Dolls on Exhibit... a Torche' Galerie Opening Nite! Saturday, April 12th...

I am beyond excited to announce that seven of my new Folk Art Dolls have been chosen for exhibition at Torche' Galerie in Belmar, NJ. In fact... I'm over the moon!

The exhibit is to mark the gallery's First Anniversary and a whole host of talented artists in all genres were selected for this very special occasion.

Torche' Galerie Anniversary Exhibition

Opening Reception 

Saturday, April 12, 2014

7pm - 10pm

500 Main Street, Belmar, NJ 07719

So come join me at the opening reception and view the work of more than 50 contemporary artists! And if you can't make it, the show is up until May 10th. Check it out... you won't be disappointed.

Ain't She A Doll...

Well, it took a little longer than I anticpated... but I finally finished my first official collection of folk art style dolls for 2014. With 10 little babies to create from paper clay, I ended up letting them discover who they wanted to be as I sculpted away. I did have some very specific ideas for personalities in mind before beginning... but the creative thoughts that came during the process made it that much more exciting. They just came to life in my very hands. I'm such a proud momma.

From bunnies in tutus, to moons orbiting earth, to cotton candy personified, to an underwater sea creature, and more... they were such fun to watch unfold before my eyes! I loved getting lost in the process and finding myself again in the tiniest of details. It was fun. It was frustrating at times. It was even a little scary. But mostly... I enjoyed the unpredictability of this journey.

So, let's take a look at some of my new art dolls...

This is Hope. No matter where she goes, she always feels at home. She's kind of a homebody.

Here is Mother Earth, with the orbiting moon as her head. She's got the whole world in her hands. The scarf was a last minute addition, but it does get cold up there at the North Pole!

Leonardo — a.k.a. The King of Cats — is a real sweetheart and a romantic. I actually used my kitties' naturally shed whiskers for this doll. And yes, I've been collecting those whiskers for years for just such a purpose.

Ain't she sweet? This is Miss Cotton Candy in all her pink glory. With an inverted cone as her off-the-shoulder ball gown, she's ready for a night on... the boardwalk.

Crustacea is Queen of the Lobsters. But it wasn't easy. She had to pinch her way to the top, one arthropod at a time! She's all dressed up for the Coral Cotillion, aboard the sunken pirate Ship Destiny. I wonder what great treasures await her.

And this little angel is Aspen. Made from parts of an old teddy bear (yes, that awesome bow belonged to the bear), she won my heart and will become part of my own personal collection. Now to carve out some time for the next round of dolls. Hmmmm.... where shall I go from here?

You can check out my entire collection of folk art style dolls in more detail in my Etsy shop.

Going to The Land of Dolls...

For more than three years now I've been making art for a living. And by art, I mean acrylic paintings, mixed media collage, circus themed assemblage, boardwalk style knock-down dolls, modern vintage-looking rag dolls, paper clay dolls, upcycled jewelry from flea market finds, and a few other things I'm sure!

And while I love every single one of these creative endeavors... I felt I needed more focus. I wanted to fine tune my own personal style. I thought maybe I should concentrate on one type of art. But which one? I love them all! I wanted to showcase the multitude of ideas in my head... but at the same time I wanted to utilize all the skills I've acquired in all the disciplines I love.

I thought for a very, very, very, long time. I reached into my brain... and then into my soul. I weighed and measured each of the creative categories with my head... and with my heart (and maybe a little bit in my gut too)! And came up with... Art Dolls!

I've dabbled with paper clay figures in the past, but they took hours and hours to make. But... they were also some of my favorite creations to date! I do love to make art that expresses emotion... and what better way than something with a face!

I also love that my Art Dolls allow me to utilize all my favorite materials and skills... working with clay, paint, repurposed flea market finds, sewing and fabric creations, adding collage elements, assemblage... heck, even some of my jewelry skills come in handy! It's really a mixed media paradise when you think about it. Hooray!

And so I have made the decision to concentrate my efforts this year on making Art Dolls! I've already started a few and can't seem to keep my hands off of them! I have more ideas than time, but I put some things aside like laundry, cleaning, shopping, fixing the bathtub faucet and even getting a haircut... just to work on these fun creations!

As a creative person who loves several forms of art, I have to say that it was not an easy decision to make... focusing on one discipline. However, once I made the choice, sat down and started to make these little creatures come to life... well, there wasn't one ounce of regret in my own little body. Playing with dolls. Yeah... pretty much a dream come true for me.

