Category Archives: Art Dolls

Paper, Paper, Paper

Paper.

Here are my paper inspired art doll figure sculptures that will be part of the “Rock, Paper, Scissors” featured artist show going up at the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts this coming Monday, March 26th. Opening reception Friday, March 30th from 6-9pm.

Paper Dolls?

You may have seen a few of these figure sculptures here, or even in the gallery already. They all utilize paper in the form of paperclay and/or papier-mâché as the primary media. Many are also connected to paper through inspiration found in the pages of literary works, sheet music, vintage notebooks, newspapers and more.

Hope

Seated figure, Hope, is a playful juxtaposition of color and black and white.

Tinker bell inspired art doll sculpture figure

Tinkerbell Never Lost Her Shadow

Wearing text pulled from the pages of Peter Pan, Tinkerbell Never Lost Her Shadow, is a hanging art doll figure sculpture that is all about light and shadow.

Boleyn’s Ghost

I introduced Boleyn’s Ghost in my last post. This art doll sculpture is based on the sister characters of Anne and Mary from the historical novel The Other Boleyn Girl.

Chef Sings

Chef Sings was inspired by a ceramic figure sculpture I made in Jr. high school art class!

Prudence and Martha

The Prudence and Martha sculpture is born from the Beatles vast music catalog and the figures are clad in sheet music.

Local Star

This sculpture is a rework of an art doll figure damaged by water. She was inspired by a Degas painting, and her costume is made from the pages of the local paper.

Paper Alice II

Another Alice in Wonderland art doll figure. This sculpture features Alice examining the “drink me” bottle, and playing card motifs.

In The Gallery Now

Leonardo’s Child

Already on display at HGA, Leonardo’s Child, is a nod to genius and flight.

Running Free

Running Free was a problem solving stop on the way to the next two minimalist figures I created for HGA’s “C-Note” show.

minimal dancing figure art doll sculpture

Dance

Dance is one of two art dolls that I pared down to their basic figure sculpture form for “C-Note”

Recline

Reclining art doll figure at HGA.

These pieces and more will all be find at the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts starting this coming Monday. If you are in the area stop by and take a look! Hope to see you at the opening reception next week!

A Boleyn Art Doll Plays Rock, Paper, Scissors

It is the final countdown to my featured artist show at The Hillsborough Gallery of Arts. My newest art doll and sculpture creations are part of the show that will have its opening reception from 6 to 9pm on March 30th titled, “Rock, Paper, Scissors”.

My pieces are intended to be the “Paper” part of “Rock, Paper, Scissors”, and will be displayed along side the silver and natural stone jewelry of Arianna Bara, and the textile creations of Ali Givens.

Art Doll or Book Sculpture?

This year, I created several sculptures that land somewhere in the intersection of book sculpture and art doll. One such piece is Boleyn’s Ghost. It is literally and literarily ripped from the pages of Philippa Gregory’s novel The Other Boleyn Girl. I must admit to a mild obsession with historical fiction, especially those set in Tudor England. I’ve always felt that Gregory’s title could refer to either of the Boleyn sisters, Anne or Mary. You can look from the perspective of who was established first at court, or who had greater historical impact. I think they both had reasons enough to return as a specter to teach a lesson or two.

In this piece I strive to achieve several things. She is a ghost. I think she should appear light and etherial. I also wanted to utilize the book pages and paper not only to highlight ideas, but mimic the patterns of rich textiles described.

Bolyn’s Ghost

I cannibalized my own well read paperback copy of the novel for fragments of text. The application to layers of tissue paper, though time consuming, helped to achieve the look I was going for with her gown. Likewise, I made the design choice to utilize a glass gem backed with a reflective holographic art paper in place of a face.

This ghostly figure-sculpture-art-doll-book-sculture will haunt the Featured Exhibit gallery of the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts starting March 26th.

New Year, New Work

I’ve been working in the studio on some new art doll figure sculptures for several upcoming shows.

Resolutions 2018 in Last week at HGA

Currently, the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts is featuring it’s yearly North Carolina state-wide juried show Resolutions 2018. This show features non-HGA artists from across the state. It runs through this weekend, so if the snow has melted in your area you have a couple of days left to see it in person.

C-Note

Starting Monday, January 22nd HGA will have C-note. A special themed show of HGA member-artist work all priced at $100. I created two minimalist “figure sketch” sculptures for this show. It was a challenge to create work to a specific price point that still fit within my usual body of work. With “Recline” shown below, and her sister piece “Dance”, I’ve paired down the detailed features and costuming of my usual art doll sculptures to their elemental core.

