One of my dearest friends recently introduced me to the work of Rima Staines, a true-blue bonafide gypsy; she actually traveled for a year and a day in a house on wheels (it's so much fun to picture it!), exploring the world and 'the otherness that can be found on the periphery of our lives, the strange and grotesque, the absurd and unnerving... that topsy turvy in between place where things are not quite what they seem...' (Staines) Finally settled in a little cottage at Dartmoor (a little moorland in south Devon, England), she continues to this day to paint her daily thoughts and experiences, embellishing them with fanciful verbal descriptions reminiscent of ancient folktales. Her style is so magical, like it captures the very heart and soul of the other worlds; and being a lover of all things faerie, I am absolutely captivated by her works.
Miss Staines' current online lodging, whimsically named The Hermitage, is a fantastical collection of her works, most of which are based on nature; just look at her header!
Wood seems to be her favorite material for her paintings; in addition, Miss Staines also fashions clocks from barks of wood, clocks that she collectively calls the 'Once Upon O'Clock'. Here are some of her works:
 |
| These Words |
 |
| Anja in the Horse Chestnut |
 |
| Hummingbird Clock |
 |
| Wheels on Houses are the best things. Here's one I made. Inside is a tale about a king who journeys to find What Really Matters. As the wheels turn, they move wooden cogs underneath which in turn turn the scroll inside and the words of the tale move past the windows. |
I can't even begin to imagine how Rima Staines views the world; she's virtually the embodiment of the fairytale... and I thought I was in tune with the preternatural. In the real live art world, though, Miss Staines is already quite well known; she receives several commissions and has even made mini-animations of her works. The images I have here are from her blog and her Etsy shop; do drop by the Hermitage, it'll be worth it! :)
0 comments