So, off I go into the land of dolls. If you don't hear from me for awhile it's because I'm busy creating. But you can keep up with my adventures on my Facebook Page and Twitter. Or sign up for my newsletter and be the first to know about all the good stuff!

I'm looking forward to sharing this new journey with you! Thanks for tagging along with me. You're a real doll!

xoxox

Thoughtful Thursdays: Boardwalk Inspiration!

 

I seem to find inspiration everywhere. And because I'm always looking for stuff to recycle and repurpose, I'm usually looking down at the ground. But this time... hanging out on the Coney Island boardwalk.... things were... well... looking up! I couldn't help but notice this burger boy and his beer carrying burger girl, perched atop a concession stand!

They were so simple in their design, and so retro in their look... and I thought they would make such cute PaperClay dolls! I've always been a fan of the Bob's Big Boy burger boy and these local, folk-art style versions just made me giddy. And hungry! Burger, anyone?

Gettin' Twisted...

Well... work on my Twisted assemblage is moving right along... and a little better than I had anticipated. That's always a pleasant phenomenon! I decided to go with Jesus as my "I" and I think I'm going to paint the letters ivory to match him.

I built a shelf out of a cardboard box, because I wanted the letters to be far forward, and not toward the back... in the shadows. Glued it in using my favorite multi-media glue.... DAP Tub & Tile Caulking! Wanna know why I love it so? Because caulking is made to fluctuate with temperature and humidity changes... just like the tiles in your bathroom. And so it doesn't get too hard and crack off. That's my little tip for today. Back to the assemblage...

I papered the entire inside of the drawer — and over the new shelf — with vintage book pages. For this piece I used pages from The Diary Of Anne Frank. But I don't really pick titles that are pertinent to the assemblage... I actually pick based on how aged the pages look, and how supple they are. These were perfect!

I also tried something different with this piece. Usually, I age the pages with some hue of brown acrylic paint... but these pages were rather delicate and the drawer had some ridges in it. I didn't want to be treating them so harshly as to rub on paint and wipe it back off. So I thought I would try using wood stain... and OMG!! Can I just tell you... that I may never go back to acrylics for aging vintage book pages again!

I got to work on Giselle over the weekend... added some volume to her skirt, distressed her like she'd been around for decades, and hooked her up to her new station all twisted and such. But I'll save that for the next update. Until then my twisted little mixed-media followers... Bwwahhahaahaa!

Sometimes You Just Have To Sever The Ties!

Oh no! I'm cutting off her arms! Yes, that's right... poor little Giselle is getting a bit of a makeover. She was the very first paper clay doll I made with real-looking eyes... and I truly did love her. Really!

I mean, I was there the day she was born... you know?

And I was there when she blossomed into a fine young woman.

I even made the dress for her first Cottilion.

But alas, the novelty wore off and I kept finding things I didn't like about her. So instead of keeping her around looking all at once pretty and sadly pensive... I took things into my own hands. Literally!

I cut off half her arms so I can make them jointed. I painted them pink and stripey, along with her already-jointed legs. I shortened her dress into a ballet skirt... and there are more changes to come. I'm going to place her — puppet-on-a-string-style — into an assemblage to be entitled... Twisted. In my own whimsically ironic way I am turning things around and using her sadness to my advantage. And I'm looking forward to the journey...

Thoughtful Thursdays: Big-Eyed Dolls!

So what's with my obsession over big-eyed dolls, cartoons, and other miscellaneous characters? I've always been drawn to them. Oh, and juxtapose a big giant head with big giant eyes on a tiny little body... well, then I'm in love!

Perhaps it's that eyes just draw you in (pun intended!). I mean... there's so much emotion that can be read from looking at the eyes, even if they are drawn in.

Maybe it's because in addition to being adorable, they just happen to be a little scary. Cute and creepy... that's definitely me!

Or maybe it's because they look so sad. You just want to scoop them up, tell them it's okay, and make them feel all better.

But whatever the reason... I am inspired and amused by these wide-eyed wonders every time I look at them. And what could be better than that?

Oh, Where... Oh, Where... Has My Paperclay Gone?

 ...oh, where... oh, where... can it be? As you may know, I've been working on my mixed media assemblages for the past two weeks and using my favorite Creative Paperclay to make some of the components. Of course being someone who waits until the last minute to see if she has everything... I realized I was out of Paperclay.