Recline

It’s All About the Story

Our February opening show will be our yearly “It’s All About the Story” show based on the work of one of Hillsborough’s many noted authors. This year we read “A Broom of One’s Own” by the recently named Piedmont Poet Laureate, Nancy Peacock. I will share a bit more about Nancy, the show, and her author reading in a month or so. For now, I share a peek at “Doris”. The book shares memoir tales of Nancy who supported herself, and her writing as a house cleaner. I decided to bring to life a character that brought together her two disparate occupations. Doris is a member of a hotel housekeeping staff Nancy met in a restroom when attending a writer’s event. For me, Doris just needed to be incarnated as a rag doll with attitude.

Doris

Rock, Paper, Scissors

Lastly, I’ll give a a sneak peek at the pieces that i’m putting together for my upcoming featured artist show in March. Titled, ” Rock, Paper, Scissors”, I will represent the “paper” in the trio of artist. The art doll sculptures I am creating for this show have paper as their primary media and inspiration. The first of these pieces is Prudence.

Prudence

Prudence is based on the Beatles’ “Dear Prudence”, and as you can see, she has “come out to play.” She is accompanied by her sheep dog (Martha, my dear?) and they are running across a musical landscape flying a kite.

Wartski Art Doll in Magazine

Walden Nap art doll in International Doll Artists.

Walden Nap, appears in a brand new doll artist publication, International Doll Artists. It is a quarterly publication that is by artist for artists, but I’m sure collectors, enthusiasts, and admirers will find something of interest as well. The print copy of this first issue is on it’s way, but you can purchase and download a digital copy right away. They include digital version with hard copy purchases as well. Be sure to register when they prompt you in the subscription process, so that you can receive your link for downloading digital copy.

International Doll Artists vol1

This publication is an outgrowth of the Professional Doll Makers Art Guild. I have been a member of this creative and highly talented group for a few years now. The art doll form started to take over my sculpture portfolio of work a few years ago. I found that these figurative sculptures had a unique and distinct audience, as well as a whole new world of tools, techniques, and materials. Finding some online groups in this genre to interact with has helped my art doll sculptures to evolve, and has pointed me to new venues in which to share my work. the PDMAG participates in doll shows, develops new artists through an apprenticeship program, and connects artists with each other and educational and marketing opportunities.

Below is a peek of the top of the page that Walden Nap appears on, but you have to get your own copy to see the rest. As you can see, I also share a bit more information about Walden Nap,

Walden Nap in International Doll Artists magazine

Earlier Publications of Art Doll Sculptures

You may recall that an article, “Dolls From A Different ToolBox”, about my work appeared in the Spring 2014 issue of Art Doll Quarterly magazine. In that article I shared how the tools and techniques of my earlier metal and mixed media sculpture influenced choices I made in art doll design and creation.

Last year, the Professional Doll Makers Art Guild also published a 25th guild anniversary book, that features work by more than 150 guild artists. That book can be found on the guild’s web page.

3rd Time Charm, Mermaid Art Doll

Sometimes, the third time can be a charm. My latest addition to my portfolio of art doll sculptures is a rework of a rework.

3rd Time Charm

How she started

I created the first incarnation of this art doll, Mermaid’s Song, in late 2014. She was a steampunk mermaid with the hand sewn tail you see. I fashioned this first figure sculpture the way I did the majority of my pieces at the time, with a hand-hammered copper face and hands, and a fabric body over a padded wire frame.

Sometimes, there are certain elements of a piece you really fall in love with, and others, not so much. This art doll definitely fit that description. I was quite proud of the tail that I pieced and sewed from some faux leather from the Scrap Exchange. I weighted this tail with an internal sand bag that would allow the sculpture to lean her upper body back a bit to sing out loud. Her body I wasn’t as enamored with. In an attempt to make my mermaid more androgynous, I think I just made her kind of spindly. Also her face, though satisfactorily wrought, I applied with just a bit too much space behind it. This had the effect of creating very deeply set eyes, that appeared a little mad.

Mermaid Song – $260

So I changed her

I decided to rework this sculpture with a paperclay head last year. This second version I thought possessed kinder eyes and a mouth more open in song. I left the torso of the piece the way it was, but changed the fabric to a more “watery” color and pattern. This version was an improvement over the original, but I wasn’t completely happy with the face I had created. She appeared a bit too caricature-ish to me, and was still quite spindly. I think that the fact that I can’t find an image of this version tells a bit about my satisfaction with her.

