The Forest Friend dioramas are sculptures lovingly formed around found wood which has been carefully cleaned, sanded, and finished, then brought to life with mosses, snails, bark, cones,…. and little people. A diorama may have as few as one character — or as many as thirty-five. Some scenes are light-hearted, others serious; some have universal appeal, others fill specific requests (for example, a special birthday or anniversary, the birth of a child, retirement, a period of difficult changes).
The materials used in the dioramas are chosen with care and with respect for the environment; they must be ecologically compatible, with little, if any, allowance for aesthetics. It is a fundamental rule that every component of these art pieces is within the realm of the possible for a society of elfin beings living in our forests. In “Bountiful Harvest,” for example, the gatherers are bringing in supplies which are edible or medicinal, as well as materials for tools, containers, and instruments. In “Medicine Maid,” the healer is surrounded with stores of medicinal flowers, leaves, and roots. Her mortar and pestle consist of a round pebble in a clam shell or smooth hollow of rock. The basketmaker uses birch bark, pine needles, oak galls, snake skins, fibre from the leatherbark bush, to mention just a few items connected to his craft. A Forest Friend’s pet may be a beetle or a bumblebee. Wasps serve as protectors. Although every Forest Friend diorama is a one-of-a-kind work of art, capturing a moment out of this elusive civilization, the themes are repeated. Here is a partial list: Celebration of New Life, Mother and Child, Greeting the Dawn, Heartbeat and Spirit Rhythm, Time for Wonder, Time for Teling Tales, The Promise, Making Music, Lullaby, Play, Time for Contemplation, The Rescue, Hidden Treasure, Gifts, Borrowing from the Bees, A New Melody, Duet, Rhythmic Meditation, Waking up the Ladybird Beetles, … Each one is numbered and titled, and comes with an explanatory leaflet.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE FOREST FRIENDS: A SEED OF AN IDEA THAT TOOK FLIGHT – Click Here
