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These are a couple of sketches that I drew as a part of my research for the next Pack of Wolves exhibition which is entitled Once Upon Again.
Once upon Again will be an exhibition of fairy tale inspired work. The title suggests the idea of re-imagined narratives – taking existing fairy and folk tales and retelling them.
The sketches above are inspired by the Russian tale about a witch named Baba Yaga and a Norwegian fairy tale called Tatterhood. I’m working towards some new embroidered works for this exhibition – these sketches are just the start.
Baba Yaga
In Russian folklore there are many stories of Baba Yaga, the fearsome witch with iron teeth. Her nose is so long that it rattles against the ceiling of her hut when she snores, stretched out in all directions upon her ancient brick oven. Not being a boringly-conventional witch, she does not wear a hat, and has never been seen on a broomstick. She travels perched in a large mortar with her knees almost touching her chin, and pushes herself across the forest floor with a pestle.
Tatterhood
The tale of Tatterhood is quite common in Norway and Iceland and tells the tale of a beautiful princess and her ugly twin ‘Tatterhood’.
During a battle with the trolls the beautiful sister’s head is snatched off by a troll and replaced with a calf’s head, after which the trolls flee from the castle. To restore her sister’s head, Tatterhood sets off in a ship with no crew or company aside from her own sister. They arrive at the isle of the trolls and Tatterhood battles the trolls and successfully regain her sister’s head.
‘Once Upon Again’ will be exhibited at Milkwood Gallery, Cardiff, in February/March 2013. For more information visit www.packofwolves.org
