Hatchling
TITLE OF PIECE: Hatchling
EDITION: One of a kind
ARTIST: Jeanne K. J. Weiland
DIMENSIONS: Maple sapling 11 inches in height
Base 8 1/2 inches square
Fairy 2 1/2 inches in length
MATERIALS: Mixed media. The fairy is polymer clay and mylar and has glass eyes. The maple sapling is brass and acrylic, while the woodland soil is composed of water putty, sawdust, and acrylic paint. The egg and eggshell are courtesy of the little red hen.
ARTIST NOTES: Fairies, as any biologist will tell you, are non-mammalian. While the genus and species have not yet been fully determined, they are thought by many scientists to belong to an obscure branch of the animal kingdom possessing characteristics of both Phylum Arthropoda (specifically Insecta) and Phylum Chordata. Avian tendencies have been noted in fossilized remains of several extinct species. One eminent zoologist has ventured to name the fairies members of Phylum Imaginata.
This artist did experience one notable difficulty in the construction of Hatchling. What you see is the Second Sapling. The First Sapling suffered an awkward demise. The leaves, branches, and trunk of the original tree were carefully formed, shaped, soldered, and painted. Reference material at hand indicated that baking acrylic-painted metal would help to "set" the color, though no specific temperature or timing were indicated. Suffice it to say it was less than comforting to have more knowledgeable family members state, "I could have told you that!" after this naive artist discovered some solders can (and do) melt at 450 degrees Fahrenheit!
ADDENDUM: Many months after the Hatchling was finished, there was a rather peculiar occurrence in the gallery. A small child was the only witness to one of nature’s most spectacular events. With no warning, and I rather loud popping noise, the unhatched egg blew into tiny fragments. It took some time to uncover the cause of this event, but after some research, it became clear to the artist that the child had been in the gallery at the exact moment of a fairy birth. Fairies, unlike birds or reptiles, don’t come gradually out of their shells. To do so would imperil the fairy, as the risk of disclosure would be enormous, and capture would be tragic. Children, in their innocence, do not pose much danger. They, unlike adults, are fully cognizant of fairies and take their sightings in stride. This lucky, lucky child is, to date, the only verified account of Homo Sapiens being audience to the hatching of a fairy. Please be very, VERY careful when in the gallery. It is not known whether the newest, tiny fairy made its way out, or whether it is still within the building. Of necessity, a third egg was, with tremendous difficulty, obtained. It is this new replacement egg you see brooding within the nest.
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For Questions or Comments about the Website E-mail Charlie Weiland
For Questions or Comments about the Artwork please E-mail Jeanne Weiland
This Page updated on 5/1/98