All Zhenne & Everything

Welcome to Zhenneland!

My idea for this blog is that it will evolve as a record of my sojourn in life as an artist/human being...something of an artobiography non-linearly presented with many views and stories from my personal experience and creative explorations. There will be musings/amusings on Art & Love & Life.

Some tips about this site:

1.  My posts are in reverse chronological order - moving from oldest to newest.  On the right of this page you will see "Archives" - if you want to quickly see my newest posts click on March 2010.  I post frequently, so there will always be something new! 

 2.  On the right of this page, there are many categories - so, for instance, if you just want to see posts with images of my art having to do with Birds and Nests - click on Birds and Nests category.  If you want to see fabric cakes, cupcakes, and chocolates that I make - click category "Faux Gateaux Patisserie". 3.  Some of the works shown here are in private collections, and some are available for sale.  Also, I am enthusiastic about special commissions.  You are welcome to  contact me with inquiries. 

4.  Thank you for visiting Zhenneland!  I hope that it will inspire and delight you!  Have an amazing day of Art & Love & Life.

Oh, and all content of this blog (text and imagery) is copyright Zhenne Wood 1986/2010 and all rights remain with artist.

  The image shown here is a digital montage I created from photos I took of a red parasol, a long pole I encased in a tube of black & white fabric, the body of the figure is of a doll that I created called "The Eclectic Fashion Sherpa Doll", and the face of the figure derives from a photo of me...if you look closely into the picture, perhaps you will find the dragon (which I created as a commissioned piece).

All At Once Upon a Time...

Or else, what to SAY NEXT?

Things can get multi-tangential; ALL AT ONCE UPON A TIME!!!

Meanwhile, here is aforementioned first DRAGON...I had never even sketched a dragon in my whole lifetime before I decided to take a commission from a collector of several of my creations to make an Earth dragon, and my idea was ultimately inspired by the clouds one dragon-cloudy day...

 

Quinn the Eskimo got here...

...the Mighty Quinn

He is large and in charge...he ardently looks after his sister Masako and his catmama, me.  And, well, everyone really!  His picture happened to turn up right next to the tipjar and he asked me to let people know how much even a small donation would be so gratefully received.  Water the Ivy...

And his sister, the lady masako...

...

...our mystic household supervisor...a geisha haiku in repose since the day i found her at 6 days old...she contemplates and knows things...she finds the thing you have searched for and thought was lost just when you really need to know where it is...she has left it on the stairs for you!

And so much more about her...

...to be continued

Faux Gateaux Patisserie

Please be advised that all of my  work (photos, artwork, crafts, etc.) represented here, and elsewhere, is protected by copyright and the artist Zhenne Wood reserves all rights.  All of the pieces in this category of "Faux Gateaux Patisserie" are no longer available for purchase...they have all been sold and safe to say, have not been eaten.  Several of my current pieces may be seen at Donna Seagar Gallery in San Rafael, and I am always open to inquiries about my work regarding purchase, special orders, or licensing rights.  I am also always ready to be surprised by something I haven't thought of yet, like renting or creating wonderful pieces to be used as props in advertising and cinema.  Wait...I just thought of that!  Please leave a comment for me here if your have any questions about my work.  Thank you!  Zhenne Wood  Oh, and I will be uploading pix of new work soon...besides the cakes, cupcakes, and chocolates you see here I am also making fabulous cookies, French Pastries and Macarons.   

 

 

About these cakes -

they are original creations

of fabric, beads & sequins.

One of a kind, signed and dated on bottom of cake.

 

Handmade & handsewn, each gateau has a reversible caketop

and room inside for treasures.

The Double Chocolate Love Cake...

...with a Cherry on the Bottom

Heart-Shaped Box with Very Sweet Handsewn Chocolates

 

About these Chocolates:  They are my original creations of fabric, beads & sequins

Each is one of a kind, signed and dated on the bottom in gold fabric paint. Handmade and handsewn, the beautifully embellished tops are reversible and reveal that each chocolate is a little box to hold a ring, a note, or other little treasure.  Oh, and I made the heart-shaped box from scratch of museum-quality archival ragboard & chocolate-plum shantung.

