Kitsune- The Fox

As many of you know, the Asian arts have always spoken to my soul...not so sure why but I know that I love them.

When I first started studying them over 15 years ago, I started with the Japanese design concepts... clean, delicate, not fussy...to the point. 

I find that Japanese and Scandinavian (which is in my Danish bloodline) relate in design to one another, there is such a relatable crossover. So maybe, that is the connect???

Japanese

 Scandanavian

Kitsune is the Japanese word for fox. 

 

Foxes are a common subject of Japanese folklore. Kitsune are able to take on human form to mate to continue their line. Stories depict them as intelligent beings and as possessing magical abilities that increase with their age and wisdom that enable them to grow up to 9 tails showing their great wisdom.

Doll Photography: Mark Mortensen

Hand-made wood stools: Gary Leitch

Full View 

This kimono was created as a traditional kimono is made with slight adjustment to the hip area since she is sitting. 

Here is a traditional pattern...I curved out the hip area in my pattern. My doll is younger so her sleeves are longer and the obi is fancier!

This was some of the lightest silk that I have worked with, it brought beauty into my studio just sitting on my worktable!

Kimono-Silk woven print, lining of Japanese print cotton.

Details

I love the details within dollmaking from the careful selection of fabrics to the last hand stitch using a great needle and fine thread. 

That is where I find my peace..my grace...it is my prayer.

Details 細部 Saibu
large and small matters, particulars, details, greatness and smallness, particular

Name

Most times I do not name my dolls except for what they symbolize as in Kitsune. I was asked to name this piece. I thought about her coloring, her beautiful fabric, and what I would like for her to radiate...

Radiance
輝き
Kagayaki

light as emitted by something."the radiance of the sunset " light, brightness, brilliance, luminosity, beams, rays, illumination, blaze, glow, gleam, luster, luminescence, incandescence

great happiness, apparent in someone's expression or bearing. joy, elation, jubilance, ecstasy, rapture, euphoria, happiness, delight, pleasure
"her face beamed with radiance"

Hat

 Fox and Rabbit, lining dupoino silk, hand tipped ears. 

Tail- Fox and Rabbit.

  With hat and without hat

 Details

Obi- Stiffened vintage kimono lined with Japanese cotton

Hands

Underskirt of silk with French knots. 

 Lining

Shoes- Black silk lined with Japanese cotton

A kitsune is a shapeshifter, and usually when it reaches the age of 100 years, it learn the ability to take on a human form. Thus, they have to be a fox for a hundred years before it can shapeshift from a fox to a human and back again. Kitsune usually take the form of young Japanese girls and beautiful women.

 Kitsune are believed to possess superior intelligence, long life, and magical powers. They are a type of spiritual entity, and the word kitsune is often translated as fox spirit.

However, this does not mean that kitsune are ghosts, nor that they are fundamentally different from regular foxes. Because the word spirit is used to reflect a state of knowledge or enlightenment, all long-lived foxes gain supernatural abilities.

 

There are thirteen different kinds of Kitsune, each with a corresponding element, listed as follows: Heaven (or Celestial or Prime), Void (or Dark), Wind, Spirit, Fire, Earth, River, Ocean, Mountain, Forest, Thunder, Time and Sound. One of the most important things to a Kitsune is freedom. They do not fare well to being locked away, and do not like to be forced to do something they don't want to...

Summer- Four Seasons Series

This is the last of my dolls to share with you of the Four Seasons Series...in case you missed any of the series click on the season and it will link to that doll.

Summer, Spring, Winter, Autumn

Doll Photography: Mark Mortensen

Hand-made wood stools: Gary Leitch

Summer ~ Plum Rain

梅雨 Méiyǔ

From mid-May through mid-July, the rainy season kicks in across southern and eastern China. The rains are nicknamed the plum rains (梅雨 meiyu, or “may yoo” in Mandarin) for the season when the blossoms ripen into fruit.

I find as an artist that I can hopefully, translate my hard times from this year into great tender beauty. 

This Summer doll's hat,  has rain drops around her hat...but they could also be tear drops of the person we miss and will remember with all great love and the happiness they brought to us. And  we hold dear what we have learned from them and will make it bloom.

  Rain washes away 

but the Water that remains gives life.

 

 Close Ups:

 Tiny bead rain drops

 close up of her painted eye

 even more close up!

Details:

Summer in her hat. Love the hat silk fabric. I had chosen another fabric for her but after completing her dress and pants, I decided that this was the very best touch. The design was to depict an umbrella shape and then added delicate rain drops around the brim. Note the cording defining each section of the hat.

Her plum colored dress top is made from a very exquisite silk brocade that I purchased in China. It just has that so special hand. I feel so fortunate to have it in my stash and to be able to work with it! Tale note of the placement of the bamboo with in the weave of the fabric. I enjoy the thoughtfulness that goes into each and every step of creating my dolls.

