Horka Dolls

Posted by frykitty on May 23, 2018
Posted in: Dolls.

Alba

Dolls were known for 30 thousand years. However, before they made their way into children’s hands as toys, they served magical and ritual purposes for adults. They were objects of cult, amulets, fetishes, tools that served to accomplish specific goals. They protected, healed and cared about their owner but could also become causes of misfortunes and illnesses. Using dolls, people could connect to the spirits of their ancestors or to their gods, they participated in magical rituals to aid daily life and bring bad luck to enemies.

In my work, I refer to these original doll roots. I look for inspiration in fairy tales and legends, folk tales and amazing stories in which the fantastic world, full of invisible beings, permeates the visible world of people, animals and plants. That is why Horka Dolls dolls are not quite animals and not exactly people, though they are created in their likeness.

Svala

Horka Dolls are peculiar things with soul, surreal beings that join elements of realism and fiction and because of this evoke extreme feelings, from awe to fear. They are a kind of homunculi or golems, where in lifeless matter a seemingly human particle of life lies enchanted.

Mara

Aka

I hang a heart on the button. It is in that moment when a doll is born. Then I sit still and gaze at it for as long as it takes until it reveals its name in a whisper.

De Mer Jewelry

Posted by frykitty on May 17, 2018
Posted in: Shopping.

De Mer Jewelry isn’t all skulls, all the time, but they do have some lovely memento mori pieces, and overall, their thick, swooping lines and matte metals appeal to a darker sensibility.  Just have your life savings ready.

Two finger ring, Tahitian black pearl, $27,841

Skull Fleur De Lis pendant necklace, $3,087

Memorial necklace, $2,764

Gothic skull and reliquary memento mori, $14,302. My personal favorite.

Heavy Silver Wayward Memento Mori Mens Ring, $1,599. For the budget-conscious.

James R. Eads, Prisma Visions Tarot

Posted by frykitty on May 16, 2018
Posted in: Art, Augury.

I have always loved the art of the tarot. I used to read when I was younger, and was considered quite accurate. I believe it was much the same as the man who had a reputation for reading palms. A skeptic convinced him to spend one week telling his clients the opposite of what he saw in the lines. He found that he was just as accurate.  Woo notwithstanding, I am still enchanted with the idea of 78 little paintings, guided (or often not) by a traditional framework of ideas.

James R. Eads actually has two lovely tarot decks out, Prisma Visions and Light Visions.  Both were funded via Kickstarter, and you can see more of the cards at the campaign pages.  The paintings for the cards were done on a large scale, so the finished project is full of exquisite detail. The lower arcana are borderless, as they flow together.

I wanted to do one big art tarot post, but, like dolls, I ended up with too much stuff. So I’ll be posting decks that are on my wishlist from time to time.