2012. what next?

it's already march. i have a small but beautiful display at my local library, and it will be up till mid april. it represents dolls past and present. mostly past, as my present life is consuming time and energy in a way that does not leave me hugely creative. i hope to get back on track but for now i have to be proud of what i have done. my online doll group, art dolls only, has shifted gears. new folks running the show. those of us who are left over are wondering if it will be the same, or if it's best to create some kind of new group. my goal for this year is to continue trying to sell on etsy. my cute walnut snowmen did not find an audience but maybe my dolls will. i have to tell myself that the key word is TRYING. if i don't then i'll never know. i have to take photos of what i want to post, and then get 'em up there on etsy.

spirit dolls by paula's photostream

spirit dolls by paula's photostream on Flickr.

Dolls galore...enjoy!

spirit dolls in B/W for the june challenge with ART DOLLS ONLY

I love my online dollmaking friends.  we belong to a group called Art Dolls Only.  the challenges they come up help me creatively to think outside the box.  in this case the june challenge was for a black and white doll.  i love drawing in b/w, and almost right away i knew what i wanted to make.  then the vision expanded and i was creating two dolls  instead of one!  i'm finding that i like sculpting these little clay faces - it give me more dimension than my typical handpainted canvas faces  change is good.  here's the end result.  i also love the little painted clay boots!

Ginny 1 comes home!

I am having the best time this year participating with two teams in the traveling doll project (known as the TDP, for short).
I created 2 almost identical dolls. one went to a team of 3, another went to a team of 6. my smaller team is done, so we all have our original dolls back now, but they've traveled to two other artists and been transformed. here is my doll after she was worked on so beautifully by donna cooper in illinois, and tiffany koornneef in oregon. see my previous post to compare before and after! ginny's come home with a face, hair, hands, legs, shoes, and more bling! i expect my other doll, ginny 2, back home this summer.

traveling doll project 2011 Ginny 1, Ginny 2

i participated in this very creative project last winter (see previous posts). this year i'm on 2 teams, so i got to start two dolls.
they have now left my studio for their first stops in illinois and oregon, where other artists are working on them. the journey will continue for several more months, with each stop being recorded by blog, photos, journals. check out adotravelingdollproject.blogspot.com to see what other teams have started. i am a part of Ladies of Liberty and The American Pies. the two dolls i created were named Ginny 1 and Ginny 2, in honor of a well known dancer in my town. she passed away 2 years ago, and i had the honor of attending her estate sale last summer, where i found glitz galore. the dolls in this photo are headless, but not for long.

silver spirit doll

this one started her life as a normal spirit doll, that is, made of fabric and branches and canvas and moss. when i "retired" her, i
dipped her in housepaint and gave her new life as an outdoor object. she resided for almost 2 years on top of a birdhouse in my
back yard, painted bright red by my daughter. recently she started to tilt and crackle a bit, so i decided it was time to give her a fresh coat of paint. i had some chrome silver spray paint in my garage, which i used first on some leftover autumn gourds that i wanted to display with my holiday stuff.

the doll got a coat of chrome and was transformed - i love how shiny she is! this one will go back outside and be my elements experiment. will she stay shiny or will she turn dull with the winter wind and snow? we'll see. in the meantime i am prepping another dipped doll for the chrome, and she will be sent to key west for a fundraiser.

Fifi

I finished up my newest doll over the weekend, having plenty o' time, for a change. All because my daughter had a cold and it was
in our best interest to stay put. It was actually the best thing that could have happened! We sat on the couch,
she with sketchbook or little sewing projects, me with current spirit doll "stuff" that requires stitching, and I also put the
final touches on the new doll, which we are officially naming Fifi. She is so cute and sassy, and looks great no matter what she's sitting on. A dollhouse chair, a pumpkin, whatever. Fifi rocks!

not quite a spirit doll

the online group i belong to, Art Dolls Only, has monthly and quarterly challenges that inspire us to create new, exciting dolls . this month's challenge was to make a doll using unfamiliar materials. to think outside the box. perfect timing, as i am feeling too busy to make my dolls in the usual way right now. i adapted my daughter's fearless attitude and just sat down at my art table to see what was there, what looked interesting, and then voila - start making something! this bendy lady is not done yet. she needs clothes. but in the meantime i am enjoying her wooden knob head which i handpainted, her pipe cleaner body, her purple clay shoes, and the little chair i borrowed from my daughter's dollhouse. i will finish her this weekend and post another photo of her when i'm done. you can see more creations at www.artdollsonly.com