Yuki Onna
This little being is my interpretation of the Yuki Onna, or 'Snow Woman.' I think of her as a Japanese species of 'Snow Maiden.'
There are many tales about her, and I offer here only the thought of her that comes to me as one who loves the ghostly traditions of Japan from afar, and wistfully.
As a child, I was enchanted by a set of small Japanese 'crepe paper' books, filled with ghosts and goblins, retold in English by Lafcadio Hearn and others, and
wholly magical.
In my grandparents' dark sweet-smelling musty bookcases there were worlds to discover, and this, so full of far off mystery, was one of my favorites.
This wee creature stands about 7 3/4 inches tall, sculpted in Kato Polyclay, with eyes of onyx. She is painted with Genesis heat-set oils, and acrylics.
She has no legs or feet, but melts away into hand-dyed and distressed silk gauze.
Her hair is ramie fiber, from a plant native to eastern Asia. It is soft yet a just stiff enough to give her a sense of blowing snow...
The marks on her forehead are a reminder of the practice of Hikimayu: medieval Japanese noblewomen began to paint their faces white,
removing their natural eyebrows and replacing them with two smudges higher on the forehead. This may be seen in some Noh masks.
Whether a 'real' Yuki Onna might sport this fashion, I cannot say; it is only my fancy at work here!
So, a tiny homage to the tales of the East.
More photos will appear here during the next few days.
Thank you, Kind Friends!
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