Eleanor Reilly - I asked for a Puffalump - 2009 - Toys of Christmas Past Exhibition

This is Eleanor Reilly telling us the story of how she longed for a Puffalump for Christmas but instead she was given a duvet. Lousy!
Sound parents right there. A duvet...whats that saying to a child? ' Enjoy the gift of warmth and comfort because normally we let you sleep by the door'. I dunno I think this piece is really shocking and seriously heart breaking. If Barnardo's or the ISPCC get wind of this it might be the last piece we ever see made by Eleanor before she is locked away in an adult foster home.
If we look closely at Eleanors art and her attention to detail we can clearly see it was her parents influence she became such a great artist. Its evident that her parents never gave Eleanor the luxuary of toys, computer games, television or even crayons or colouring pencils judging by the detailed pencil work we see here. Eleanor had to grow up in a furnitureless room with just a duvet ( plain too) and a pencil and paper as entertainment. Shocking! Over the years eleanor was so bored she befriended four really sound dustmites. One of these mites who we will name Joe for legal reasons was a skilled artist. He spent years training Eleanor how to craft tiny versions of the things she loved but did not have. One of the strongest example of this microscopic craftswomanship is in this piece. Just look at that little Puffalump. That is pure talent and skill, the kind only an artistic dustmite can train you in.
Eleanor was banished from her home after a few years. She had "accidentally" crushed Joe (the dustmite,who her family grew to adore) and used his fine textured hair as spokes of a miniture bicycle in some piece depicting some foreign country she pretended she went too.
Once Eleanor was set free of the shackles of stinginess of her parents she became emersed in all things creative. She would go to art shows and flirt with the wine. She would hunt artists she admired and use their mojo as inspirational glue. She would be given the key to the city that she built for the dustmites out of Rice Krispies and guilt.
The Little Ghost Gallery has fostered Eleanor as one of their own. Its a great feeling as an artist to come across someone who you know by the depressed look on thier face that they have dedicated their life and soul to their art. We in turn dedicate our friendship and time to this truely gifted and special artist. To find out more about Eleanor and her love life just click HERE. If you are a mourning dustmite please feel free to abuse her as she feeds of negative energy to make such pretty work, just like an Incubus does!