The Feathablog: World of the N'Miridin

Mission Statement: From the Artist

Drawing from the questions she had always asked from the time of her childhood, such as 'why can't we all just get along?' or 'why do we hurt ourselves and each other?' or 'why can't we be better to the earth?', artist Jorie Jenkins realized early on that she wished to create a framework in which to ask these questions of herself and others. In her paintings and drawings, in the languages she began to develop, in her sculptures, photographs, songs and writings, she engaged intimately with such questions. She studied the interrelation of creature and environment in her own world, and thought of how these relationships would be incredibly different if each aspect of the environment could literally speak for itself. She considered the interlacing of humans and nature, and pondered the gradual psychological and physical separation of 'man' from his natural origins. She absorbed this relationship within accounts of the historical, the religious and the mythical, and became fascinated with the rituals and customs that gave reverence to and 'spoke' to animals as equals, as gods or guides. She focused on the demarcation lines where animal and man seemed to blur. Then she considered ways in which a fully realized (and yet kinder) world would deal with spiritual and religious differences - with ethical, personal and social struggles, and with even the simplest drives for survival. She considered how the environment was being cared for or obliterated in her own realm, and began to see where her characters might establish themselves within this struggle. Some of the darker things she discovered as her realms evolved surprised her, but she realized that she was taking the seeds of inspiration from the pain and suffering of her own world, and raising inquiry in a creative construct. As the project progressed, it became overwhelmingly clear that the world itself, The Land of Mirico, was an ambassador, a voice made up of many voices, which raised commentary on the many directions in which the real and human world was moving. Viewing her collective works as something inherently meant to be shared, and perceiving the projects she envisioned as her legacy, the artist realized she had to devote to the giving of these ideas and images to others. For within herself, she discovered that every aspect of the work inspired change and engendered discovery. She believed that when the project was ready, an ensemble of artisans, visionaries and performers would also delve into the world, and make it all the more real and accessible with their own gifts and perspectives. Even if the deeper philosophies and harder inquiries do not boldly reveal themselves in every piece the artist shares, the whisper of a gentler world threads itself through every part of her work, and means to spark reflection and dialogue on the kinder places it is possible to create within our own communities, within our own natural environments, and within our own minds and hearts.

A Brief Introduction by the Artist

When I was first introduced to the realm called 'Mirico', I was completely unaware just how vast and encompassing it would become. More than five years ago, with the random and uneventful painting of a single character, I became connected to a place where those who speak for nature and its interests step forward in song, in poem, in myth and folklore, in language, historical reference, flora, fauna and much more. I discovered that 'Iridia', the human realm of awareness, had a counterpart called 'Mirico', which, among others, is the name of the natural world. There is a balance which has in the past been achieved, known as 'N'Miridin', but in most places on Earth N'Miridin has all but disappeared. This is because humans on a large scale have separated from nature. The images, stories and other eccentricities you'll see here on this blog stray through Iridia, Mirico and at times N'Miridin - Throughout you'll find common jargon, lyrics, back story, historical evidence of Miriconian and Iridian interaction, and other oddities as well.

Paintings of the Lands of Mirico and their cast of characters evolved into illustrated and interrelated stories, sculptures, dolls, screenplays, elaborate narrative adventures. In the process the characters and worlds I have 'created' have in turn shaped me, and after a long deep dive into it, I've resurfaced with the blog you see before you. It's extensive, yes, but in truth it's only the tip of the iceberg. Please immerse yourself, and feel welcome. For the ambassadors of the natural realm have invited you back to your true home - a place of harmony, compassion and interdependence.

The Three Worlds

IRIDIA

'Iridia' is any place on earth that has been smothered by asphalt, thieved of its resources by unnatural means, or altered by steel, glass or concrete. It is anywhere that the sky chokes on fumes, where the soil suffers poisons, or where the waters heave with grime, chemicals and garbage. An 'Iridian' is any being who makes contribution to these degredations of the natural world, or is any being who becomes aware of the degredations of the natural world and does nothing.

MIRICO

'Mirico' is any place where the voices of the earth still speak, or where voices speak for them. It is where the waters teem with life, where the soils burst with nature's seeds. It is where the elements can only destroy by their own powers, and not by the powers given to them by Iridia. A 'Miriconian' is any one who reveres the powers of nature, and protects them in action, in word and in deed. A Miriconian is anyone who remembers that he comes from the earth, and that he depends upon it.

N'MIRIDIN

'N'Miridin' in its simplest and most most natural state, occurs when an unrelated but interrelated community of organisms achieves a non-harming and sustainable measure of harmony, and maintains an equal distribution of resources, work and recreation.

A tribal member of the T'Mirineh, Ocycan Desert

Jhobar, Co-Pilot of Zarkola's Flying Machine

Elegant, poised and fluent in fifteen languages, Zhobar is a devout Muslim, but has absorbed many of the ways of the Miriconian world throughout his wanderings in it. The Arabic writing shown in his turban reflects his devotion to honoring others, and the pin worn at his forehead is the Miriconian letter 'M', for Mohammed.

The hammered copper pendant Jhobar wears shows the rising sun and moons of Mirico (which is a halved image of the N'Miridin symbol, if you look closely).
The lower half of the pendant takes the meaning of 'burying the light'. When we close our minds or our hearts, we, in a sense, extinguish possibility. The lower half of the pendant warns the wearer against this.

