About Dryad Design

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Statuary	Jewelry	Magnets	Pewter	Clothing

Our hope is to support and inspire earth based spirituality.

Paul and Suzanne

We are devoted to the Pagan religion and see our work as revitalizing the presence of the Goddess in our society. For those who are not Pagan, our pieces often connect them with their spirituality, heritage or ancestors. Each of our pieces are consecrated in circle and dedicated to the service of the divine. Several designs have a portion of their price donated to charitable organization, as our way of trying to give back. We are thankful to the community of Pagans across the country that has supported our efforts.
The imagery for all of Paul's work begins with ritual and meditation and is followed by extensive research. Paul feels the image is a gift from the Gods and has an etheric life of its own. He holds the image in his mind until he finds the appropriate material. Paul will stare for long periods of time into the material until he can see within the completed piece. Through this process the image and its life force is transferred into the wood or stone. Paul maintains that once the image solidifies in the wood, the carving is quick and easy. The first day is the most exciting for him because everything is potential. His heart pumps with excitement and the thrill of sinking his chisels into wood.

Nyla Hendrick

My connection to Dryad Design began back in 1997 about 7 years before I began working here when I purchased my very first pentacle ever, a 103PW, if you're curious. Then in the late fall of 1998, while operating my pagan centered B&B, the Gryphon Grove Inn, one of my customers exclaimed "Hey, that's my pentacle!". Closer inspection would reveal a couple more pieces of "hers" about the Inn.

You guessed it, Suzanne, was that customer. When Paul and Suzanne chose to move their operations to Vermont the following spring, they actually stayed at the Inn for a month while they found a more permanent living space. On occasion Suzanne and Paul would visit the Inn for social times and just plain escaping or maybe it was my cooking! In late 2003, Suzanne contacted me about working here but I passed up the job due to personal conflicts. When the person they hired didn't work out, they asked again and I accepted. I guess it was destined to be! When not at the office, I spend time with my husband, Gregory and my daughter, Aurora, enjoying our wild crafted woods and each other. I still operate the B&B on a part time basis, http://www.succubusarts.com/gryphongrove.htm where I'm mildly famous for my culinary concoctions.

I was born and raised in CA but always felt misplaced. I enjoy the grandeur of Vermont, its changing seasons and its serenity, but I'm also an avid night club attendee. I prefer cold weather but adore the sunshine and wear dark colors and velvet. A mechanical engineer by training, I much prefer being a hostess with the mostest or figuring out nifty office shorcuts. That's me in a nutshell; never quite doing what one might expect and loving every minute of it.

Fearn Lickfield

I started out at Dryad Design in 1999, working in the factory when the statues were produced here in Vermont. I was a professional "pourer, popper and booger picker," (technical names for my special part in the creation process!) Since we closed the factory I have been an administrative assistant in the office with Suzanne. I never would have pictured myself in this line of work but there are so many great benefits to working with Suzanne and Paul that I have stuck around for years!

In my other life I am a gardener, teacher, sacred circle member, certified flower essence practitioner and Geomancer/Dowser. My mission is to facilitate the vibrational healing of people, animals, and the earth; as well as the relationship between them. I work with an extensive line of essences, many of which I have co-created with garden and wild plants I have known over the years.

Flower Essences are natural liquid extracts containing the vibrational healing imprint of a plant. They work on the energetic field of the body, each flower offering its unique vibration to heal specific conditions, thereby bringing dynamic equilibrium back to the emotional, mental, and spiritual levels of consciousness. I offer flower essence consultations and personalized formulas. To schedule a phone consultation, call (802)229-4136 or email me at Habondiafarm@hotmail.com.

The Process

Day One: Paul in his studio "shoveling wood." A great deal of material needs to be removed before the image begins to appear.

Day Two: This part of the carving process is called "blocking." He develops the most basic shapes of the overall piece from largest to smallest. The image is beginning to emerge.

Day Three: The features and the overall feeling of the piece are becoming apparent. The greatest emotion lies in the face, so Paul defines this area first. Her presence sets the tone for the rest of the piece.

Day Twenty: Detail work begins in earnest. Paul finds, "The foxglove is harder to carve than I expected." Luckily, the garden provides living reference.

Day Thirty: Paul calls this "focusing." "It is extraordinarily anal work." Like a picture out of focus, everything has to be defined. All the facets of the piece need to match both in level of detail and feeling. With extreme attention, the entire piece comes into sharp detailed focus.

Completion: After nearly 300 hours of carving time, the original is molded and cast in resin.

The artwork of Dryad Design speaks to the spirit of the Old Religion realized in a modern Wiccan context. Beautiful, intricately designed. I love these works and use them in my own practice.
–Ann Moura, Author of Green Witchcraft I, II, III

For years I have searched for just the right God & Goddess statues, and none ever seemed to capture the magick and myth inherent in my path, until I saw yours. They are breathtakingly beautiful. I have sent several friends, first here, then to Dragon's Den for purchase, and all have spent hundreds at first sight. Your work is the most beautiful and spiritually fulfilling I have yet had the privilege to witness, let alone own.
–Maureen, New York

Your pieces are so lovely, I want them all...I have the Celtic pentagram, the Green Man, the pentagram with the tree of life. And I now covet the God/dess candlesticks and the lunar pentagram.
–Genevieve Kierans, Toronto

All your stuff has sold incredibly well. Everything gets ooos and ahhhhs. (Each piece) gets handled and touched.
–Virginia, Marke of the Rose

We never buy enough of your stuff. We're out before we're ready to reorder.
–Richard, Merlin Books

Merry Meet! I and my wife are thrilled with the items we purchased from you. We kept the box unopened in hopes to open it at Yule. However, our curiosity overtook us and we opened it up. I have seen allot of different work, but these are the best designs I have seen in a long time. I am sure we will be placing more orders with you in the future.
–Brett, Green-Man

I have been looking for your company for a while. A few months ago my wife bought a beautiful plaque with the mother, maiden, and crone on a vine. It is absolutely beautiful, we hung it in our entryway and thus far we have received compliments from just about everyone who came in the door (including, I might ad, a couple of Mormons).
–Jeremy, A Touch of Magick

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