I’ve got a vague photography project in mind that will involve the use of a number of masks and prosthetics, so I thought I’d need to experiment a little bit with making some of these things. Whether this one ends up in the final project or not I really don’t know.

It doesn’t look like much yet, as it’s clearly at a fairly early stage. It’s essentially cobbled together out of paper mache, foam and sticks at the moment, and he represents Grangle Ogden, an old spirit of the New Forest, which is on my doorstep. Also known as Grandfather Ogden, Elder Ogden, Alder Ogden, Boggy Ogden and Old Bogden.

He remembers the ancient wild days, and can often be found sitting quietly in the corner of a pub. He likes to keep up with the football results, drives a beige Ford Mustang ‘68, and is addicted to Benson & Hedges and Twixes. If you get lost in the forest he’ll usually appear eventually to give you directions, but the chances of them being accurate or comprehensible are pretty low.

It’s the first time I’ve used foam to try and fabricate a different material – in this case wood. Will be interesting to see how that works out!