Entire assemble is lined with deep aqua silk dupioni.

 

The back side of Summer's hat. Take note of the fabric design and how I fussy cut the fabric to work with the shape of the hat...ok, I have to admit, I thought working with her hair required my patience but these little beads...patience! Each on required to be topped with the smallest of a seed bead so they would tangle properly.

Close up of her braided hair. I love this hair, but will tell you it is a bear to work with.  It is so very fine, that I need to wet it to be able to manage it into what ever style she needs. Even with it unruliness I would not use anything else...it is just the perfect air for her.

 

Very close up of her collar. I cut the silk brocade specifically to pick up the turquoise collar in the weaving.

 

On Summer, I ran the collar the entire length of the opening down to the pieced skirted area...like rain running down.

Sleeves and pants legs have this beautiful Chinese gold medallion front and center.

Pieced skirted area was done in a deep watery aqua...

 

Close up of hand-sewn vintage cording to finish of edges.

Finally her shoes, I raised the vamp on them to cover her foot a bit higher...in case she came across any puddles.

  Spring passes and one remembers one's innocence.
Summer passes and one remembers one's exuberance.
Autumn passes and one remembers one's reverence.
Winter passes and one remembers one's perseverance.
― Yoko Ono

 I hope you enjoyed this Series...

next up Kitsune!

Spring - Four Seasons Series

Spring...a fresh start...a new blossom.

I find that in our hearts, Spring can happen anytime, in any season, after any life changing or challenging event.  

We have all heard the words of Spring cleaning...to sweep out or get rid of the unwanted, but at this time in my life, I feel that is the time to keep all those things that touched or tortured our hearts and spring forth will that new knowledge of what makes us- us and spring forth with those new blossoms of wisdom and hopefully, grace.

Spring ~  Delicate Blossom

精致的花 Jīngzhì de huā

New blossoms symbolize feminine beauty, grace, gentility, and happiness. Pink blossoms convey youth, innocence, and joy. It is the end of difficult period and the beginning of a new Life cycle.

This was the first doll in this series that I created... It was already in my mind's eye and waiting patiently...well, maybe not sooo patient but just bursting to come out.

During my designing process, I had the main fabrics chosen but needed just the right fabric for the hat. I remembered a piece of vintage fabric stashed away...For some reason this piece of fabric just speaks to me..the feel of the well woven soft cotton, the gathering between the stripes and the flowered weaving...it is really just lovely...I wished I had a good yard of it but all I have is a small square, which makes it even more precious.

I decided to use the flowered textured section only, lining it with a soft pale pink silk. I designed my pattern around the fabric instead of pattern first and then fabric.

Next was to create a trim of ruched pattern from silk dupioni with thin black thread added in. This was cut on the bias for a nice fit around the hat brim area.

Ruching is a French term which means to gather, ruffle, or pleat; the term is a sewing technique in which fabric or ribbon is gathered in a repeating pattern

Next I needed the Spring blossoms, and since I like to create all things for my dolls, I made little silk ribbon flowers and added vintage feathers...

Pictured below with the dress.

 

This was ok...but not quite the Chinese feel. I felt it was more a 1920's flapper girl look...back to the mental drawing board. Many Chinese hats traditionally have metal pieces on them..that was the ticket. I bought several jewelry findings, reshaped and painted them...added vintage pearls for the flower centers and small pearl and delicate blossoms hanging.

So much better!

In addition to the metal flowers, 

I added paper flowers painted with gold leaf 

and tiny Australian leaf sequins.

Doll Photography: Mark Mortensen

Hand-made wood stools: Gary Leitch

 Update:Spring-Delicate Blossom 
has sprung and found a new home!

 Spring...

Body of Sculpted DAS stone clay jointed-head, head overlay and body of  silk crepe. 

Hand-painted eyes Body lining of cotton batiste. Wigging of mohair.

Wooden beads for jointing of head, arms and legs.

Costume of Silk, cotton, vintage pearls, metal.

Close up...

 

Details...

 

  

Upper section of dress in Indian metal-work silk, silk collar.

Sleeves silk brocade and vintage silk cuffs. 

Lined with pale pink dupioni. 

Dress lower half in Vintage Chinese brocade.

 

 Dress hand-sewn together.

Trimmed with hand-sewn vintage cording.

At this point, can't you tell that I like hand-sewing??

Pants silk brocade with vintage cotton trim for cuffs.

Shoes in silk brocade lined with dupioni. 

Same sequins that I used on the hat!

I hear a bird chirping, up in the sky

I'd like to be free like that spread my wings so high

I see the river flowing water running by

I'd like to be that river see what I might find

I feel the wind a'blowing slowly changing time

I'd like to be that wind I'd swirl and shape the sky

I smell the flowers blooming opening for spring

I'd like to be those flowers open to everything

I feel the season change the leaves, the snow, and sun

I'd like to be those seasons made up and undone

Heather Masse