Good question. Since finishing work for my current show at Soggy Brolly, I’ve been working my way through unfinished dolls, which led to starting some new projects and ideas.
One new work that I am immensely happy with how it turned out is the above work, titled, Lady Greensleeves. It’s a small painted fabric doll inside a shadow box that I have lined with watercolour illustrations. The watercolours have been sealed in a wax varnish.
The process of using a wax varnish on top of watercolour is an old method. Why it works is because it doesn’t lift the water based pigment off the paper. It also makes the work archival and light fast.
I chose the title not just because the lady has green sleeves, but because it is a song that had been firmly embedded in me from childhood. The lyrics and music where part of our song books at school. The music also marked the summer holidays when it was distinctively heard above the traffic, signaling the arrival of the ice-cream van.
But it was only recently that I discovered the meaning behind the lyrics and how far back it went in history. I now know that the lyrics aren’t the romantic words I thought they were more about a rejected lover! I still won’t change the title, this is more about my interpretation.
If you are interested I found this remarkable video called ‘The Greensleeves Project’