Wylene's Hand-Painted Wind Dancer

Hand-painted in Berea, Kentucky A painted lady on a cord. The wind does the dancing. Wylene Buckner, 75, painted dinnerware by hand for forty-one years. Since 2012 she has painted only these: little bell-skirted dancers with loose legs that swing, cross and kick whenever the air moves. Her eyesight has ended the work. These are her last 160. Final batch · no restock “One sitting in a box is a dancer who never gets to dance.” 160Left in total 5Dancers 0Batteries 90Day guarantee Painted in an old tobacco barn The first one was a doll for her granddaughter Brynlee in the spring of 2012. Wylene ran out of glue, hung the legs loose under the skirt and hooked her on a porch nail to dry. Two days later a storm came over Indian Fort Mountain, and the little lady started turning on her cord, legs kicking like she was learning to waltz. Every dancer since has been shaped from clay, fired and painted freehand in the barn behind Wylene’s farmhouse, with her initials on the inside of the hem and a handwritten card in the box. “I painted plates for forty-one years and never once saw one move. I made a doll for a six-year-old, and the wind taught her to dance.”Wylene Buckner · Berea, Kentucky Choose your dancer The PainterWylene herself at nineteen, in her first week in the pottery paint room, palette in hand. The Harvest DancerHer sister Opal, who has carried the best pumpkin to the county fair every fall for fifty years. The BluebirdFor the pair of eastern bluebirds that has come back to the nest box by the barn door every spring since 2009. The ReaderBrynlee, who got the very first dancer and spent every summer after that reading on the porch swing. The BouquetThe roadside wildflowers Wylene carried down the aisle in 1972. She paints this one slowest. What arrives at your door 1 hand-painted dancerAbout 10.6 in tall, in the design you choose Hanging cordKnotted around her raised hand, ready to hook up Wylene’s cardA note written by hand for every order Careful packingWrapped so she arrives ready to hang or to give How she dances A light breeze: she sways back and forth, like somebody humming to herself. A steady wind: she turns in slow circles, skirt swinging out, legs drifting behind her. A real storm: she spins and kicks like a girl at a barn dance. No motor, no spring, no switch. Six things that make her different No. 01Loose legs, on purpose The legs hang free under the skirt. That is what makes her dance instead of just hanging there. No. 02Painted freehand No decals, no stencils. Every vine and petal is painted line by line, so no two dancers are exactly alike. No. 03One hanging point The cord is knotted at her raised hand, so she turns freely and moves with even a kitchen-window draft. No. 04No face, the old way Like the Appalachian cornhusk dolls Wylene grew up with, the face is left blank, so she can be whoever you love. No. 05Signed in the hem Turn her over: Wylene’s initials, W.B., are painted inside the skirt on every single one. No. 06A last batch 160 dancers across all five designs. When the barn shelf is empty, there will be no more. A store-bought figure vs. Wylene’s Store-bought Wylene’s dancer In the wind Hangs still Sways, turns and kicks The pattern Printed sticker that fades Painted by hand The hook Thin plastic loop on the head Cord knotted at the raised hand The face The same cartoon smile Left blank, the old way Who made it Nobody you’ll ever know Signed W.B. inside the hem From someone who knows Kentucky folk art “Berea has been a crafts town for more than a century, and I’ve seen a lot of hand-painted work come through. What you notice with Wylene is the line. Forty years of painting dinnerware gives you a steadiness you can’t teach. A piece like this, painted freehand and signed, would sit on a gallery shelf at three or four times her price. That she’s letting the last of them go this way is her choice, and it’s a generous one.” — Joyce Whitt, 27 years running a craft gallery in Berea, Kentucky Perfect for Front porchesPergolas & patiosGarden shepherd’s hooksTree branchesBalconiesKitchen windowsA gift for Mom or GrandmaGardeners & bird loversAnyone who loves a windy day The Buckner guarantee 90DAYS Every order ships within 1–2 days and comes with a 90-day money-back guarantee. Hang her up, give her a few windy afternoons, and if she isn’t what you hoped for, send one email and you get your money back. Good to know Does she make any sound? No. She is a dancer, not a chime. She moves silently, so she is just as welcome outside a bedroom window as on the porch. How much wind does she need? Very little. A light breeze sets her swaying, and a steady wind turns her in circles. Hang her where air can reach her from more than one side. Can she stay outside all year? Yes. Under a porch roof her colors stay bright the longest. In an ice storm or hard freeze, bring her in for a night, like a potted geranium. Will mine look exactly like the photos? Very close. Because every dancer is painted by hand, small details in the pattern and color vary a little from piece to piece. That is how you know it is hers. Product details Designs The Painter · The Harvest Dancer · The Bluebird · The Reader · The Bouquet Size Approx. 10.6 in tall × 4.1 in wide × 3.4 in deep (26.8 × 10.5 × 8.6 cm) Material Hand-shaped clay, fired, painted by hand with a matte finish; initials W.B. inside the hem Hanging Cord knotted at the raised hand; loose legs that move in the wind Use Outdoors and indoors · no batteries, no sound Made by Wylene Buckner, Berea, Kentucky Availability Final batch: 160 dancers in total, no restock Shipping Ships within 1–2 days Guarantee 90-day money-back guarantee