Mermaid Song needed another makeover, so I kept only her tail, hands, and the internal wire frame. I re-sculpted the rest of the art doll out of papier-mâché and paperclay. The surface color and her hair I created through tissue paper collage, and I also changed her proportions and positioning.

I am renaming this art doll sculpture 3rd Time Charm, and she now seems aptly titled.

Featured Artist Show

Featured Artist Show at Hillsborough Gallery of Arts

I snapped a few iPhone images of my newest art doll figure sculptures after installing the show Monday at the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts. The show’s opening reception is this Friday from 6-9pm during Hillsborough’s Last Friday Art Walk. I, personally will not be in attandance at the opening, but please stop by and visit my newest work if you are in town. If, however, you are also not around Hillsborough… Here’s a peek.

Featured Exhibit

A look through the door to the Featured Artist Gallery shows my work along with painting by Linda Carmel, and textile art by Alice Levinson.

Walden Nap on display at HGA

Walden Nap looks peaceful on a solitary pedestal in the center of the FA gallery.

Sketch and friends at HGA

Middle grouping of pedestals.

Polly at HGA

New sculpture, Polly, inspired by a visit to a small pond with a healthy population of tadpoles.

It’s Wednesday Again at HGA

A new look at an earlier piece “Wednesday’s Child”, based on the well known nursery rhyme.

March-ed at HGA

March is walking with a purpose.

Balloon Too at HGA

Balloon Too wonder and movement in a moment captured from childhood.

Athena Sharpening Spear at HGA

My Athena in full battle gear to fight ignorance.

Giving Wing at HGA

Giving Wing was created for a show earlier this year, and fit in well with my other new pieces.

Hope you get a chance to stop by.

Featured Artist and Art Dolls

Up Close

Up Close, is the title of my featured artist show with painter Linda Carmel and textile artist Alice Levinson. The show will open later this month at The Hillsborough Gallery of Arts. The art doll sculptures that I have been sharing in my most recent posts will be included in this new show. Up Close runs June 26th through July 23rd, with an opening reception on June 30th from 6-9pm during Hillsborough’s “Last Friday” art walk event.

I admit that I tend to horde my newest pieces as I approach each year’s featured show. Several new figures are in the studio awaiting installation the last week of June. I took the opportunity to photograph a few more this week.

Walden Nap

I quite literally (or is that literature-ly?) pulled this art doll from the pages of Thoreau’s writings. My serenely napping figure is sculpted out of paperclay and papier-mâché. I photocopied pages containing favorite passages for the surfaces of the sculpture and the art doll’s hair.

sleeping art doll figure sculpture, paperclay and papier-mâché

Walden Nap

Spinning or Weaving?

This magical art doll figure is creating some type of magic from the fibers in her hands. This figure sculpture is unnamed at the moment. Something along the lines of Dream Weaver seems a bit too easy. Her hands and face are sculpted from paperclay. The body is a padded wire armature with clothing sewn in place. I played a bit with needle felting some wool fiber to create her rising magic over a wire frame. Her “dreadlocks” are made from a thick blanket yarn.

seated art doll figure sculpture, paperclay, fabric, wire, wool

untitled

Sketch

I shared a “selfie” of Sketch in my last post. Here you see the completed art doll. I have several past reading and writing figures in my portfolio, but I think this is the first that is specifically drawing in her sketch book.

seated art doll figure sculpture, paperclay, fabric, and wire

Sketch

These art dolls and a few others will be in the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts starting June 26th.

Art Doll Selfies

Material Shift

I noticed myself incorporating more and more paperclay into my art doll figures. This shift in medium has been gradual. I think that it has been influenced by two main factors. I’ve increasingly given myself permission to edge away from my copper sculpture roots, and I don’t feel as obligated to have metal present in every piece. Figures with hand wrought copper faces were the launching point for my art dolls, but I have allowed them to grow and evolve as all my work has over time. My work has become almost exclusively figurative, I want to explore and refine the elements of that type of sculpture. Working with paperclay facilitates my ability to develop facial expression beyond the more mask-like visages of my earliest dolls.

Art Doll Selfies

I decided to take some “selfies” of the pieces that were sitting around the studio this morning. As you can see, all three of these art doll sculptures have faces that I sculpted in paperclay.

