Feb 25, 2009

Baba Yaga




The Witches of the world theme has a winner, and no its not me lol, which is just as well the person I voted for did win, and she is much deserving of it. If your not familiar with Arlene, check out her work on Ebay: dreamedbyarlene

Arlene has not only inspired me, she brought back a wonderful memory from my childhood. When I was little they used to have these book mobiles go around and my mother would take me to pick out books. I found an old Russian Fairy tale of a witch named Baba Yaga. (and you wondered why I am so demented and full of Halloween spirit all year long lol) The story was so captivating to me that every time we visited the book mobile that is all I would check out. My mother would read it to me every night and finally she decided to buy the book lol. I want to share some of the story here, as well as the pics of Arlene's work, she chose Baba Yaga as her witch, and all I can say is WoW! It is a wonderful OOAK original sculpt.




Baba Yaga
O nce upon a time an old man, a widower, lived alone in a hut with his daughter Natasha. Very merry the two of them were together, and they used to smile at each other over a table piled with bread and jam, and play peek-a-boo, first this side of the samovar, and then that. Everything went well, until the old man took it into his head to marry again.

So the little girl gained a stepmother. After that everything changed. No more bread and jam on the table, no more playing peek-a-boo around the samovar as the girl sat with her father at tea. It was even worse than that, because she was never allowed to sit at tea at all anymore. The stepmother said that little girls shouldn't have tea, much less eat bread with jam. She would throw the girl a crust of bread and tell her to get out of the hut and go find someplace to eat it. Then the stepmother would sit with her husband and tell him that everything that went wrong was the girl's fault. And the old man believed his new wife.

So poor Natasha would go by herself into the shed in the yard, wet the dry crust with her tears, and eat it all by herself.

Then she would hear the stepmother yelling at her to come in and wash up the tea things, and tidy the house, and brush the floor, and clean everybody's muddy boots.

One day the stepmother decided she could not bear the sight of Natasha one minute longer. But how could she get rid of her for good? Then she remembered her sister, the terrible witch Baba Yaga, the bony-legged one, who lived in the forest. And a wicked plan began to form in her head.

The very next morning, the old man went off to pay a visit to some friends of his in the next village. As soon as the old man was out of sight the wicked stepmother called for Natasha.

"You are to go today to my sister, your dear little aunt, who lives in the forest," said she, "and ask her for a needle and thread to mend a shirt."

"But here is a needle and thread," said Natasha, trembling, for she knew that her aunt was Baba Yaga, the witch, and that any child who came near her was never seen again.

"Hold your tongue," snapped the stepmother, and she gnashed her teeth, which made a noise like clattering tongs. "Didn't I tell you that you are to go to your dear little aunt in the forest to ask for a needle and thread to mend a shirt?"

"Well, then," said Natasha, trembling, "how shall I find her?" She had heard that Baba Yaga chased her victims through the air in a giant mortar and pestle, and that she had iron teeth with which she ate children.

The stepmother took hold of the little girl's nose and pinched it.

"That is your nose," she said. "Can you feel it?"

"Yes," whispered the poor girl.

"You must go along the road into the forest till you come to a fallen tree," said the stepmother, "then you must turn to your left, and follow your nose and you will find your auntie. Now off with you, lazy one!" She shoved a kerchief in the girl's hand, into which she had packed a few morsels of stale bread and cheese and some scraps of meat.

Natasha looked back. There stood the stepmother at the door with her arms crossed, glaring at her. So she could do nothing but to go straight on.

She walked along the road through the forest till she came to the fallen tree. Then she turned to the left. Her nose was still hurting where the stepmother had pinched it, so she knew she had to go on straight ahead.

Finally she came to the hut of Baba Yaga, the bony-legged one, the witch. Around the hut was a high fence. When she pushed the gates open they squeaked miserably, as if it hurt them to move. Natasha noticed a rusty oil can on the ground.

"How lucky," she said, noticing that there was some oil left in the can. And she poured the remaining drops of oil into the hinges of the gates.

