GIRL WITH A FISH, HUMAN by artist Francesca Loi

Mixed media OOAK art doll: air dry clay, vintage fabrics and lace, sari silk ribbon, gold leaf, wire. The body (not posable) is made of white, needle-felted Corriedale Top, over a wire armature (to give her the right shape), wrapped in a sari silk ribbon. Head, hands, and boots are sculpted in air dry clay. 

Her wig is made of unbleached natural fibre. She holds a hand-sewn fabric and vintage lace fish, that I made and decorated with small, embroidered details. She is painted with chalks, watercolours, and acrylics. Gold leaves cover the tips of her fingers in one hand and the buttons of her Victorian inspired boots, all sealed with a matte varnish. She has a metal vintage ring on her back, to be displayed against a wall. Completely hand sewn.

DOLL: around 33 cm/13 inches tall

FISH: around 11 cm/4 inches long

This doll is part of a pair: a human and her skeleton “reflection” counterpart. Shown with her partner in last two images (sold separately).

What do I see in my own reflections? What do others see in theirs?

When in front of a mirror the current self – what I am now – is standing between two mirrored versions of the same: what I was, and what I will be.

“I will hold my past in my arms like a beautiful, ephemeral fish.”

“My love for the present is a golden thread that stains my limbs.”