Mother and Daughter, Anryn and Aeshoel

Born in the Iridian country of Argentina, Anryn crossed over to Mirico as a child and never went back. On an excursion to the South she met Fineyel, the man who would become her husband. Her daughter Aeshoel was born in Copirnikha, and although Fineyel disappeared on a trade route somewhere to the North, both Aeshoel and Anryn believe they will one day be reunited with him.

The characters embroidered on Anryn's shoulder strap are the first and last letters of the Miriconian alphabet. When connected, these two symbols create the 'evermore' or 'eternal' symbol.

Weyth of Tirinah

As a hired 'Ice Runner' or 'Slipper' working for the Southernmost city in all the world, Copirnikha, Weyth runs a sled team back and forth between the outposts of Tirinah and the Iceburgs of the South. Weyth is a weathered and gruff gentleman unafraid to show his allegiance to the Kinnarit people, who have inverted the rather sacred 'Glynmarran' symbol of bird deity to the 'mask of the watcher', symbol of the Kinnarit resistance. To have this symbol tattooed prominently on your body can lead to trouble, and Weyth has been imprisoned in the past for it.

The Ou-Ti Mother and Child

Exploring the different cultures represented within the lands of Mirico, I became interested in the mother and child aspect of the world. In the case of the Ou-Ti, a tropical race of Feathabees overseeing the activities of an earthly oracle of sorts known as the Creocothe Stone, the mother shown is dressed in a gown only worn for high ceremony. The Ou-Ti are usually less elaborate in their choice of clothing, but like many of their brethren, decorate themselves with scavenged leaves and feathers.

The silk headscarves worn by both Ashput'he (the mother) and Entmund (the sleeping toddler) were imported to their region by Miriconian traders who said they acquired the material from a beautiful and enormous spider named Ochelochka.

Bry'e, the appointed future warrior queen of the Amnamaran clan, wears a headdress which includes the Ye'ishu'un flower, which is poisonous to humans.

As a youngster, Bry'e saw her clan commit terrible atrocities against Iridians who had done them no harm, and in the end she rejects the ways of her people and abandons them, joining a band of Iridians attempting to make positive change in her world. When she leaves her people behind, the headdress (and its ominous symbolism) is one of the first things she casts off.

The Shelkies

In the vast and constantly shifting Dillydell Marshes (which encompasses most of the Pacific Ocean region of which Iridians are familiar) there are mollusk islands which walk, and in the vicinity one might stumble upon a creature like this Shelky. With some characteristics of the human form, these reclusive, slow and intelligent beings are believed to have Iridian ancestry. A myth of long ago describes the first humans to arrive in the Dillydell, and tells of the giant abandoned mollusk shells the people sought out for shelter. Living in them long enough, the people began to change.

Able to completely retract into their shells much like a turtle, the Shelkies guard a very special and unique region of the Dillydell where a human character of some note has decided to seek solitude. Anyone attempting to seek out this character will most likely meet the Shelkies, who not only have eyes on their snail-like heads, but also on the tips of every finger...

Akrulho, High Guard of the Copirnikhan

There has been trouble in Copirnikha for some time now, mostly because the iceburgs there have speedily been melting away, and because the inhabitants of the region have nowhere to go but into the water once their floating villages vanish.

A member of the Petrel-Atal clan in the nearby lands of Atalquin, and a former member of the Arahun (the Iridian resistance), Akrulho has for some time been appointed guardian of the Second Ark of Copirnikha (the First having been sabotaged and ruined). Overseeing the gathering and organization of all Iridian detritus in the surrounding regions, Akrulho sees to it that the location of the Second Ark is kept secret.

The symbol on his carapace armor is the N'Miridin, a symbol and word which are ancient in their origins but somewhat new as a concept in present times. N'Mirdin means 'world as one', and in its patterns and symmetries represents multiple references to personal growth, religious tolerance, the balance of earth and the presence (and worth) of others.

The P'Quan Beetles

The 'cows' of the Miriconian landscape, these large and lumbering insects loudly suck nectar out of flowers with their long, bright green and swirling tongues. Their favorite food, the P'Quan flower, looks remarkably similar to the beetles - Over the eons the P'Quans have learned to mimic the look of the plants on which they feed, thus disappearing into the foliage by simply standing still. Nearly four meters high when pointing their hindquarters straight up, their size belies their docile nature.

With breeding grounds on the coast near what we Iridians know to be Morocco, the P'Quans make a yearly migration to the Southernmost tip of South America, known by Miriconians as the tip of the Anqu'san, or Tirinah. The arrival of the beetles is a sure sign of the changing seasons, and many cultures believe the creatures to have magical qualities.

This character, who appeared nearly four years ago, had a name before his persona even evolved, and was more a 'prop' in a mythical storyline than anything else. Quickly, however, the Great Moth of Dashmanaug became an integral part of the tale of the divided worlds, Iridia and Mirico.

Dashmanaug (based very much on one of my most favorite of actors, Chow Yun Fat) speaks the unique and timeless language of light, so that his words 'sound' luminous. He himself has a glowing quality, and it is believed by some that he is ancestor to the Divine Originator known as Oraphau the moth, who was the creator of Suns.

Mandalucian Male and Hatchlings

As I continue to work on the Three-Act Feathabee screenplay, which is developing exponentially and taking me in directions I always dreamed I might go, I began to think about the ancestral 'link' between lizards and birds in the Iridian sense. As the Lands of Mirico are the world of Nature 'amplified', (and remembering that I have already hinted at an evolutionary link between Feathabees and their close cousins, the Lizabards) I realized I should establish characters that are a visible blend of these characteristics. The Mandalucians were always a lizard race, but as I began to sketch them and build into their biology a fusion of bird and reptilian traits, I discovered that the link I needed was there before me.

