her remote house in the woods, and eat them. The Wild Woman has long, wild hair and wears a large basket on her back which contains the children that she caught. She is not considered very bright and usually the children are able to outsmart her in escaping.

The native masks that represent Wild Woman of the Woods are dark and ominous -- usually black with thick red lips and strings of black hair hanging down in her face. The face bead strongly resembles the traditional facial features of those masks. I wanted my Wild Woman to be less dark, so I concentrated on the wild hair and the leaves and the greens of the woods. I started with the antique frame and made the piece to fit it.

2 comments:

  1. Wonderful! She is glorious. I see mysterious and don't feel the evil at all. But then, I usually DO look for the positive. LOL

    Your beading is glorious. The frame is the perfect finish.

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  2. What a wonderful piece. I have just discovered your blog and will certainly start visiting. I was in the beading journal the last two years but didn't go in it this year. Lise blog funky beadingblogspot.com

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