Mane & Mantel
The Creative Process
Inspiration
I have been fascinated with headdresses for as long as I can remember. When I was a little girl I was enchanted by the fabulously creative headdresses worn by the actress, Carmen Miranda, and the more subtle, but equally eye-catching headdresses, of artist Frida Kahlo.
Headdress Collages
Over the past few years I have made some collages that feature women wearing headdresses (shown below) but I think somewhere in the back of my mind, I always knew, that one day, i’d like to make the real thing.
In 2023 I decided to take on the challenge.
Coming up with the right name
It took me ages to think of a brand name. For a long while I was attached to thinking the name should begin with the letter ‘H’. My mind was continuously stuck on the following names:
- Halo Headdress
- Harmony Headdress
- Heavenly Headdress
- The Heightened Headdress.
I wasn’t convinced by any of them, but I felt pressured to choose a name because my ‘Poppy‘ headdress was going to be featured in the July ’23 ‘The Art Edit’, in House & Garden magazine. Looking back, I should have chosen something else, because in reality it wasn’t just the name that wasn’t ready. In my haste, I ended up choosing the name ‘Halo Headdress’.
Mane & Mantel
A few weeks after my ‘Halo Headdress’ went in to House & Garden, I had a dream about a box. Inside the box was some paper with the words ‘Mane and Mantle’ written on it. In my dream, I told myself that I must remember this name! When I woke up, it was the first thing that I spoke, just so I didn’t forget it!
It’s amazing how your subconscious brain can come up with something your conscious brain hasn’t. Or maybe the name was a gift from God. I don’t know, but wherever the name came from, I am so pleased with it, as it perfectly describes where the headdress rests, which is either, your mane or your mantelpiece.
So, why has it taken a whole year to create a page for my ‘Mane & Mantel Sculptured Headdress artworks’?
The Design Process
Iris was my first headdress that I created. I did a fair bit of research on how to make a comfortable, lightweight, and sturdy headpiece before I started, and I was pleased with my first attempt. But I hadn’t yet thought about designing a mannequin head for the headdresses to sit on.
Poppy was my first mannequin head that I designed. I think it was a fluke at how well it went, because however much I tried, I just couldn’t get the plaster to the perfect consistency, like I had the first time around. For a while, each head I plastered went straight in the bin. There was a lot of wasted heads!
Finding the right form
I experimented with lots of mixtures, and luckily after a good few trial and errors, I found a new secret ingredient. But even though I had a new plaster formula, there was still much to learn about getting the mannequin head to the finished product, but I won’t bore you with all the details!
Poppy went into House and Garden magazine, before I came up with the idea of putting her on a stand. In the photos below, you’ll see she looked a bit ‘top heavy’ without one. My first attempt of giving her a base, did not live up to how I envisioned it! The squareness of the first base looked a bit harsh, and I wasn’t really happy with the brass plate either.
As time went on, Poppy has had a few changes in her appearance. Not only has her base changed to a natural tree slice, but her headdress has had a makeover too. But even though the design process has taken a long time, all these changes have got me to a position to be confident enough to make more Mane & Mantel sculptures.
My God, they are fiddly and take a long time to make, but I have finally have come to really enjoy the process.
Thanks for reading, Emma x
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