Rand Darrow

Northern Winds Rand Darrow

The story NORTHERN WINDS is a bylina which is a Slavic epic. It is usually an oral narrative poem often sung and loosely based on historical fact. It has a bogatyr (hero) or Polyanitsa (heroine) and is divided into three parts: creation of bogatyr, mission, and moral or goal. I have combined puppet figures with my paintings to help narrate the story, using Christmas lights, shower curtains and whatever to create a mood. The puppets are also made of found materials such as dish soap bottles, wire, papier maché, Styrofoam insulation, sculpta-mold and anything else I can get my hands on. I wanted to create my own world and enjoy taking found materials and transforming it into something else.