Gremlin Throttle

 

Materials . . .

Hazel wood / Deer, Elk & Cow hide / Deer antler / Rabbit fur / Tagua Nut / Bone & wood beads / Copper wire

 

Dimensions . . .

Height:   4 ft  – 11 1/2 in.          Width:  9 in.

 

The essence of the Gremlin Throttle . . .

 

This was one of those pieces where its spirit made itself immediately know upon the first initial cuts of the knife.  As I began to remove the bark and punky/degraded wood from the knurled top, it became quite obvious there was the twisted essence of a face looking back at me. As I finished the rough shaping of the stick a nose and two distinctive eyes became quite prominent. Soon I noticed when I held the shaft in one hand just below the nose . . . it looked as though I was choking the poor creature. From that moment on my inspiration was set, and I began to bring to life the whimsical gremlin I saw in my mind’s eye.

 

Now my intention for this piece is to be a . . . “Therapeutic Tool” of sorts . . . giving its owner an outlet  to vent the pressures and frustrations that often accumulate over the course of a normal day. How does this piece accomplish this you ask? Well in my slightly skewed imagination I see someone coming home vexed at the end of their day needing to strangle something (come on . . . we’ve all been there), and this piece provides that exact opportunity. Someone can simply walk up to their awaiting gremlin, grab it firmly between its shoulders and chin . . . and then SHAKE to their heart’s content. (Of course one would want to make sure they were well out of range of small children, windows, and other breakable objects before they began their therapy session). But once all their pent up energy had been defused  and expended . . . their trusty gremlin could return happily to its resting place knowing it helped its owner regain some level of calm and control over theirs lives . . . that is until the next therapy session.