Also, I have put into the 'cauldron' of creation the inkling that humans came up with the idea of Dragons from more than just their imaginations. If at some point an ancient human culture interacted with creatures such as the one pictured above, they might bring back stories of giant lizards, who in some cases breathed smoke or even spouted fire.

As part of the ecosystems series, the Eu'kahru (also lovingly nicknamed the 'plantapus') is a creature commonly seen in the Lands of Mirico. In the shallows of coastal waters these animals will settle onto the sea bottom, their plantlike appendages streaming along in the current. Docile but highly secretive, they will flee when agitated. Like the octopi of Iridian lands, they do have an ink-spurting camouflage defense, but the Eu'Kahrun spout an unusual purple ink, which when tasted, resembles licorice.

This doll came together in a unique way, and is made of leaves, pulled silk and also has details made from a napkin from a Japanese restaurant (see her lapel and belt).
Having quite a collection of old paper money and other worldly ephemera, as I put the materials together for this doll my thoughts turned to one of my prize 'possessions', a book of original (and stunning!) poetry from 1820, which was penned by my great-great grandfather from Truro, England. I carefully scanned some of the pages from his book and then slightly altered the shading of the scans by darkening them to bring forth the very faded hand-lettering on each page. Printing out the scanned images onto high quality art paper, I produced a material beautifully suitable for the head, hands, feathers and feet of the doll. Thus, my ancestor and I have worked collaboratively to make this unusual, organic Feathabee.

PS - Though it is difficult to see in the photograph, the doll has flower petals for shoes and a real dragonfly brooch.

A Childish Conversation

In my part-time work as a nanny, I often interact with little people who are well aware (and fairly entertained) by my fiercely creative side. Recently, a child who is quite familiar with the Feathabees and their rather expansive world asked, "Jorie, you really like the Feathabees don't you?"

"Why yes, they're like friends to me," I told him. We were finished with the stories at bedtime, and I had just turned out the light. I lay beside the little boy in the relative darkness of his room, watching the wind toss the shadows of autumn's leaves on the far wall.

The child then inquired, "So... how long have you been making Feathabees?"
I had to think about it, and my response was, "Oh, I guess about three years."

"That's not very long," he said immediately. He was quiet for a time before speaking again, and when he did his words were beautifully groggy, heavy and slow. "So where were the Feathabees before then? Who were they with, before?"

"I don't know," I replied, feeling a tingle of magic trickle up my spine. "They just showed up at my door, knocked, and said 'Can we come in?' They've been with me ever since."
"Oh," the child replied, even groggier now. A yawn followed, long, drawn out and dramatic. "Can I have the rest of the bed now?"

"Of course." As I kissed the child goodnight I realized suddenly that the Feathabees were present enough in the mind of this youngster to appeal to him on a realistic, palpable level. As I shut the door to his room and crept down the hall in the darkness of the house, I swirled brightly inside as if I'd become my own little cosmos. To someone else in the world the Feathabees had become real. In a mind outside my own, the Feathabees walked amongst us and called the Earth their home. I realized that someone else believed in them, as I do. It is my hope that in every child, and in the child who should still live in each of us, the Feathabees can become equally real, and that they can bring the world a much needed, unique and precious happiness.

details...

Some additional bits of fun came together when I sewed some foreign coinage (including a Belgian 25 cent piece and an English two pound note) into Blackbard's 'charm scarf'. I also added a glass beable larvae storage jar (good for keeping your pirn lit when the latest beable moth takes off and leaves you in the dark). The jar, an antique piece I picked up at a local rummage sale, earned an acorn cork and is now filled with beable eggs. Also added to the scarf at the last (giggly) minute, an absolutely perfect piece of dried choya.

A recent adventure in the woods turned up some lovely seed pods and leaves for my paper doll projects, and some fantastic finds in a local shop (Antelope Antiques, Ann Arbor) are sure to add some nice texture and realism to the Blackbard project.

Among the finds, I came across a very old Chinese 'pit' from some sort of fruit, which had been carved to create a scene of three figures and some Chinese writing. Among the characters I can make out the symbol for 'luck', and perhaps the symbol for 'spring'.
I also found an adjustable glass and brass ring, a tiny glass flask, a section of carved bone (which will become some sort of bauble), and a 25 cent piece from Belgium, which I'll use as a button or charm. In addition, I found paper money from Budapest, India and Germany, which I will use in my paper dolls.

Elsewhere in Ann Arbor (at Bead Gallery) I found a beautiful hand-tooled triangular dangle from Yemen, with intricate swirls and tiny metal balls adorning the face. I tucked feathers and bright red berries into the base of the triangle, creating a very unique and striking broach. Pictures to come soon...

Example of a Feathabee Shoe, or 'y-a'karik' (half step)

Since the Feathabees walk digitigrade (on their toes), it's common for them to wear half-shoes, or as they call them, half-steps. A half-step like this one would be presented at a very special time, usually at the moment when a gift exchange is made between 'marrying' individuals. A beautiful handmade box, containing a pair of shoes also made by the presenter, would be offered in a gesture of love. The giver might say:

"I have made these shoes for you, and ask that you might take every step in your life to come beside me."

