If anyone is faintly interested in knowing the harsh and slightly scary story of how the Kumari Princesses are selected, then do please Google and read some of the articles that are online.
Nepal is an amazing place with proud beliefs and it has a fascinating Buddhist and Hindu culture, but the practise of selecting a female child between the ages of 2 and 4 or so, to become the living symbol of ANY Goddess is really scary I reckon.
Then to keep her in seclusion of sorts, deny her education and not allow her to go play in the street with others her own age, not to show any form of emotion on her face, not even a smile........all very odd. Even though I can understand the history and religeous signifance behind it all, to me its wrong to stunt that child so very much.
Her family will be well looked after whilst she is the position, which she will occupy until she passes blood....after which she is considered dirty and bad luck, so shes then ousted and they search for another small child.
So obviously families push their bairns into the selection process, for presteige, for the good life it can offer themselves, for a form of fame maybe?
The small child has to pass some 32 different tests, some of which are ridiculous and some almost child abuse for a small child like that.
Yet I see many similarities between that selection process and the practise we have in the 'west' of grooming our girl chidren into being beauty pageant entrants?
Okay that may be controversial a comment, and I dont mean to offend anyone but there are similarities, so I doubt we have a leg to stand on, if we do take issue with the Princess practise.
Having said all that Im hoping to use Kumari Princess symbols on one of the catalogues Ive killed and am now workin on as per Maggie Greys instructions, see http://magstitch.blogspot.com/ and search for the Catalogue Killing articles lol great fun!!
Ive got two parts of Fortean Times magazine I was given out back right now, with Dracula across its pages........lol so come autumn it may be well and truly distressed!
Now this one, a funeral directors handwritten diary for the month of October 1921, had a light coat of gesso on it, on the sides too, and before it dried I also gave it a wash over with a diluted drawing ink brown mixture. Then liberally sprinkled sea salt over it so the inks wash went awry a little.
Next came the other one below..... which I had already painted a murky lilac shade, added gesso to it in places but which then def looked better with a wash round of a slightly stronger brown ink ink mix.
I really like this second one and its this one I will try and Hindu-ish with a Kumari Princess peering out from one of the windows...so now what to use for fretwork, (my thinking cap is on) but it needs some more distressing yet and of course some additional artwork on the page.
Must gesso the backs too of both, so its abit more firm and packaged as it were.
Now the other day I spent an hour walking round a huge plot of land, some 3 football pitches big, that is home to a car boot stall on both wednesdays and sunday mornings and also in October each year, the site of the enormous Hull Fair, the largest travelling fair in the world they reckon.
Now the plot also provides occasional parking for when foot ball or rugby matches are on in the KC Stadium alongside but there was I, beach combing I suppose you could say ( though some several miles from a beach!) specifically looking for rusty bits of metal.......I know, sad isnt it.
But I found loads! Lots and lots of rusty coat hanger hooks but also old metal perming curlers and wierd shaped watnots......and so Rusty Rita was born..... lol and yes even her hair is metal. I was going to alcohol ink her parts but in the end, I quite liked au naturelle lol Her face is self hardening clay from a mould and painted and gilded abit.
She wont win any beauty pageant but she was just abit of fun lol - now what the hell do I do with her!
One of the interesting side effects of CL-arting with the catalogues, was that I had diluted ink left over, so I blethered it
( techical yorkshire term I think) onto the fabric backed, old wallpaper (that I paid 10p a roll for recently at a car boot) that was my backing paper cover, to prevent me making a mess in the kitchen.
( Yeah right, no chance -)
So here are pics of the resultant backing paper! Bonus!
Neat eh! Okay next post I will show the completed paper strip collages Ive been playing with and also the revamped oil canvas I paid another 10p for way back when. It had been painted/blethered in a gaudi like series of colours by its former owner and had spoken to me but only now had I done anything with it - mainly because Id only just unearthed the black gesso that Id forgotten I'd bought........sighhhh
hey ho..
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