Inside the gates was Baba Yaga's hut. It wasn't like any other hut she had ever seen, for it stood on giant hen's legs and walked about the yard. As Natasha approached, the house turned around to face her and it seemed that its front windows were eyes and its front door a mouth.

(must edit for length) You will have to check out the book to read the rest of this story...


Arelen's Sculpt is now available on Ebay!

Feb 17, 2009

Witches of the World Theme Challenge

One of my groups is doing a challenge this month entitled "witches around the world" for the theme. I did a painting for this challenge that was so much fun, its called "the Celtic Witch". I wrote a poem for it as well that is written on the back of the painting. Dancing as if no one is watching...


"The Celtic Witch
Who dances her jig
Until the eve of Morrow,
Her heart is light and full of song
she can not bother with sorrow"

Here she is...
celticwitch1
To My Ebay Listings click Here

Feb 16, 2009

Friday the 13th..

The most evil superstitious day of the year...Friday the 13th, and well it went according to planned for me lol. My washer broke not to mention with sopping wet comforter in it. So off to the bathtub the quilt went and off to the store I went singing to the tune of 330 bucks I now am the proud owner of a new washing machine. Yikes! not cheap are they?

Valentines Day was next and I will skip that, it was a rough day for me as some of you know. Dealing with grief of lost loved one is not easy. However my lovely friends had comments to send, cards and little notes of inspiration to give me and I am very blessed to have all of you! Sunday was much better I got a valentine from my son as a surprise when I went to his art exhibit at the school. It was on display. He did a Oaxaca sculpture of a spider of course, an aceo lol ( I couldn't believe they were teaching that in art!) Mexican tinware, and my favorite was his Chinese bamboo brush paintings. I am framing that one!

Anyway, I promised eggs and here they are, my primitive Easter Blessings Eggs. I am working on some chocolate ones as well. Who knows what else will pop up with spring?

hugs to all,
Heather
BFeggs8

Feb 11, 2009

Spring Is In The Air...


OK, so spring has her own ideas about when she should finally arrive. I am catching spring fever anyway in hopes to help push her along some. Saturday was beautiful out in the 50's and it was nice for the kids to play outside all afternoon. I think we all have cabin fever. They are calling for snow this weekend huh?!? I hope not.
This weekend is Valentines day already! I have sold out on almost all of my valentine stockings and have been working on a few custom orders.

I am looking forward to a artist challenge soon, I will let everyone know when that is under way. I can't wait to see what all the artists will come up with. It has not been decided on yet what the theme will be but you guys will be the first to know.

Whats new???
Spring and Easter that will be next so to start them off I have been crafting away and who would have thought carrots would be in such demand lol. I can't keep these things from flying out the door but they are so fun to make. My dad actually thought they were real carrots lol. So here are a few pics of my spring carrots, Hope you all like them. I am off to stuff a witch into the oven but will be back later to post my new easter eggs!

Have a beautifully creative day!
hugs,
Heather

Feb 2, 2009

One of those mornings

Its one of those mornings after... where you have been up most of the night with a sick little one, thankful that there is pot of coffee brewing and if you can bend over without grunting, or your knees popping your no worse for ware.

After battling the sick kids two weeks ago, the colds and runny noses are starting up again. Ugh! I hate that. Spent last night with the baby in a steamy bathroom. she is so congested I had to give her decongestant and turn on the vaporizer. Its been so cold and with the heat up everything is so dry. I just hope it doesn't swoop through the house again.

Well they took my little guys picture for the paper and set him up with an ice cream party. The boy ate 10 bowels of ice cream lol. They asked him if he wanted more and he said "Im gonna eat til I puke" lol. Only mine. He didn't throw up by the way so that was good.

OK, here is the new project I was working on...had to take a break from all those witches for a bit, but these have inspired me to do witch dolls lol.
I started out with 3 and gave them all names from the 1800s. Isabella is the white one, Constance is the brown one, and Elijah is the black one. They are very extreme primitive stump doll angels and I am so happy with how they turned out. I ended up listing them on ebay but I am hoping to actually make a set for myself.

Still waiting not-so-patiently for spring!
Prim Blessings,
Heather

NEA2