* * *

This shoe came together rather quickly - I formed it on my own foot and it's actually wearable - I'm able to walk, jump and hop in it without it coming off. The materials include a few different types of wire, an old vest, wire screen, ginkgo leaves, a vintage lace collar, silk noil, Nepalese sari ribbon and a bit of bismuth stone for uniqueness and sparkle.

With my tendency to have random, odd bits and pieces of who-knows-what lying around (such as moss, beetle wings, snake ribs, dried leaves, vintage lace, piles of fiber and various insect exoskeletons) and since I have also collected a respectable amount of found and recycled papers in many textures, colors and patterns from my bookmaking escapades, I thought 'Hey, why not make some collage Feathabee paper dolls?'

The doll shown has an oak leaf jerkin, cork boots and feather duster remnants for wings and tail. People who have seen the doll don't believe the pantaloons are made of paper, and at first I was squeamish about mashing up such beautiful (and expensive!) material. But as soon as I did I realized I was on the right track. The finished doll hangs anywhere indoors and is about 20 inches tall.

When a Feathabee passes from their homelands of Mirico to the Iridian Lands (Earth) they transform into many types of birds, including magpies, toucans, penguins, ibis, egrets, vultures, gannets and crows.

The indigenous peoples of the Americas have in some cases lived in close quarters with the Feathabees in the Lands of Mirico, and going back many grandfeathers, have been an integral part of the Miriconian culture.

Above we see Zahelo, a member of the Iridian 'Navajo' tribe, showing reverence to a creature in his Earthly lands. Leucus the Feathabee, disguised as a crow, is long-time friends with the Navajo people, and has lived in this form with the tribe for many years.

In the subtropics of Mirico around the islands of Iquliq (pronounced 'eee-koo-leek') there are a particular family of Cephalopod (discovered by the Feathabee explorer named Avarkha) that seek out what other creatures look like and then try on their appearance by changing color. The Avarkha's Squid will only do this in its young phase, however, and as it matures it will choose a look based on what colors and patterns it has attempted in the past. This gives rise to very unique and strange colorations, but Miriconian marine biologists are particularly fond of the Avarkha, as their markings make it easy to determine their oceanic range.

The Avarkha is also unusual in that it's usual mantle is split down the middle, opening to reveal a giant purple tongue, which it sticks out and flails to propel itself backwards from sudden danger.

In the 'creatures of Mirico' series, this enormous crab (named Clawdette) is commonly known as a 'Grabble', though she and the rest of her kin would prefer to be called 'Carapacian', after the word 'carapace'.

Inhabiting the Antarctic regions as she does, Clawdette and her kind have a considerable growth of beautiful pale blue fur, which is mostly but not completely shed in warmer seasons. Since everything in the Antarctic regions is in limited supply, any shed fur is gathered and reused for other purposes, so it's not uncommon to see other Antarctic creatures sporting soft, pale blue tufts in their clothing.

First in the recent series of human figure depictions within the Lands of Mirico, this image shows a young Miriconian human, named Edharya, wearing a sediment cloak, or bukheyut'h.

Edharya's people, the Kinnarit, also known as the Clan of Kinnar, have a deep human lineage in the Lands of Mirico. The Kinnarit are for the most part a peaceful, highly nomadic race well suited to the highly organic ways of life in the world of the Feathabees. But the Arahuans, a group of Miriconians staunchly against the existence of human beings in the Lands of Mirico, are always on the lookout. Edharya's costume is meant to make her blend in with the water and sedimentary rocks by which she passes on her way back from a foraging excursion through the night woods.

On her way back to the Kinnarit camp, Edharya has encountered a bioelectric kekle, an unusual insect found only in the Lands of Mirico...

Part of the 'Iridian' series, these paintings are meant to depict how some human beings, or Iridians, have interacted with Feathabees in the past (and in the present). The young man in the painting below, named Y'dar, has a long family history in the Lands of Mirico. You can tell this because, like his Feathabee friend Klo, Y'dar has eight toes instead of ten. The young girl in the painting above, named Aeshoehl (which means 'spirited' in old Bynsch) is looking after Nuck the twizlard and an orphaned Feathabee named Q'nier.

One of the earlier Feathabee paintings, this watercolor was inspired by a 17th century portrait of a nanny with her charges.

As a nanny myself, I find I am surrounded by a magical, frenetic sort of energy that has within it a calm, deeply centered love and trust. As I laid out the characters for this portrait I tried not only to capture this feeling, but also the persona of each child in my care, and to present items to the viewer that secretly link back to each child and my interactions with them.

A Possible Feathabee Depiction by Remedios Varo, 1951

In her charming painting 'Jardin d'amour' (Garden of Love) surrealist Remedios Varo hints at a possible encounter with a member of the Bluebard clan.

Swords, as the one shown here, are a rare sight in the Lands of Mirico, and are usually displayed as relics or traded between Feathabees with a particular curiosity regarding human customs. In some regions of the Lands of Mirico possession of such an artifact could lead to confiscation of the 'contraband' item, and the possessor is usually suspected as a human (or Iridian) sympathizer. Because many Feathabees have witnessed acts of violence on the part of human beings, interaction with them is held by some as a foolish or dangerous gesture.

A Chance Meeting

Recently, as I stood in the checkout line at Whole Foods Market in Ann Arbor I started up a conversation with a warm and friendly gentleman by the name of James Britt, who stood just ahead of me in line.
When James inquired about what I did for a living I told him, "Well, I've discovered this world of strange and wonderful creatures, and I'm busy bringing them to life. I don't know if I'm creating them, or if they're creating me at this point - Maybe it's both."
He shook a finger at me, smiled broadly and said "Ah, you've discovered a delusion that can support you!"

