Bookbinder, printmaker, painter and drawer, and former core student Marianne Dages has a portfolio spot in Trachodon 3, the latest installment of an independent arts and literary journal that has also recently featured work by Penland resident artist Amy Tavern. In today’s post on Cheek Teeth, Trachodon’s blog, Marianne gives an interview with Trachodon editor Katey Schultz. Here’s our favorite exchange:

KS: You work under the studio name Huldra Press, which your website describes as a woman with a fox’s tail who lives in the woods. Much of your work carries a sense of the hybrid dream world evoked by this name. In what ways do you find yourself “inhabiting” this world as you create?

MD: I’m an only child and am lucky to have grown up in a time and place where I was allowed to roam around my neighborhood freely and alone. I spent a lot of time doing what children do if left to their own devices: making potions out of onion grass and mud, creating games to entertain myself, and just exploring. I made up entire worlds, complete with geography and story lines, and I drew maps and portraits of the characters to keep as a reference for myself. I remember pretending the roads were rivers, and almost seeing it in front of me. In recent years, I’ve become very interested in folklore and mythology, especially Scandinavian folklore. What fascinates me about these stories is that they suggest there is a looking glass world that overlaps our own. A part of me still believes in it, I guess….

You can read the full interview here and/or purchase a copy of Trachodon 3 here.

Congratulations, Marianne! It’s always nice to hear (read) your voice.