In the last couple of months I’ve acquired new tools: a hacksaw, a Japanese Pull Saw, an orbital sander, router bits and diamond drill bits for glass and stone.

Then I acquired a jar of doll body parts, a grab bag of old photos, a box of screws and nuts and various other odds and ends from family and friends.

You might not see potential in these supplies. But I do!

Here’s a look at what I have cobbled together. This is the 8th piece in my series of avant-garde art.

The little girl looks timid – so I thought the wings and the wooden block with the lion were the ideal accessories she needed.

I deliberated for a few days on the photo and asked the advice of friends. Do I cut up the photo? Do I make a copy of the photo and preserve the original? Do I use the original photo but don’t cut it? The photo was part of a $12 grab bag at an antique store. By the time it ended up here, it was ready to be re-imagined into something new.

I knew I wanted to incorporate real butterfly wings and felt the unknown little girl would appreciate the authenticity of using the original photo. I applied several layers of clear coat to the butterfly wings before applying to the photo. I don’t remember where the wings came from – other than an outdoor adventure I must have had.

Here’s a look at the back of the box. The 1941 is the date that was written on the back of the photo. The other date is when I started the art project.

I decoupaged the perfect headline from a Chinese newspaper. Using my new hacksaw, I cut the threaded rod and inserted it into a slice of wood from my tree branch. Texas doesn’t have many trees – so being able to say I used wood from my tree carries a lot of cache! Yes, the tree is considered small to anyone outside of Texas.

Very well disinfected doll arms. Who knows where those arms have been!

I made a short video showing how the arms of the doll move when shaken. I’ll upload to Instagram as the format doesn’t seem to work on WordPress.

Hopefully this unusual art piece will inspire you to experiment on your own! Or maybe the dangling arms will give you nightmares…. 🙂