Needle Felted Wool Dolls and Other Sculptural Works of Fiber Art

My soft sculptured character dolls were inspired by real people that I have either known personally or simply noticed from afar. They are not meant to be exact replicas but are instead altered egos of "familiar others".



Sunday, November 29, 2009

Ezekiel - Coonhunter, Mountain Man, Ole' Hippy



'Ezekiel' is doll #4 and was inspired by an old friend of mine...a mountain man and coonhunter who is often mistaken for Willie Nelson by tourists frequenting the local  quick market just off Interstate 40 in Westel, Tennessee.
The original 'Zeke' always wears either a black cowboy hat or a Redman ball cap and is quite an interesting and complex character. He has spent most of his life in the East Tennessee woods hunting raccoon and gathering wild herbs like ginseng. He has extensive knowledge of trees, plants, and animals, yet has only a rudimentary formal education.
In his younger days Zeke drank enough Budweiser to float Donald Trump's yacht. But beer was not his friend, often leading him into violent fits of rage. I've heard that he no longer drinks and lives a much calmer life now in his 70's - still coonhunting, still gathering herbs, still popular with the tourists.
I have just purchased wool to felt a black hat for him. He says it is high time seeing as he just has to have a hat. He has also been pestering me for a female companion so I am currently working on "Lily", a fiesty redhead who should suit him very well. Look for new photos, hopefully in the near future.
























No comments:

Post a Comment