2004 - Sold

Pond Sirens tend not to live in great oceans, but in small, murky forest lakes. Overgrown with reeds and water lilies, and encroached on all sides by the dark silence of the trees, these still ponds can harbour the most cunning of all ancient water spirits.

Half-women, half-fish, Pond Sirens sleep on silt amongst the gnarled branches of submerged, fallen trees, which stretch out insidiously towards the water’s placid surface. Travelers must be wary and avoid these remote ponds, especially after dusk. Should they venture too close, the sirens may lure them unwittingly to the water’s edge with their sweet voices and beautiful faces, only to drown them in the gloomy water.

This early work evidences my very first attempt at porcelain tattooing before I devised the needle engraving method. These tattoos were applied with only a brush and china paint, and as a result they lack both depth and vibrancy. It left me vaguely disappointed, which could also be said about the whole project. The Siren is my least favourite doll. I do not even consider her a doll, but a figurine made with an inferior traditional cloth and wire armature method before I developed ball-joints. In my mind, dolls without articulation do not deserve to be called dolls. Even though I am very critical about this doll, I know that she was a stepping-stone to my better work, and therefore a valuable learning opportunity.

By the time I finished this project, I had developed such an acute contempt for cloth and wire armature that I knew I would never make another figurine again