So imagine my surprise when I got to Michaels and couldn't find any! I panicked and asked a sales associate if they had any in the back. She picked up a package of something called Clay Mache and told me that it was the Paperclay... only a special private label for Michaels brand. Now this confused me because the packages were different sizes, their country of origin was different, their instructions were different, and they even felt different when I squished them (yes, I do squeeze the Charmin!).

So I just had to call the people at Creative Paperclay and ask them what was up. As I suspected, the Clay Mache is not the same as Creative Paperclay. And after using them both, I can tell you... it's not even a close substitute. So I'm telling you now...  there is still Creative Paperclay left in many of the Michaels stores... and if you see it... snatch it up! You may not find it there in the future.

But Michelle! Say it ain't so! What can I do to make sure Michaels Craft Stores
continues to carry my all-time favorite Creative Paperclay?

Well, I'm so glad you asked! Here are a few things you can do:

• You can contact Michaels Customer Service via e-mail and let them know you don't want Creative Paperclay to go! Michaels really does respect what their customers think!

• You can give Michaels Customer Service a call at 1-800-642-4235, and let them know you'd hate to have to shop elsewhere for your one and only Creative Paperclay!  :o( 

• Go to your local Michaels store and let them know that you really need to be able to get Creative Paperclay there. They're pretty good at passing on customer's comments to the big guys up at Headquarters.

So, let's turn up the volume and create some noise folks. What do we want? We want our Paperclay! Where do we want it? We want it at Michaels!

If you take any action... I'd love to hear about it in the comments! And thanks for helping me (and I'm sure a lot of other Creative Paperclay fans) to try and keep this conveniently at our local Michaels Craft Stores!

Introducing... Giselle...

I am finally ready for the Débutante Ball. Mom made this beautiful gown from a vintage blouse she found at the mission thrift shop for only $2,99. I'm so tiny... she was able to use the shirtsleeve as the entire dress... I just love the buttons! With the extra material, she fashioned a tiny rosette for the waist and a scarf for my neck (she knows I'm always chilly). So now I'm ready for my coming out party.

At the moment... I'm just sitting around waiting for Claude to pick me up. I hope he brings me a pretty corsage to complete my ensemble. Mom thinks I'm too young to date... actually she thinks I'm too young for a lot of things! C'est la vie, Mommie...

I Am Doll Eyes...

...doll hair... doll arms... doll legs...

After adding some curly ringlets to my little paper clay dolly, I spent the weekend playing around... building a torso and limbs... painting and assembling the parts so she could sit, stand and bend at the knee. Now she just needs a vintage-style party dress! I went shopping at the Salvation Army to search out some old clothing I could use for dress fabric... so I have a couple of options. However, since I don't really know how to make any kind of clothing... I'm kind of flying blind. But I'm looking forward to experimenting. Until then, my yet unnamed dolly is going to keep warm in her little blanket of muslin!

Snow Day Play Time...

Last Wednesday... New Jersey was hit by another rather rambunctious snowstorm. On the shore here we got about another 10 inches of white powdery fluff! But no work... so what's a crafty girl to do? Have a FREE DAY to PLAY... Yay! So I did something eye've been wanting to do for a long time... make a paper clay doll with real doll eyes! I am ecstatic about how she came out and my head is spinning (hey, that's funny!) with all the themes, looks and costume possibilities I'm thinking of!
I'll keep you updated as she gets some hair.. a body... and dressed... for goodness sake!

Nesting...

Inspired by my Squam art retreat smack dab in the middle of nature... I had the need to create these speckled paper clay eggs. Most likely to incorporate into some jewelry pieces. I have always had a penchant for birds, nests and eggs... and so this just seemed very organic. They look a little too "pretty" for me though. I need to "dirty" them up a bit. Maybe some burnt umber? Maybe silver, since they're ultimate residence will be on a silver necklace? Not sure yet. I'll have to play some more.

Having A Ball...

I recently purchased some star shaped Klay Kutter tools and have been itching to try them out with paper clay. I finally had some extra time and wanted to create a base for one of my folk art people... using the stars as an accent. Okay... so I absolutely love how easy it was and the way it turned out! I painted it white and blue and then antiqued it with some dark brown. I will definitely be doing this again!

All In Favor... Say Eye!

After stumbling across the most amazing doll artist... Black Eyed Suzie... I just had to get me a bunch of these gorgeous, colorful eyes to use for my paper clay characters. It's definitely something new for me, but I just love how real they look... Eye have to try it!