Santos Crown

 I made a crocheted wire crown for the Santos doll I created from a broken doll I purchased at Goodwill.

 I made the crown on the large loom I purchased from Yoola Design (click HERE)

Santos Art Dolls

 I altered these dolls to create Santos figures; or, as some people refer to them as cage dolls.  I have always been fascinated by them.  Could never afford one, but I am pretty happy with these and will keep one for myself.  I learned a lot in the process of creating these and look forward to experimenting more.

Saturday, Nov. 5th is our local art fair here in Sun City West, Arizona.  It is held in the RH Johnson parking lot and the Rec Center area.  I hope we have a good turn out and the sun stays out.  I also hope I move some inventory.

Blogging Again

Over a month since my last post!  How quickly time goes by!  I have been teaching, painting, crocheting, beading, shopping, boating and best of all….spending time with family!  Our son got married on the 15th!  It was so beautiful.  I didn't want the day to end.  Now that things are getting back to normal (is there such a thing?),  I'm back in the studio creating messes; hopefully posting a little more frequently.

Art Doll Display

 

 20" tall, air dry clay, watercolor, sealers, loom knitted tubes, textiles, ribbon.

Art Doll Jewelry Display

13" tall, air dry clay, watercolors, sealer, textiles and paper.

Art Dolls as Jewelry Displays

 

 I finished three of the art dolls that will display beadwork.  The tallest one, Undirra, is 32" high.  Minista is 20" tall and Bisari is 13" tall.

Sculpting and Painting

 I took two wonderful classes on Craftcast.com on how to sculpt a whimsical doll head and how to paint whimsical doll faces by Marlaine Verhelst (click HERE).  I am a big fan of her work.

 I have been recuperating from some bad allergy attacks.  I was not able to be in our local Art Fair so spent lots of time sculpting heads and painting faces.  Still in the process, but nearing the end.

 Tomorrow I will finish the second coat of the face and eye sealers and move on to figuring out how to attach them to my bases.  They have been on my table for so long, I am anxious to finish them.

 Working on 6 at a time is much too ambitious.  What was I thinking?   But, I love the weird quirkiness, the simplicity and fun of each one.  After they are attached to the bases, it will be fun to work on their costuming and hair.

Although, I am not really doing costumes and hair; but reasonable facsimiles.  I certainly have gained a huge respect for art doll artists!

Paperclay, Darwi & Delight

 Loom knitting forms and in the process of sculpting faces using air dry clays.

Our local art fair is Saturday, March 21 from 8:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. at RH Johnson Rec Center located at 19803 N. RH Johnson, Sun City West, AZ 85375.  This art doll popped in my head quite a while ago.  I was sketching at art club; the usual faces, then forms, then jewelry, then a doll.  A weird doll with beading incorporated.  Still working this out.  In the midst of figuring it out, decided to make five of them.  Better get going.

Magic

When I was little, about 7 years old, I garbage picked looking for toys.  We lived with my maternal grandmother in a house on the corner of an alley.  I never really found much.  Then, one day, I opened the lid of a garbage can two houses from ours and found a brand new box of magic tricks.  It was like Christmas.  I’ll never forget it.  From time to time, there were more new toys and I always had the same reaction--eyes wide, mouth open; pure wonder.  It was years later I found out that Mr. and Mrs. Hall did not have children.  The new toys were for me.

I googled 1954 toys, newspapers and toy ads, reduced them to fit my matchbook and garbage can.  I googled 1954 playing cards, reduced them to fit inside her pockets, on her hair and in the box of magic tricks.  I sculpted the figure, rabbit in the hat and the garbage can from polymer clay.  Her eyes are beads and she wears glued on doll hair.

I loved Leslie Blackford's sculpting workshop at Clay Carnival.  I learned a lot, laughed a lot and "remembered" a lot.  And that's how my rabbit in the hat, my "something personal" fit into my sculpture.  Click HERE for Leslie's workshop description.

Paintbrush Necklace

Our local art club has a "free" box in which members can give away old brushes, paints, containers, etc.  I dug for treasures and came up with a beautiful, beat up 1" paint brush.  A little Apoxie Sculpt (resin clay) to attach the half head and arms and a little black paint and she was ready for her debut.