 

 

Two Cupcakes

Besides, "Faux Gateaux" and "Very Sweet Handsewn Chocolates", I also delight in creating "Keepsake Cupcakes"!  Like everything I make, they are original & one-of-a-kind signed and dated creations.  They are handmade, handsewn and beaded treasure boxes for treasures.  These two have been sold - besides several in progress in my studio there are two available in my etsy shop.  The link to my etsy shop is on the righthand side of this "blog" under "Links".

...

... 

Q the E...

To see Quinn is to know Quinn...

SEEQU INN

...and perhaps, most of all

his sister, the mystical lady Masako...they are creatures of fur & light:

Copyright Zhenne Wood 2009

The Artist Zhenne Wood retains all rights to text and imagery of this blog.

...magical aspects of reality shimmer into view...

 

A gorgeous pink dahlia and vintage sequins...and some scrolly fabric are the three elements of this digital imagery which I created yestereve from photographs I took this week.

...somewhere in the blogosphere...

i created this image with red-flocked scrolly wallpaper and some unusually fabulous vintage sequins...thinking about it as my banner design maybe.

Belle et Bete...

I love creating magical mystical surrealfairytale-looking imagery deriving from photos of dolls that I have made...for this I composed and superimposed different aspects of four of my original Fashion/Costume dolls - "Sweet French Clothilde", "Spanish Romantic Violinist", "Parisian Lady in an Antique Lace Dress" and "Pirate Tess". 

...birds of a feather...

 

One of the many kinds of things I enjoy making are birds and nests...These are some birds that were in progress a while ago - since then they have all been finished and found homes.  Meanwhile, I always have several birds and nests in progress.

...Baby Queen Bird

in her own little nest of twine and fiber and black bamboo.

Two Japanese Turtles Walking

 

Together.

Cream Cake with Pink Ribbon Roses

I made this "faux gateau" in 2007 as a special gift for a special friend.

...somewhere between the words,

...Geisha Bird

 

...sister bird

La Belle Damoiselle d'Oiseaux, An Eccentric Fashion Costume Doll

This is one of the original cloth Fashion/Costume Dolls I love to create.  I originated the pattern for this doll in 1987 and have used it as the foundation for many interpretations...my theme for this one is the exotic plumage of Birds of Paradise and pretending that I am a fashion designer inspired by such.  I completed this doll in 2007 and she now resides in a private collection.

La Belle Damoiselle d'Oiseaux, A Closer Look...

Her wired spectacles have glass tiger-striped lenses...and her faux-fur feathery headgear attaches magnetically...her shantung jacket zips and unzips.  She stands about 24" tall.

Keeper of the Bees

From things bird to things bee -

aviary to apiary!

I have created eight beekeeper dolls to date - each is unique - but of the same order.  The Order of Loyal Keepers of the Bee.  Something much needed.  This is one I made about 1998...the most recent Beekeeper doll I made this year as a commissioned piece for an actual beekeeper.  I will post pictures of it soon.  The Beekeepers stand about 8" tall, and the netted hats are removeable and reveal that the head is somewhat like a hive.

"High-Hatted High-SteppesTrekking TreasurePack Horse"

...

 

Artistic Forays into the Making of Things

This is a poster of me (Zhenne) and some of the things I have made:  a Summer Geisha, an earth dragon, a chic cat doll (Manu), and a chocolatey faux gateau (fabric cake) inside of which are nestled 16 sweet handsewn chocolates.  The geisha, the dragon, and the chic cat doll were special commissions

OOAK Pirate Figure Doll

This is Rose, La Belle Fleurette - an elegant Creole lady...she is not really a pirate, just dressed up as a pirate woman for the Costume Ball.  I created her in 1994 and she resides in a private collection.  She is a cloth doll which I made from my original pattern, and she is one-of-a-kind. 

Fleecy Winter Deer Coatdress and Hat

In December of 2003, I was inspired by a deerprint panel of fleece to make this winter coatdress and hat...in this picture, it is being worn backwards.

Bird Saviour Oil Pastel

On the last day of July in 2001, I decided to put away needle and thread for the entire month of August and just draw spontaneously everyday.  A friend had given me a rich amount of archival museum-quality ragboard...I got out my oil pastels and began drawing without any preconceived idea of what the image would be.  I drew everyday and into the night.  My intention was not to make art but to engage in a kind of wordless journaling.  It was a real journey...buffalo and waterfalls and portraits of imaginary men and women and trees and treasure-maps and boats and human hearts and this bird saint. 