I had never thought about it that way before, but I love the idea. Thanks, James!

Zarkola's Bioelectric Flying Machine

Being a rather eccentric Feathabee inventor living and working in the Lands of Mirico, Zarkola drew up these sketches a long time before he became an accomplished builder of flying machines. His early crafts were all fairly successful, but none so much as the bioelectric vessels he constructed in his later years.

As all Feathabees have a symbiosis with nature, and since Zarkola especially loved insects, he designed his craft after the creatures that actually power the machine itself. The formula that Zarkola has scribbled to the left in the detail photo is actually the formula for electrical exchange conservation, which is part of what causes his bioelectric craft to fly. Zarkola's distant relatives passed on this conservation formula to him directly from Georg Ohm, as the German physicist visited the Lands of Mirico in the Iridian year of 1850.

When I first started sculpting Feathabees with Sculpey I didn't use glass or wooden eyes. This doll originally had a solid clay head with eyes painted into the sockets, which admittedly didn't have as much 'dazzle' as the more realistic glass eyes do. When I had gone through enough dolls to know how to make them more efficiently and more realistically, I gave the doll a new face. When I look at pictures of the old doll with its former head it still has something, but the translation of persona is so much more profound with a deeper countenance in the eyes.

It was with this watercolor that I felt I crossed over a significant threshold - both in technique and in subject matter. I came across a wonderful book about remote African tribes that decorate themselves with flowers, leaves, gourds, grasses and body paint. This book shook my foundations as an artist, and after nearly 15 years of story and character development, it finally showed me what a particular group of characters in the Land of Mirico would look like, from a Feathabee perspective of course.

One of my more recent dolls, I created this character as a result of the discovery of an unusual material - Nepalese recycled sari silk ribbon. Tied together in long durable strips made of multiple patterns, the ribbon gave me the idea to 'wrap' a character in it entirely. I also used handmade wool nubs sewn onto the rim of hand-cut birch bark buttons, and took apart a second-hand feather duster to create wings and a tail.
The last item that came along for this character was a scarf from the weekly Kiwanis sale in Ann Arbor. When I got home with the scarf I set it aside at first, intending to let it be inspiration for a new doll. But when the doll already hanging on the wall got a glimpse of it, he seemed to say "Let me try it on!" It was, needless to say, the icing on the cake.

Recently when I was listening to the soundtrack for 'Master and Commander' I heard a track that instantly gave me a vivid, spine-tingling image of a Feathabee race across stalagmites. A few weeks prior I had already seen a vision of a character crouched at a cliff side with ribbons and banners whipping back in the wind, but I couldn't yet 'see' what the purpose or intent of the character was. When the soundtrack showed me the image of the racers dashing lithely across dangerous distances to leap from one stalagmite to another I suddenly put the previous image and the race idea together.

An Excerpt from the story poem Q’tir ataqu Aqu’ta
– Upon the Unexpected Road

On quite an uneventful day, in quite an uneventful way
Walked I within a forest near, and this is what I heard it say:
“Annuk’ha qu’ andonad - On’peqin amad-odod.”
And inquiring of the nearest tree to speak again - It gave a nod!
And now it spoke, the forest deep as if awaking from a sleep
“Welcome, stand among us now and precious do our secrets keep.”
“You’ve left behind your Earthly lands and things made all by human hands
Beyond these boughs held up in joy a place of wondrous whimsy stands.”

“Indeed, said I, as not aloud have I talked with bark and branches proud
Into dreams have now I strayed or with new vision am endowed?”
The trees they laughed a chorus all and gave me pause to feel quite small
“You are not changed,” the trees replied “But now is veil that once was wall.
You sought us in your very heart though knew you not the play or part
The way is made for few to pass and in yourself you set the chart.
And now come in, and hearken close to what the water speaks and knows
And stone and wind do find as well a reason for the path they chose.”

The funny story behind this doll was a bit of a learning experience for me - I was setting up at the Ann Arbor Artisans' Market as usual, and had set out a number of my more recent dolls for people to view. I had spent the previous day taking apart the doll shown in the photo above, because I had made enough dolls by then to learn how to go back and make him better. All that was left of him at the time was a scarf-poncho, one polymer hand and his head on a dowel. But someone saw him peeking out from a bin beneath the table and said "Who is that? I want him!"
"But he isn't finished!" I laughed, and lifted up the poncho to show the customer the bare bones of the situation.
"Well, when will you be finished with him, then?" the customer replied.
"Next week?" I said, crossing my fingers I could get it done in that amount of time. I did, and the doll now has a happy home (other than mine). The experience showed me that not everyone needs a certain presentation to be caught pleasantly by the right character.

The first stage of building a cloth-and-clay doll is making the head, hands and feet, or boots. I typically sculpt the head and boots on a structure of tightly packed aluminum foil to both keep the body parts light and minimize the amount of clay used for each figure.

Glass, wood or button eyes are set into the head for realism and an eye socket is built around this to create lids. The most interesting thing about this part of the process is that even the most minute change of shape in the eyelid completely changes the personality and mood of the character.

From the hand of Zwindar, the Miriconian Guardian of the Door of And'yolek

*doors, in the Lands of Mirico, refer to thresholds allowing passage between Iridia, or Earth, and the Feathabee lands.

