(Eve, click on image to enlarge)
Ever on the lookout for artists to feature on Friday Favorites, I decided to walk down the path of the Endicott Studio blog, hoping to find artists in the Once Upon a Time II Challenge vein. It was a fruitful journey, yielding many a worthy artist. Given that the first Friday Favorite of the challenge period was Brian Froud and the fact that he was not actually featured on a Friday, it seemed only fitting to use today’s Friday Favorite to feature an artist whose work reflects the same nature spirit as the books and artists we have been discussing here over the past week or so.
Thus it is my great pleasure to introduce you to the works of artist Rachael Direnna.
(Eve, click on image to enlarge)
From her website:
“I am a self taught artist working mainly in paper mache. I make my own clay out of shredded papers (office paper,newspaper, etc) I like the idea of making something from nothing, starting from scratch kinda. I like the idea that I am recycling. But mostly I just love making stuff.”
(Leaf)
I truly enjoy three-dimensional art, especially when it has a folk/found art/hand crafted aura about it. That type of art has an accessibility to it that is not as readily found in, say, the two-dimensional oil paintings of the Masters. There is something about it that makes it at once attainable and yet as magical as all creative endeavors can be. Rachael Direnna’s pieces are richly textured examples of the creative spirit at work.
(Winter, click on image to enlarge)
Enchanting, aren’t they? I especially like the pictures she takes of her sculptures in amongst the nature from which they are inspired. These pieces are spiritual kindred to the art and literature we have discussed of late.
(click on image to enlarge)
Rachael Direnna describes her process thus:
“Many hours & quite a bit of work goes into every sculpture. I create each piece over a strong armature I construct myself using wire & found objects. The clay that I use is made by me as well. I shred junk paper (office paper, junk mail, newspaper, etc) soak it & mix it with paste & glue to make a pulp. I add calcium carbonate for strength & to buffer any acid in the paper. Each piece is sculpted in layers so that it dries completely & when finished is sanded, gessoed, painted, covered in decorative or handmade papers & then sealed.”
Incredible!
If you peruse her blog and her Flickr site you will see several variations of figures entwined. There is something so romantic in the graceful sweep of the figures and the way they intertwine. I especially like the patterns, like ancient runes, painted on these two figures.
I love trees so much that you could say it falls just short of worshiping them (I can hear you saying, “Lord! If he isn’t talking about Neil Gaiman, he’s always talking about trees!”). It is no surprise, then, that my first attraction to Rachael Direnna’s work had to do with the trees. Her tree people remind me of sculptural representations of a previous Friday Favorite artist, Virginia Lee. Whenever I pass a tree that looks like one of these wood nymphs I think of Ms. Lee, and now when that happens I will be thinking of both Lee and Direnna.
Don’t those last two images look like trees spreading their arms in worship of the sun?
Not only are Rachael Direnna’s creations a treat to look at because of their arc and flow, but they also have such amazing texture and attention to detail. They make you want to reach out and touch them, to run your hands along their shapes and curves and to examine every twist and turn and bend.
(click image to enlarge)
In addition to her many tree-based sculptures, Rachael Direnna does a variety of other works. For example I really like this much darker piece and its mixture of raven and man. This sculpture ties in so well with my recent Windling and de Lint reading.
This fairy is featured as a print and a set of cards from her shop
Yes indeed, Rachael Direnna is a talented artist with an eye for creations that evoke the mythological, fairy tale spirit prevalent in our reading during this spring literary journey. It is the kind of work that inspires creativity. I applaud what she has taught herself to do, it is simply wonderful.
There is such an essence of fun and whimsy to her pieces as well. Her sculptures provoke both mirth and melancholy, a combination I quite enjoy.
I hope you enjoyed Rachael Direnna’s work as much as I have. Please, visit her Flickr site and see all the many creations she has pictured there. There is so much more there that I do not have time to share here.
I like to support artists like Rachael and will be buying something from her site for part of a giveaway prize pack for future Once Upon a Time II contests.
In addition, I will be giving away your choice of print from Rachael Direnna’s store this week. To be considered for one set of greeting cards featuring images of Rachael Direnna’s creations, simply leave a comment here about what you like (or don’t) about this art. Feel free to discuss how you feel this work ties in to recent posts here about artist Brian Froud and the literary works of Terri Windling and Charles de Lint and/or how you feel this work connects with what you have been reading or watching lately. Drawing deadline is Monday, April 7th at 11:59 p.m. CST.
