a spirit BRA?!?

a moment's departure from the spirit dolls to....bras! i'm participating in a breast cancer fundraiser
this fall. the feature is many "Artful Bras" which will be displayed and auctioned off at a gala event. i thought i'd share photos of mine here on my blog. i met the organizers of this event last spring at the opening of my
show "All Dolled Up" at the good news cafe. we hit it off immediately and i was committed to creating some dazzling
bras. interestingly enough, i shared with these ladies that i'd had a phase of creating art bras back in 1991 when i lived in new york city. i recently unearthed a few in my brother's attic, and perhaps i'll post photos of them at some point! the new bras i'm
making are similar in their construction - i take an actual bra and coat it in many layers of latex paint, giving it a hardened "shell" like a gessoed canvas. ready to paint, decorate, whatever! the one shown here is titled "The Cha Cha Bra".

a spirit doll for heidi

i just got back from a visit to key west. having lived there from 2001-2006, it holds a special spot in my heart.
and...it's where the spirit dolls were born! every time i'm back i ride by my old house and peek up at the window that
was my studio and where oh so many wonderful dolls were created. on this trip i brought along a special doll for my
great friend heidi, as a thank you for letting me stay at her home. sassy pink leopard fabric, chiffon headwrap,
and one of my newer style faces using glitter for eyeshadow. heidi has a bunch of my spirit dolls and always seems to keep
finding new spots to display them. my last nite in key west we all went to the beach and were treated to the full moon rising.
paradise!

"Miss Lily" returns home as the TDP ends for our team

I belong to a wonderful online group called Art Dolls Only. In January a team activity called The Traveling Doll Project was started. Each team member began a doll and sent it on to the next person, who got to add on something
in their own style of dollmaking. When my spirit doll left Connecticut she first went
to Seattle, then to Missouri, then to Texas. She's now returned home and I love how she's evolved. Fancy clothes,
huge hair, pretty jewelry, and something very exciting: movable arms!!! Along the way she also got the name "Miss Lily".
Welcome home!!

New Spirit Doll faces

dang! what happened to march and april and half of may? i've been so busy. a lot of it was spent volunteering for
worthy things at my daughter's elementary school. now it's time to get my own creativity on track again.
i'm continuing to work on the Art Dolls Only Traveling Doll Project (i have 2 dolls in my studio right now, and
await the return of my spirit doll by the end of the month). i also met some women at my restaurant exhibit
who are putting together a non-doll related event later this year. i won't say now what i will be creating,
but it's going to be colorful and fun! last but not least, i'm headed back to key west in june for a visit that
is part business, part pleasure. i will be meeting with a local bridal planner (JULIE SHRECK of simply you weddings)
to show her my growing collection of gorgeous bridal spirit dolls. the faces shown here in my hand may be
the new twist to the way my dolls look...something more dimensional. i'm going to play with these and see
if they are suitable for the additional two bridal dolls i will be finishing up before key west. one of these faces
has a tiny pearl, a tiny shard of mirror, and a tiny rhinestone cooked in. change is in the air!!

All Dolled Up

From March 10-May 10 I have an exhibit of 49 spirit dolls at The Good News Cafe in Woodbury CT. It's a cool restaurant, a hip little oasis in the midst of a traditional Connecticut town. For the display I did a large central frame of all-white bridal dolls, then marching out on either side all around the room, are dolls in colored outfits. Right now my studio feels sort of bare, but it's good to have a bit more space, as it inspires me to get back to work again!

ADO "Angel" challenge

this doll came together very quickly, as i had a lot of white material, feathers, and pearls on hand in my studio. her face is created from Fimo clay, then attached to a canvas base. she's almost like a mardi gras angel. i photographed the finished doll against fabric i used in 2006 to create my lifesize spirit doll, "Big Mama".

Little Clay Faces

After creating a fabulous burlesque face for my last spirit doll, I got excited about

the new look. All that glitter...va va voom! I had some Fimo clay on my work table

and started to form some face shapes with tiny noses. Baked 'em in the oven as

directed, and then started playing with paint and glitter again. For now I am using

hot glue to attach them to my standard canvas head forms. We'll see. Change is in

the air.

Burlesque Spirit Doll !

I'm working on another challenge for the fabulous online group, Art Dolls Only. This time

it's a Burlesque theme. She's not done yet, but I'm happy with her evolution so far. I've had some thick purple faux fur in my studio, and it's finally been put to good use as the doll's cape. I'm also pleased with her glitter eyeshadow. My little girl commented that this doll has

"a tricky face". Hee Hee !!