... Twas on that mornin' that I woke before the others, a'feelin of somethin unresolved in the deeps o'me. Tho it's not uncommon that I sense the day a'comin on as I have a way of seein' the dawn without me lookin' eyes, on this mornin somethin felt different as if the sky was callin to me with its many voices.

When I rose it was cool and still, the fog yet asleep against the green of the ground. The wind whispered somethin to me about newcomers, and I hadn't seen the likes of them in too long a while. Not many of the Iridians brave the comin here any longer, or they just don't have the sort'a eyes to see us anymore.
But the trail leadin away into the brush spoke to me, seemin to say I should take it. So off I went. Beyond I remembered there being a clearing of sorts, a ridge lookin out over the valley behind so I thought I would seek that out, and that from there I might better hear what the mornin wished to tell me.

The leaves 'round the path were dense and creepers heavy with delicate pale blue tepherna blossoms arched across, catchin their pesky little burrs in my peppleboots. In the thickets all around I could hear the dozin' zetchums, still humming in a lazy harmony even in their sleep. Lookin up I could see the Beable moths a'clingin to the underside of every Pamble leaf. They would wake soon, and then the forest would be alive with the whir and flutter of their uncountable wings.

As I reached the ridge and looked out upon the valley stretchin out beyond, it was me feet that stopped at first, then heart that stopped a'second. For standin there and lookin at me with wide and wondered eyes was a Child of Iridia, a boy of about nine Settling Seasons old. By the look upon his face it was the first time ever he'd set foot in the Lands of Mirico, and the twinge of fear that shook him when I appeared told me he'd not seen the likes a'me before. Bein' a tall creature meself, I knelt to be a bit closer to his eye level and stretched out me hand, waitin for the child to make the choice his own.

THE AKI TREE MIGRATION

The Aki trees of the Central temperate regions of the Lands of Mirico are dark-brown-to-black in bark coloration, with enormous deep blue leaves laced through with veins of dark purple and burgundy, often edged with bright yellow. Their brances divide in series of three and each branch will produce no more than three leaves at a time. Being deciduous, the Aki leaves change to pale green in the fall, the veining changing to yellow and faint orange at the leaf tip. Aki leaves are quite useful once dried, as their veins are large enough to be used as vials, storage tubes, and even pirns (lanterns). Aki bark is incredibly tough and can actually be used as a cutting tool on many softer materials. The wood, which grows in a spiral rather than a 'ring' pattern, is faintly blue with a slightly silver and irridescent quality.

Apart from being the tallest and the second-longest living trees in all the Lands of Mirico (second only to the Razzletree) the Aki are also a marvel of Miriconian Nature in that they have the unique ability to uproot themselves and take flight. This usually occurs in the form of a group migration when the biological balance in which the Aki live is compromised.

When the trees take flight they usually do so in a rather haphazard formation, though some 'stands' (or flocks) of migrating trees have been observed flying in a markedly diamond formation. They see where they are going by way of a single giant 'eye' set in the root ball of their massive trunk.

At times the trees will see a spot which from the air seems suitable, but in fact the PH balance of the soil there will be too acidic, or the climate will prove too extreme. Thus, whole Aki stands will at times be lost, since the tremendous expenditure of energy required to migrate prevents the trees from doing so often.

Though it is not known how a specific site is 'chosen' by the migrating trees, the arrival of an Aki forest is truly a sight to behold. When they have chosen a landing site they begin to hover in place and then slowly spin, their root systems pulling inward to create a corkscrew shape. Spinning faster and faster in the air, they suddenly lift their branches, pointing their leaves nearly straight up in the air and then drop from the sky, screwing themselves into the new soil by way of their spiraling motion.

Account of the Yirdil

THE YIRDIL

By far the oldest known stronghold of civilization in the Lands of Mirico, the Lands Yirdil are widely unknown. In some regions of Mirico Yirdil itself is categorized as myth, bardspeak or heresay. The location is highly sacred and tends only to be visited by outsiders who have either been called upon or who have sought out the region for the purpose of a proven pilgrimage. Being an island outwardly composed of slippery, sheer rock, the stunning flora and fauna of the Yirdil are largely endemic and fairly vulnerable.

Passing into the Isle of the Yirdil one can approach only by way of the Door of Kekajakawa, entering through a treacherous channel flanked by barbs of submerged palumar and spires of kimbram crystal. Beyond, cut through by a swiftly rushing froth of pure water known as the Ith'kuer Strait, stands a narrow fjord of soaringly vertical palumar stone. So deeply blue is this stone that it is as if the surrounding seas have solidified to form an impenetrable fortress.

Passing into the Ith'kuer there stand an ancient host of enormous stone figures, hewn as if emerging from the rock itself. With their feet held firm in the onward waters of the Strait, eight figures sentry either side of the upsoaring stone walls. Their outreaching arms extend to a counterpart figure, creating a series of arced bridges. On the left stand the figures of Iridian lineage, on the right, those of the Miriconian lands. Some of the bridges have been sabotaged, but several are still sound and are used by the Yirdil as passage over the high gorge of the Ith'kuer.

The Iridian's once-grand stone heads have long ago been cast down and destroyed, a sad and lasting mark of resistance and protest against the presence of Iridians in the Lands of Mirico. Even the features of the Miriconian figures have been badly defaced, hacked and marred as if to say that those who would come to an accord with Iridians are naught but fools.

