Once again, the present itself was overshadowed by its container. Kokopelli is a humpbacked flute player whose Indian heritage goes back at least to 200 A.D. Kokopelli, according to legend, could be a nuisance to some or bring good luck and health to others. I decided to make him a nuisance.
Searching for something more fragile than wood, I came across a carton of plaster of paris. This turned out to be much better than I could have imagined. These were the days when I didn't bother making a prototype first. Mixing what I guessed would be the right amount of water for the powder, I poured the mixture back into its milk carton container. Kokopelli had to get inside somehow and not be ruined in the process. I found a plastic box with a lid, inserted Kokopelli, filled the rest of the box with rice and sealed on the lid so it was waterproof.
Then I waited for the plaster to dry. The thought was to carve something in the plaster on all sides except one (the bottom). After a few hours I peeled back the milk carton. The plaster was maleable. It stayed this way for hours, giving me time to mold and carve. It was the most fun I've had making a gift wrap. I came back several times to edit, erase and refine the surface. In the medium was the message:
- top -- a figurative rose, recalling the box from the previous year
- side 1 -- A Christmas tree forest and mountains in the background, recalling our years in Washington State
- side 2 -- A little Dido gargoygle perched at the top, a frog cutout, both recalling gifts in the series
- side 3 -- A waterfall you might see in Yosemite near our home in California
- side 4 -- a simple swirl or squiggle, our favorite "personality" shape
- all over--white, like the block of ice two years prior
The trinket gift remains on display with its container to this day.