I enjoyed this opportunity to share Rachael Dinerra’s work with you, thank you so much for your support of artists and the joy, meaning, and inspiration that they bring into out lives. Rachael Direnna is a very talented and I look forward to keeping track of her creations via her blog.
(click image to enlarge)
Before we rush off to enjoy our weekends, as promised, I have drawn a winner for the Gaiman/Froud Instructions poster. And that winner is….
Congrats Valentina! Send me an email to cvincent68@comcast (dot) com with your address and as soon as the poster arrives at my humble abode I will redirect it your way!
Happy Friday Everyone!
These are breathtakingly beautiful, Carl, and, like you, I’m very drawn to the slender, twisting branches. Photo #8 is my favourite. At a glance, it could easily be a tree in my own park, except, on double take, you recognize the human form not so carefully hidden within. What a talent! Thanks! 🙂
Her work is simply awe-inspiring! This is the kind of art that speaks most deeply to me…anything that makes me feel the interconnectedness of people with nature, with all of this incredible world of which we’re just a small part.
Her shop was back up, I’m happy to say. I really fell in love with her Katydid print…think I’m going to have to drop a subtle (or not so subtle) hint to my husband about what might make a nice Mother’s Day gift 😉
I’m glad her shop is back up. Later today I’ll post a picture of the prize I am giving away.
love her Katydid and Tree Spirit!! they are so neat!! Guess it has to do with the fact I love trees and wood of any sort.. very creative indeed!!
Wow! These are wonderful!
These are amazing! I don’t know what I’d do without your friday favorites sometimes. I really wish she had a gallery close to me. I’d love to walk among these and see them in person. I literally enjoyed each and every one that you posted. Eve, Winter, The Raven, and the one right before the Raven have to be some of my favorites. She creates such great atmosphere with her pieces and brings them to life so well. I hope her shop is back up soon! Going to check now…
Oh, And congrats to Valentina!! That’s an awesome prize 🙂
Congratulations, Valentina!
These are amazing, Carl. Like you, I love the pictures of her creations among the trees…they almost seem to have sprouted out of the grown instead of having been made. They feel so…natural.
Carl – thanks for sharing this find! Rachael’s work is just incredible, I especially love her Christmas-themed creations. It really is funny how the spirit of her art blends so well with many of the highlights of this challenge – the Frouds, Terri Windling, etc.
Reminds me of that picture JennSee took of the tree, you remarked how much it look like a woman with her hair hanging down. Cyn
Very interesting work. I think I enjoy the piece entitled, Winter, the best. Thanks for shareing Carl!
Congrats to Valentina!
does that mean a different reply for the “new contest?” I did mention and will say again, I love trees and woods etc..so I have no problem with her inventive style of art! I do especially like the Katydid and wood spirit.. I would be fantastic to see them for real in 3D ! living with the “woody, woodland creatures” would be delightful I’m sure!
Nope, but thanks Deslily. I just wanted to make sure everyone on my Once Upon a Time list new about the giveaway that I mentioned in this post when I published it yesterday. I did tweak the wording now that her shop is back up and running.
whooo whoo!! I’m so excited!!! Thanks so much for doing this, and I’m so happy I won!!!:)
also this week’s artist’s works looks really cool, and spooky at the same time!
can’t wait to see my poster, I’ìe-mail you my address tomorrow, thanks again!
OH my goodness! This whole genre is new to me,as I have mentioned in the past, but these works of art are fabulous! What do I like about them? The whimsy. The intricacies. The gracefulness. The intertwining of humankind and nature. Simple breathtaking!!!
*smiles*
Kim
I am going to out myself. I’m a Pagan and the first several pictures are a brilliant feminization of ancient images of the Horned God… a reminder that ultimately the Divine goes beyond our human concept of gender. They are absolutely stunning! Thanks so much for sharing these.
Quenby
Quenby: No outing yourself on my blog!!!! Oh…all right then. I’ll be sending you a bill, however.
Kim: So glad I can help expand the genre for you.
Valentina: Congrats! I got an email from them saying it shipped yesterday, so it shouldn’t be too long.
Maybe it’s because I read it recently for Once Upon a Time II, but these images immediately made me think of Widdershins.
I think Winter and the raven-man (which looks more like a woman to me, but it doesn’t really matter) are my very favourites. Although the fairy with the striped stockings also appeals to me…
Thanks for introducing me to her work!
