I found a wonderful old rag doll on a market stall and from her a beautiful skirt, blouse and jewelry I think she might be from India. She has a separate doll's face crudely sewn onto her cloth head which in some ways is rather poignant, but in others quite disturbing. Is she an expression of a thrifty use of materials for a child to love, is the dolls face European in which case it could provoke a culturally problematic discourse, or is this appliqued visage just plain creepy? Her dissonant appearance makes her more beautiful to me and I think she provokes questions better than I can answer them. I felt her delicate face would need protecting from the sun so I found this dead leaf (fatsia japonica?) on the pavement and decided it would make a lovely parasol for her. I liked the way it still looked so animated as if caught in the breeze. I bought a new watercolour tube of the most beautiful rich colour that reminded me of dried blood and used this for her shadow in tribute to the life stages of women and their tragedies and triumphs. The china doll's hand with painted nails came from my grandparents trunk. I don't know what it is doing here exactly, I just know the doll needed it to be with her. It could be reaching for the doll, or leaving her, it could stand in for the doll's owner, friend, the artist, or it could even be God... .