The Feathabees believe that fruit becomes sweet with the help of spirits called 'potchkins' who sneak into certain plants through the roots, live inside the fruit and then 'escape' through the cut stem when the fruits are harvested. Since no one knows what the potchkins look like the Feathabees have come up with many likenesses for them, including the one below.

Dressed as a Potchkin for the annual Potchstomp festival, this Feathabee embodies in his costume the whimsicality and sweetness of many of the characters in the Lands of Mirico.

Posable Feathabee Dolls

When I first started making dolls I did it for the purpose of creating three-dimensional ambassadors for my two-dimensional work. Dolls like I'la, pictured above, have now become a staple of my creative process, and allow me to work in areas of craft that I rarely ventured into before.
I'la can be posed on a doll stand, but has a long dowel running through her body so that her head can move back and forth in a 'puppet' motion. Her arms and legs are bendable as well, allowing her to sit in many different positions

UPCOMING SHOWS AND GALLERY EXHIBITS

And now for a bit of local and potentially interesting news - The Earth Arts Gallery in Ypsilanti, Michigan, home of a current Feathabees exhibit, will be closing its doors for good today. The silver thread of course is that the gallery will be moving to 116 E. Washington Street in Ann Arbor and will be open for business very soon.

Other galleries currently featuring the Feathabees include The Wild Acorn in Manchester, Michigan and Eclectica Gallery in Louisville, Kentucky. In May of the Iridian year 2010 the Feathabees will also be featured as founding members in a new and innovative gallery in Auburn Hills. Go to www.greatlakesartgroup.org to find out more!

Also on the horizon is a profile article and interview with Feathabee creator Jorie Jenkins. More info to come.

The Tonkyn of Tume

Seen almost exclusively in the border forests of Shaeckaanjaa, where the dense and enormous Cheechbole trees give way to wide and rolling grassland, the large, unimaginably heavy stone Tonkyn are ancient reminders of an ancestral link between Feathabees and their closest relatives, the Lizabards.

Each of the Tonkyn statues have distinct features of both the bird and lizard species. Most, such as the Tonkyn of Tume, have a very defined beak and some sort of spiral representing the reptilian ear beneath the eye. Only a few have the prominent spinal ridges common to Lizabard descendents. Some think this is because the statues themselves have slowly worn away, losing the decorative spines they each bore to begin with.

Always exposed to the elements from the shoulders up, the rest of the Tonkyns' highly elaborate stone bodies are buried beneath the soil to symbolize a humble emergence. Originally discovered by trekkers and gatherers forgotten ages ago, they were long used as landmarks on nomadic trails and trade routes.

The Tonkyn were given names based on their position in relation to the sun at its highest point. The Tonkyn of Tume is called that because 'tume' is the old Miriconian word for 'two of six', as its beak points twelve degrees from the highest arc of the sun.

Zwindar the Wyandolorian Feathabee

Although not the first Feathabee I came across, Zwindar (pictured above) has over time been the individual I've encountered most often as I pass from the world of Iridia (or Earth) to the Lands of Mirico. He's a gentle, softspoken feather and although he's nearly seven feet tall, he does not have an imposing presence. He's easily taken by the plight of a tiny insect, will stop in his tracks and put his ear to a tree. He'll listen, and then laugh, and say something back to the tree in a language I couldn't yet hope to understand.

Treatise of the Moons

Recently, I was gifted with a story of the Sun and the two moons in the Land of Mirico, whom it seems were given the wings of a generous creature, Feathabee, who wanted to help the bodies of the heavens to stay aloft in the sky. After the Sun and Moons found their own wings, it is believed that they cast down their borrowed feathers.

The former wings of the sun have not yet been recovered, but the greater moon, Alenda, left hers in the Bay of Maruksh. Here, two enormous vertical cliffs of stone, known as the Akkuliken, once stood in tandem until the encroaching waters of Lake Ku'ulukrae caused one of the great monoliths to topple sideways.
Now partially submerged, the fallen Akkuliken has been the subject of much debate among Miriconian historians, because of the thousands of intricate petroglyphs and carvings covering both massive stones.

When compared to the modern Miriconian language, the symbols of the Akkuliken loosely resemble many common symbols and letters. Concerned with the fact that much historical account would be lost when the submerged Akkuliken suffered water damage, a great effort has been taken to catalog the writings upon it.

An underwater rubbing, not easily acquired, was recently brought back and loosely translated, revealing a beautiful and haunting poem:

... and the Moons cast down their given wings
and learned to fly alone
and Here in pool of L'wambwah fell the massive wings of stone

... there writ upon each arch of rock
were characters and signs
the writings of the heavens told in mystical designs...

Friday, January 29, 2010

The Q'dahla

Usually found at the end of an Miriconian book to further explain ambiguous or newly introduced subjects. Any student of the Old Miriconian language, and any traveler of the Feathabee lands should familiarize themselves with the colloquialisms and names given to things in the Lands of Mirico.

Pilk - This soft and malleable metal is easily hammered into thin sheets. and is commonly used for indoor accent pieces and jewelry. It is also found in cart construction and roof flashing.

Razzlefur - Incredibly knarled but nearly indestructible, the Razzletree survives in inhospitable climates by growing a thick layer of 'fur'. As the warm season approaches the trees shed this fur, which Feathabees gather for use in decoration and for warmth.

Chichiari - This troublesome but well-meaning Originator, said to have been one of Chimaquatka's firstborn, often caused great upset by meddling with the creations of his celestial siblings.