Buffalo After A Blizzard in Morning Sun Oil Pastel

Here is another of the oil pastel drawings I made in August of 2001.

"Indian Summer Buffalo" Oil Pastel Drawing by Zhenne Wood

 

Carrot Cake with Carnelians

Carrot Cake is one of my favorite kinds of cake...so I just had to make one as a "faux gateau" - the center of it features a little carrot I made with a carrot-shaped piece of carnelian and a green glass leaf bead.  This one is in a private collection. 

A turtle doll named "Scout"...

...listening to a beautiful blue turtle sonata

in the shade of the afternoon

beneath a Japanese maple tree.

To see more pictures of Scout and learn more about this turtle doll, please visit my etsy shop...I just listed him for sale!  The link to my etsy shop is on the right side of this page.

Is there a sound that turtles make?

Besides their infrasounds moving along on concrete or rock?  Two times in my life I have been surprized by a turtle...once as a child I went out my front door and there in the middle of the street, no cars anywhere - was walking along a very very large turtle!

early this month, sitting outside with a neighbor - happenstancely both there at the same time with our coffee in hand and waking up in mind, I turned and saw a turtle approaching!

As it turns out - the turtle (actually tortoise) went out its keeper's door, walked along the walkway til it got to the many stairs which it successfully descended, made its further way to the parking lot, actually traversed the large parking lot and then came walking into our courtyard...

So, do turtles ever vocalize? 

 

 

 

Birds in Nests in Our World is Good...

...

I just took photos of this piece today and listed it in my etsy shop tonight...

"The Loyal Order of Keepers of the BEE"

This is the Seventh of Eight so far...entrusted specifically to overseeing the well-being of the Honeybee beings...

To see other dolls in this series, please select "ALL Things BEE" category to the right.  I will update this post with more text soon...

Zhenne Wood's Evolving Works! "Musician Horse" in process...

Greetings!

It is a beautiful day...indoors and out.  Perfect daylight for taking pictures of this Musician Horse doll as well as the Green Elephant and the Summer Horse!  These 3 mentioned are 3 of many works in process.  I decided to add a new category of things to see here in Zhenneland - Evolving Works!  My plan is to take new photos of them after each session of bringing them more into existence and post the visual updates in this "Evolving Works!" category.  If you would like to just see pictures of one of the three, you can also find categories for "Musician Horse", "Summer Horse" and "Green Elephant".  For the moment, these are simple descriptive working titles until their true name becomes apparent.

I would appreciate any comments you would like to make about these works...or suggest a name for one or all of them, and perhaps an accessory you think might be just the thing!  A friend crafted the beautiful black bamboo flute in the hands of the musician horse...

Thank you, Friend!

Zhenne Wood

Zhenne Wood's Evolving Works! - "Summer Horse" in progress

This horse doll (I think of it as a Summer Horse) will have a wheeled wooden fanskirt travoise to carry supplies on - a salmon colored agate bowl for one, and it will have wheeled wooden platform shoes and extravagant headgear...and more!

Zhenne Wood's Evolving Works! - "Green Elephant Doll in Progress"

The fabric of the body of this elephant doll is a fine cotton batik print.  I bought it specifically to make a green elephant from...the coloration makes me think of elephants walking in springtime morning mist.  I have also painted on top of it with fabric paints and there will be more painting done as it continues to evolve.

I use shell to make tusks...it is embellished as well with beads and sequins and wears a gold leaf skirt.

 

Zhenne Wood's Evolving Works! - "Amethyst SeaHorse" in progress

I just took photos today of this work in progress...I built the form of this seahorse of wire and then took it from there with many layers of netting and fabric and beads and sequins.  I like the silhouettish effect of the dark and light of these pix - although they don't show all the intricate details and true colorings.  I will post more photos each time I work on it some more and will be showing it in different kinds of light. The pins are holding things in place until some more stitching is done.

Riding on Clouds in a Deep Blue Sky...

I have always been in awe of clouds, and the images that seem to appear and morph as they move along - fast or slow.  This is my digital photograph of a cloud formation one day.  All I did to this photo was adjust levels and rotate 90 degrees and then I saw something...do you see what I see?

MY QUESTION TO YOU< DEAR VISITOR TO ZHENNELAND>IS:

 

"WHAT DO YOU SEE IN THIS PICTURE OF A CLOUD FORMATION?" 

