FORESTMEN
'FORESTMEN" Series
The Forestmen were very symbolic for me. I used them to raid my subconscious in intensely focused days of work. The figures are very intentional in evoking certain feelings and responses from their audience. I made the boxes with purpose to enhance and protect but not dominate. And the Copper trees are researched in their social and historical symbolism, then matched to the right figure. Though I did not associate my work with any existing myths, many native American myths do include elkmen, deermen and rabbitmen.
Elkman was particularly important for me to create. He began with a personal passion for the form of the Wapiti, the Elk. They travel through my land and after meeting one face to face last Spring, I was startled by the presence, the massive size and majesty of the males. This Elkman is a sexless, powerful creature of another world, he wants to share his precious secret with you. Represented in his hand as a golden fruit, a mysterious peach-like fruit from a tree with leaves like our Lyndon Trees. I felt it was a good choice to shade my mythical man. The Elkman has a secret ....and its not what you think.
Recently I read the The Silmarillion., a book compiled by Tolkien's son and consisting of ancient stories of the origins of other worldly beings and humans. I am a big fan of the hobbit series and liked this little confusing book. In it there is a beautiful tree, a golden tree, the laurelin tree. It had a companion tree as well, silver, and in the end they became the sun and the moon. I was charmed to find a rendition of my name in any book! As it is a rare name compiled of both my parents names.
In the last 3 years I have striven to focus more on me, who I really am and my purpose here on earth. I often used my name for this purpose. Pulling the energy of my focus and my life back to me, not the world, not other people, not the stress and confusion of our world, but who I AM. Feeling a connection with this symbol, this tree, its golden aspects, I wanted to use my interpretation of Tolkien's tree in my sculpture. In addition, this tree was a link between earth and the divine, casting light, bearing fruit that was to become the sun. I see all my black and white work as stark symbols of the earthly and divine worlds, their connection, their oneness and separateness. Mythology, creatures half human and half animal, all represent the bridge between.
Men! Wonderful men! I was thinking of the men in my family all the way through this series. It has brought up clarity for me in my own maleness and understanding the qualities of the 'other' sex. The men in my family are amazing! Clear headed, kind, compassionate, creative and wonderful! How lucky to have such great men around me (don't get me wrong, they can also be real asses too). I love the ones I was born with and the ones married into our wonderful family.
I have talked a lot of the Elkman, but will leave the other men up for your interpretations.....just a note: the Deerman shelters under a Garry Oak tree, a sacred tree ( to the native Americans) found on the west coast, endangered, very slow growing and prolific in food/acorns. I used a northwest berry, for the leaping rabbitman.
Men of the forest is a fun and elegant series. Each animal/man was sculpted out of porcelain and carefully dried before firing. I built a custom box out of wood for each one. I used copper trees and roots to surround the figures. Some have branches with hundreds of separate pieces braised together (up to 500 pieces on some). I hand cut each leaf and add them until it is just so. Then as the final element I add porcelain fruit or nuts, glass drops and porcelain birds or butterflies.
If you are interested in any of this work for yourself or your gallery please use contact page on this site. Thank you for viewing my work!
Thank you Lisa and Karen for your vision!!
Photography By Karen Hardy & Nostalgia Captured
The Forestmen were very symbolic for me. I used them to raid my subconscious in intensely focused days of work. The figures are very intentional in evoking certain feelings and responses from their audience. I made the boxes with purpose to enhance and protect but not dominate. And the Copper trees are researched in their social and historical symbolism, then matched to the right figure. Though I did not associate my work with any existing myths, many native American myths do include elkmen, deermen and rabbitmen.
Elkman was particularly important for me to create. He began with a personal passion for the form of the Wapiti, the Elk. They travel through my land and after meeting one face to face last Spring, I was startled by the presence, the massive size and majesty of the males. This Elkman is a sexless, powerful creature of another world, he wants to share his precious secret with you. Represented in his hand as a golden fruit, a mysterious peach-like fruit from a tree with leaves like our Lyndon Trees. I felt it was a good choice to shade my mythical man. The Elkman has a secret ....and its not what you think.
Recently I read the The Silmarillion., a book compiled by Tolkien's son and consisting of ancient stories of the origins of other worldly beings and humans. I am a big fan of the hobbit series and liked this little confusing book. In it there is a beautiful tree, a golden tree, the laurelin tree. It had a companion tree as well, silver, and in the end they became the sun and the moon. I was charmed to find a rendition of my name in any book! As it is a rare name compiled of both my parents names.
In the last 3 years I have striven to focus more on me, who I really am and my purpose here on earth. I often used my name for this purpose. Pulling the energy of my focus and my life back to me, not the world, not other people, not the stress and confusion of our world, but who I AM. Feeling a connection with this symbol, this tree, its golden aspects, I wanted to use my interpretation of Tolkien's tree in my sculpture. In addition, this tree was a link between earth and the divine, casting light, bearing fruit that was to become the sun. I see all my black and white work as stark symbols of the earthly and divine worlds, their connection, their oneness and separateness. Mythology, creatures half human and half animal, all represent the bridge between.
Men! Wonderful men! I was thinking of the men in my family all the way through this series. It has brought up clarity for me in my own maleness and understanding the qualities of the 'other' sex. The men in my family are amazing! Clear headed, kind, compassionate, creative and wonderful! How lucky to have such great men around me (don't get me wrong, they can also be real asses too). I love the ones I was born with and the ones married into our wonderful family.
I have talked a lot of the Elkman, but will leave the other men up for your interpretations.....just a note: the Deerman shelters under a Garry Oak tree, a sacred tree ( to the native Americans) found on the west coast, endangered, very slow growing and prolific in food/acorns. I used a northwest berry, for the leaping rabbitman.
Men of the forest is a fun and elegant series. Each animal/man was sculpted out of porcelain and carefully dried before firing. I built a custom box out of wood for each one. I used copper trees and roots to surround the figures. Some have branches with hundreds of separate pieces braised together (up to 500 pieces on some). I hand cut each leaf and add them until it is just so. Then as the final element I add porcelain fruit or nuts, glass drops and porcelain birds or butterflies.
If you are interested in any of this work for yourself or your gallery please use contact page on this site. Thank you for viewing my work!
Thank you Lisa and Karen for your vision!!
Photography By Karen Hardy & Nostalgia Captured
All photos and images on www.loralin.com belong solely to the artist. Copyright 2008-2023, Loralin Toney