Traveling doll project, 2010

I am part of a team on Art Dolls Only that will be collaborating on a group of 4 dolls. Each one of us starts a doll, then sends it to the next person, who adds a bit of magic, and sends it on. We each get a month with the doll, and in that time we journal, blog, create, and get to know the work of our team artists up close and personal ! My creation is wearing a nubby red dress and is being sent out headless. I will enclose her head in the package but will leave it up to my team to decide if and how it will be used. "Seattle, here I come !"

caped holiday spirit dolls

this group of spirit dolls was created for harrison gallery in key west. it's challenging trying to sell my art in a tropical place when i'm in the mood to adorn them with capes, fur, cashmere... but we'll see how they do. i love the capes, and have Art Dolls Only to thank for motivating me to create something new. my caped doll in october got me inspired to try it with these ladies. they're glamorous and fun!

holiday show at barn hill studio

the past couple weekends i've had my dolls on display at a wonderful old barn in monroe, ct. i also mixed in a few of the "naughty & nice" clay figures for fun.

NaughtyNice, & not a spirit doll!

i'm a new member of an online group called Art Dolls Only. i agreed to take part in an "ornament swap" with the theme Naughty or Nice. i got paired with a dollmaker from Argentina. i was inspired to create something other than a spirit doll, so i started playing with fimo clay. my current dolls are all getting dazzling capes (i liked the look on my halloween doll, see previous post) this little figure is a few inches high, and her tiny red velvet cape hides some bodacious little boobs, complete with glittery nipples! she will be a very funny addition to the holiday tree.

halloween spirit doll

TA-DA! after what seemed like a long stretch of interrupted creativity, this dazzling autumn beauty was inspired by an online challenge through a group i belong to, called Art Dolls Only. she's about 20 inches tall, made from blouses belonging to my niece, my friend francine, and even one of my own. the toile lining of her cape is fabric from my french fairygodmother sylvie. for the first time i've added a mask (made of sculpey), and i like the mystery it adds to her face.

my trusty assistant

this is neiman, a big orange cat who came into my life about 8 years ago when i lived in key west. we're all in connecticut now, but he is a typical kitty who craves the sunshine. in this shot he's arranged himself in the middle of my work area, surrounded by clippings of cashmere that i've been using lately. my next post will be of a completed halloween spirit doll, which i created for the art dolls only challenge online.

botanical #14: morning glory

every morning glory i planted this year came up purple. the ones in my veggie garden are the happiest, as they get a full dose of delicious morning sun. there is a fleeting quality to this season. we're definitely done with summer, but the full splendor of fall is maybe another week away, so in between are these dreamy days - time to be outside raking without mittens, time to appreciate the cycle of nature, and to imagine what next year will be like when it all comes back to life. my early spirit dolls always had their eyes closed. the faces have evolved a bit, some with eyes open, to my latest simplified style which can be seen on the post titled "obedient plant". i'd love to get some comments on the various facial styles...

botanical #13: hyacinth bean

this is another late summer/early autumn treasure. i first saw these vines with their glossy purple bean pods in new york city, where i belonged to a community garden. a friend of mine who still lives in the city sent me seeds from the same plant, and for the past two years i've grown the vine here in connecticut. the bean pods are not edible, just pretty to look at. the purply flowers are a nice compliment to this creamy white bridal spirit doll.

botanical #12: goldenrod

AHHH-CHOOO! people with allergies hate goldenrod. i love it. bees love it. and as far as complimenting the shiny autumn disco dress on this spirit doll, it can't be beat! goldenrod rocks!

botanical #11: obedient plant

i associate this plant with two things: back-to-school, and bees. this is my 4th autumn here in connecticut; i am more connected with my garden and yard each year. i know when the obedient plants are blooming there will be mornings of freedom like i have now that my daughter is in school. i also know there will be packs of bees all around these flowers, gathering pollen in one last mad dash before it gets chilly. i chose this golden spirit doll as a contrast to the rich purple flowers around her.

botanical #10: day lily

summer was over in a flash this year. i took this photo when the lilies were at their peak, and before the deer nibbled them. now it's september, and my early autumn flowers are putting on their show, so stay tuned for those posts coming soon.

botanical #9: snow on the mountain

i'm not sure what the real name of this plant is. some call it snow on the mountain. you either love it or hate it, because like the loose strife plant, it spreads. i appreciate low-maintenance gardening so for me it's great. i also think the leaves make a nice background for this juicy hot pink spirit doll !