Post your answer as a comment by clicking on "Comments" just below this post.  Thank you!

Seeing Things Through Quin's Eyes...

In May of 1985, I was a passenger in a car on the way to a wedding.  I took a polaroid of myself.  In 2006, I scanned the polaroid and superimposed my beautiful cat Quin's eyes with my own.  It was a perfect match.

Quinn, Fairytale King of Russian Blues

I created this image as a card design working from a photograph of Quinn and photographs I have taken of fabric.  It reminds me of Russian Fairytales or the magically beautiful illustrations of Adrienne Segur - one of my earliest childhood inspirations.  If you look at the lists of my favorite books, you will find links to two of her incredibly mystically beautifully illustrated fairytale books which I had as a child. 

Catmama and Kittens

Quinn and his twin, Yuki - in their kittenhood.

Little diva Yuki at the bottle.

Little Masako attempting a sip of Catmama's coffee...

reaching over brother Quinn.

As this blog evolves, I will tell more and more of the beautiful true life story of Quinn, Masako, Yuki, and Samurai...it all has to do with watering the ivy, listening to your intuitions, angels in catsuits and of course - ART & LOVE & LIFE.  All the posts and pictures of this story may be found all together by clicking on category "Water the Ivy". 

Two New Zhenne Wood Starfish in My etsy Shop!

 

I delight in making starfish - each one unique unto itself from my original pattern. This one is definitely one of my favorites of the many I have created since the '90's.

I saw this lovely tidepoolish fabric and knew immediately it was starfish material. The warm coral color, the frondy threads waving through it of sand and seafoam. I chose a green batik print pima cotton for the underside. First, I sew the basic shape together by machine and then with handstitching I sculpt the shape into a lively gesture and then embellish with handsewn glass beadwork. This one features 3 different kinds of glass beads - light seafoam with green and red stripes, clear glass with a light red inside, and deep coral glass beads. I also added a translucent light violet large glass bead as an accent.

The diameter is 7" and height approximately 2". I have signed and dated it with bronze fabric paint on the underside.  If you would like to purchase this starfish as a gift for someone special (including yourself!) please click on my etsy shop link to the right of this page.

AND I JUST LISTED THIS ONE AS WELL - In my etsy shop.  They are very nice as a starfish couple!

  

 

 

 

"Stella di Mare" an original Zhenne Wood Starfish

 

I just listed this new starfish in my etsy shop!  To see more pictures of it and read description, click on etsy link to right of this page.  Enjoy a beautiful day! 

Four More Starfish by Zhenne Wood

This big bright orange starfish danced off to a private collection in 2009!

This bangled and spangled golden starfish is all about Recovered Sunken Treasure:

This green and gold starfish makes me think of a Persian love poem for some inscrutable reason.   

 

Each of the more than a hundred starfish I have made over the years is one of my favorites - and especially this red thready one with a magnetic tophat and a big eye and a faux leopard print underbelly.  This one danced away into a private collection in 2003.

 

Doll Artistry Magazine: Zhenne Wood, May 1992

 

Over a Thousand Things and Counting...

I have been creating original, unusual & one-of-a-kind dolls and other inscrutable objects with a devoted passion concertedly since New Year's Day of 1986.  I have been going through my photo files and posting them in Cyberspace - just great!  So fun!  So, I have made over a thousand things which are each signed and dated which have made their homes in private collections around the world.  It hasn't been and is not as easy as one might think to live the life of an artist...I have very little choice in the matter...I have to do what I am lead to do.  I get these ideas and inspirations and have to make them tangible.  It is a celebration of Art & Love & Life and through it all, I feel so fortunate and grateful for it ALL and so much! 

So now, I'll post some pix to kick off this post.

This one I call "The Gatherer" - I have also made a "Gatherer Woman" and a "Grampus Gatherer".  To tell the truth, I forget exactly what year I completed this doll.  My best guess is 1994.  A man bought him as a birthday gift to himself.  I took these photos a few years later.  I made a little shoulderstrap nest to gather things in...the feathers in the nest are things the man added to the nest over that time.  The Gatherer is chewing on a twig, with an owl on his shoulder, and a sunshade made from aboriginal rootpaper on a big thorn armature coming out of a small nest hat.  He is pretty much good to go on a walkabout.