I love these! I love the tree imagery, but they also seem very haute couture to me… they remind me somehow of Project Runway, probably because I was watching it earlier today. Like if the contestants had to make outfits inspired by trees…
Rachael’s work reminds me of Ents and Entwives from Tolkein’s work. I also feel like there’s something Grimm-like about them, although I have a hard time putting my finger on exactly what that might be.
I’ll definitely be checking out her site. Thanks!
These are indeed lovely, and especially those photographed with a natural background. I think you do an amazing service promoting art on your blog this way. Before the internet artists were stuck in their towns and whatever shows they could rangle.
I sent Angela the link to this post and Rachael’s sites hoping to inspire her to set up her own site to promote her work. By the way, her new series is photos of trees.
Jim
Jim: Yes, you do need to encourage Angela to set up a site. Especially since she could just start out with a free blog site or something to promote/showcase her work.
I totally understand what you are saying about artists and the internet. I have discovered so many wonderful artists through the internet (and have the prints, cards, and artbooks, etc. to show for it) and not everyone has or takes the time that I do to stumble across these amazing folks. I certainly want to do my part to support them and I honestly hope this also inspires other artists or would-be artists to take the next step in their work.
Sprite: Ever since the LOTR films came out and I subsequently read the books I cannot separate my lifelong love of trees with the works of Tolkien.
Oakling: that is funny. I never would have put those two together, but considering how think some of those models are I can definitely see it!
Poodlerat: I agree. That is why the timing of this one was so perfect for me considering I had just read The Wood Wife and am now reading a de Lint book. It all does seem to be serendipitously tied together.
Trees! The Wishing Tree, the Kissing Tree, the Family Tree, the Christmas Tree, the Tree of Knowledge, and, and, and… In Norse mythology, the first man came from an ash, the woman from the elm and they were the parents of all mankind. A huge ash-tree, Yggdrasil, supported the universe. Yggdrasil stuck his three roots through the worlds:
“Three roots there are to Yggdrasil
He lives beneath the first.
beneath the second, the frost-giants.
and men beneath the third.” (Mythology by Edith Hamilton)
This is what I see in Rachael Direnna’s trees.
Some of the ‘people’ are tree roots, some are the tree branches. I especially delighted in the one that has branches emerging from its back, like fairy wings. Wonderful art work. Thank you, Carl, for sharing an artist I was not familiar with.
You cannot help but feel inspired when you view Ms. Direnna’s work. An organic blending of beauty, nature and whimsy. I enjoyed them all, but I believe the eighth image was my favorite. It’s graceful lines just preak to me.
Thank you for sharing this great artist with us, Carl.
Keri
P.S. Ashley liked the third from the bottom, the lady with the green dress.
For those of you wondering: it speaks to me, not preak.
That’s what happens when your mind is moving faster than your fingers.
Keri
I love the tree imagery she uses. I have a thing for trees and a tattoo of one at the base of my spine. I wanted one for ages and finally found a desgin I liked, the Tree of Gondor from the LOTR films combining two loves! Anyway, back to the artwork, I like the first one of Eve the most. The colour of the apple is offset really well against Eve.
Rhinoa: That is so cool, I love that tree design from the films.
Keri: I really like that one as well. And hey, inventing new language can be fun! Maybe you’re a trend setter!
Kerry: Great list. I too love how trees have so much of a part in art, literature, etc. From the earliest stories onward trees have such significance in our tales.
Holy moly, this stuff is gorgeous! I’m going to link to your blog tomorrow just to highlight her work.
Reminds me a bit of Andy Goldsworthy, one of my favs.
Actually, I find these to be rather creepy. Unlike the pictures you post the last time, these don’t really do it for me. See? I told you I don’t know squat about art. Just what I like and don’t like!!
I can certainly see these being interpreted as creepy Stephanie. That would actually appeal to me as well eventhough I don’t see it with these. And you know as much about art as the rest of us, we all judge it by what we like or don’t, what moves us and what does not. It is good that folks have differing opinions as that leads to variety in film, literature, art, music, etc.
Andi: Thanks for the tip on Andy Goldsworthy. I checked out his work and it is very good!
Wow, Carl!! These are gorgeous.
I particularly like the tree-like sculptures. Winter is beautiful.
Thank you, as always, for sharing your discoveries. Absolutely gorgeous.
I keep coming back to look at these photos. The tree-like figures could easily have been created for Charles de Lint’s The Wild Wood. They’re beautiful, and they fit in perfectly with the books I’ve been reading for the OUAT2 challenge!