spring thicket rokurokubi

Artist's notes on style, materials and inspiration:

There are many different tales and art featuring this alarming yōkai - a human by day (or human appearing) who at night elongates their neck so that their head can travel around (sometimes the head detaches completely). They are quite frequently women, or they often seem to be monks or priests when in male human form. They can be just nosey or a nuisance, or positively malevolent.

This wood girl version wears a long necked dress to hide the stretch marks on her neck (and the strange red neck characters that mark one out as a rokurokubi). The dress pattern is inspired by a William Morris print entitled 'spring thicket', featuring yellow bulb like flowers and white blossom. Her kanzashi hair ornament has tipped upside down with her head to flutter in the night breeze.

Turned from yellow poplar wood with a section of pine added, she has been hand painted and finished in a matt acrylic protective top coat. To balance the tilt of the head, a shaped wooden base has been added, with the decoration continued onto it.

This wood girl is approximately 28cm in height.

My pieces are painted in a naïve and simple style, with visible brush strokes and differing paint consistencies. It is important to note that these dolls are made from real wood which will have naturally occurring markings and grain, and sometimes there will be small amount of bleeding along the grain, or knots, which is to be expected when using untreated wood - please make sure you consult the pictures carefully before purchasing.

PLEASE NOTE: Wood girls should be kept away from water which can damage the wood and painted surface, and also away from direct heat/ sunlight which also can affect the surface colour and the timber itself. This is not a toy and should be kept out of reach of children under 14 years.