Paukans - Because of the surrounding Paukee mountains, wind almost never occurs in this region. This arid lowland was in times past a deep and vast lake. The caves and gorges left behind after the water receded are now home to numerous cultures.

Sherph - This clan of Feathabees lives mostly in the caves of the Paukee region and are less nomadic than many of their brethren. Highly agile and very resourceful, the Sherphs are best known for the elaborate baskets they weave from Paukan Caveroot.

Curlyflies - These rambunctious insect-lizards are found in temperate regions of the Lands of Mirico and have both curled mouthparts and tails. In large numbers they can be problematic for Dreycroppers, but their one weakness is music, which when played to their liking will lure them away in a trance.

Akhenn - This ancient Originator, or universal deity, is believed to have begun as one sound that gradually moved outward to become all things audible. A difficult being to capture in works of visual art, Akhenn is usually depicted as a collection of concentric rings.

Pernatcher - This colloquialism, common especially among the Twerdandler clan, from whom it seems to have originated, describes anything thought to be mysterious or unanswerable.

Dillydell - Directly translated, this means 'fertile bog'. These exist in several regions of Mirico and are all known for their rather treacherous expanses. The lands of the Dell are made up of uncountable islets, which are in a constant state of flux. Landmarks are nearly impossible to place here because the trees of the Dillydell can simply uproot themselves and walk away.

Netchcombed / Netched - Netches are small, hard-working colony insects that create wax-like bridge homes over fresh water. Some netch colonies are so enormous that Feathabee carts and caravans can cross over them. The wax or ‘netchcomb’ is collected and used as a sealant, a moisture repellant and even in ephemeral arts.

Palumar - This deep blue, opaque and easily carved stone is exclusive to the Napaloe Mountain region, and is believed by some to be the last remnants of L’wambwah the Water Serpent. When struck by the right material, Palumar is highly resonant, and is often used to create flutes, drum-surrounds, pipes, thumb pianos and byngs.

Glassfish - Docile mammals of the Zun Sea, these enormous fish begin life with opaque bodies and gradually 'shed' their opacity, becoming fully transparent (and fifty polkins long) in about ten growing seasons. Each time they shed, they leave behind an exoskeleton burrowed in the silt of the ocean floor. Because the exoskeletons tend to trap air and nutrients in them after the glassfish have emerged, these abandoned exoskeletons create unique ecosystems both in and around them.

The Breeks - A frigid, isolated land far to the North consisting mostly of ice and stone. It is famous for its lichen-covered caves, which in the warmest months of the year produce some of the most beautiful flowers known in the world.

Grabbles - These small, opportunistic crustaceans live primarily in the oceanic sands of the temperate and tropical regions of the world. They come in with the morning tide, stay on the shore for most of the day, then leave with the tides of the evening. Some boreal grabbles are quite large, but most are only a handful.

Landocrine - This beautifully shiny deep gray metal, which is volcanic in origin, can be hammered to amazing thinness and is most often used in sculpting and handcrafts. It is most often pressed into large circular and notched discs or 'byngs' which preserve primitive recordings of Feathabee music.

Arkhalorko - This Subequatorial land mass consists of seventeen main islands and approximately eleven hundred seamounts and atolls. The major port is Beyhnbern on the second largest island of Zarkholi in the North. Mostly subtropical with many endemic species, itsSouthern islands are nearly surrounded by impassably wild Seas.

Chipricot - This tenacious climbing vine produces tiny sweet green berries at the beginning of the Wandering Season and pale orange flowers followed by a pale orange berries at the onset of the Settling Season. This plant is highly sensitive to drought and at times will require watering to produce a reliable harvest.

Cogfish - In days past, a small four-legged creature with large ears and a long snout, known as a Cog, gazed into a pool of water and saw a fish, which it quickly came to adore. The offspring of these creatures are entirely water-dependant, agile, highly intelligent and quite secretive. They travel in pods and love to spit water at the backsides of unsuspecting waders.

Reddik’s Arch - One of the first metal-hinged bridges in the North country spanning a broad gorge, it was built under agreement by the Bluebard and Twerdandle clans. Reddik Bluebard, the project’s architect, was lost during the bridge’s construction.

Bythepalm - This tall tree grows diagonally with a stout base and multiple sets of arched, downwardly spiraling leaf pods. Its marrow has multiple uses for cooking, house framing and decorative carving.

Beablefloss - This thick, resilient thread is wound by the larvae of the Beable moth when passing into the chrysalis phase. The floss is unwound by the emerging moth and discarded. This material is nearly indestructible and can reliably mend and decorate all clothing types.

Abingswoll - This enormous Feathabee cultural center is known worldwide and sits exactly at the Equator.

Zun Sea - a deep, pale green and clear body of Equatorial Water surrounding the Naku Islands. One of the largest seas in Mirico.

Keckle - This leaf-like insect is gifted with multiple sets of wings, which molt and regenerate several times throughout its rather extensive lifespan. The cast-off wings are collected and have a number of functional and ornamental uses.

L'wambwah - Thought to be one of the Originators that caused the Universe to find its order, L'wambwah is most often depicted as a massive serpent made of the many forms of water. She is usually referred to as the counterpart to Creatoli.

Suryaman Beads - Usually kept in multiple strands and carried by their keeper as a reminder of beauty in every moment, these beads, said to be gifts of the Originator Suryama, can be made of anything from small river stones to hand-poured precious metals. They are most commonly made out of Atterberry seeds.