This ended up my favorite page in my portfolio, I had fun with the photography and the challenge of getting an image which showed off all the elements. I'm pleased with the way the focus softened into the background because it brought out some of the whimsy and magic. The little lady bird was pure chance (no, I didn't make it), the little guy wondered out at the right moment and I got the perfect shot. The little men have also taken on a new character because they are now Hobs rather than odd faces. As the commentary will say when they go up in Pannet Park gallery on friday (eeeek):

     Where ever there are people bridging the gap between the natural and man-made world there will be folklore; a way to connect and explain the two worlds and the strange goings on that come with rural living.

Especially common is the story of the magical being which has made it's home alongside people. In Shetland, the Trowie steals babies in the night and replaces them with a changeling for you to unknowingly bring up as your own. In Norway, a Nisse will milk all the cows in the dead of night but leave a patch of ice on the step so your sure to slip on your way in. North Yorkshire's answer to the wee men in the woodshed is the hairy little Hob. Hobs are cheeky, mischievous, naked little men who are both a hindrance and a help to people living on the moors.

I chose this branch of folklore as my inspiration because of the links with the places I call home and because the Hob offers a tie between people, the landscape and a sense of the old world of magic and myth. The felt faces appear from a twist of embroidery expressing the individual character of the Hob, like capturing a glimpse before he disappears again. 

ooo aren't I clever :)