Blank Pages

Blank Pages is a seated figure contemplating the pages of the journal/sketchbook in her hand. “Pages” has her pencil in hand, and is captured in that moment before free reign is given to creativity. She does have several predecessors in my gallery archives. There is a portrait piece and a couple of commissions within that number. This is obviously a theme I enjoy returning to.

commission face

This second doll selfie is the face of a recent commission piece. As she will soon be a gift, I can’t divulge any details about who she is, or what she is doing. I can tell you that her task involves deep thought and concentration. She certainly looks focused on what she’s doing.

Balloon 2 selfie

This last shot is a closer look at last week’s Balloon 2. I was trying to capture surprise and wonder in her expression. I concentrated on providing her with a face with more childlike proportions

You can see how the choice of media has allowed me to expand what I can incorporate and capture in the faces of my art dolls.

Balloon Surprise

A New Balloon

My newest art doll sculpture features a young figure looking up with awe at her bright red balloon.

Balloon2

This mixed media art doll is a bit of fun, and another look back to an earlier piece. I wanted to feature gesture and expression with this figure sculpture. Guess I hit the mark, as one viewer commented that she “really looked alive”.

I created Balloon 2’s head and hands from paperclay that is lightly tinted with watercolor paint. Her costume is sewn in place over a padded wire frame that is anchored through her shoes to her base. I chose to wig this art doll with paper fiber as well. Her curly pigtails are secured with blue ribbons that match her blue top and polka dotted skirt. Balloon’s boots are hand sewn faux leather with purple chord laces.

Looking up again

My first balloon themed art doll figure was apparently being taken away by the balloon she was holding. This figure is being transported as well, but in a more figurative sense. I’m not sure what about her balloon is surprising her so. I guess that part of the story is up to the viewer.

I crafted the red balloon itself out of traditional papier-mâché, and used red tissue for its top layers to achieve its bright color. The balloon “floats” atop a string made of cotton string wrapped around a steel core.

I have left the base unfinished for the time being, but I think that I will most likely paint it before she takes a trip to the gallery. Balloon 2 will also make her official debut in June for my yearly Feature Artist show at the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts.

I will probably not have a new sculpture to share next week. I am just putting the finishing touches on a commission piece, and she needs to go to her home first.

Pinocchio Inspired Art Doll Becomes Real

It’s Story Time

It is once again time at the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts when we to turn to things literary. Each February, we team up with one of the many well known authors who call Hillsborough home for a show titled “It’s All About The Story.” This year is “Volume V, John Claude Bemis.”

John is an award winning Young Adult author. This is the first time we are working with a YA author, and the first time that all the HGA artists are using the same story. Our previous four shows have drawn from short story collections by Michael Malone, Jill McCorkle, Lee Smith, and Allan Gurganus.

pinocchio’s heart

Retelling Pinocchio’s Tale

Out of Abaton: The Wooden Prince, is John’s retelling of the Pinocchio tale set in medieval Venice. As you can imagine, a magical story with fantastic beasts, fairies, and the like would be right in a doll artist’s wheel house. After much personal debate, and quite a few unfinished sketches, I settled on the main character.

close up of facial features of Pinocchio art doll

detail Pinocchio’s face

Pinocchio is not a simple puppet this time around. He is a finely crafted automaton servant boy who is automated, like all of of his kind, by magic from the kingdom of Abaton. His automation is slightly special and he is slowly becoming real as a result.

torso detail

I decided to depict my Pinocchio before his transformation starts. I am working with the title , “Servant Before You Are Real”, and decided to create him mostly of wood like his namesake. The photos throughout the blog post are Work-In-Progress pics. I will share a finished image when the show is installed in a couple of weeks.

heart door closed

As usual, this show will open the “Last Friday” of the month on February 23rd from 6-9pm. HGA will also host a reading by the author on Sunday, March 5 from 4-6 pm.

Wartski Art Dolls and Sculpture

Art dolls and mixed media sculpture

Category Archives: Art Dolls

Paper, Paper, Paper

Paper.

Paper Dolls?

In The Gallery Now

A Boleyn Art Doll Plays Rock, Paper, Scissors

Art Doll or Book Sculpture?

New Year, New Work

Resolutions 2018 in Last week at HGA

C-Note

It’s All About the Story

Rock, Paper, Scissors

Wartski Art Doll in Magazine

Walden Nap art doll in International Doll Artists.

Earlier Publications of Art Doll Sculptures

3rd Time Charm, Mermaid Art Doll

How she started

So I changed her

Featured Artist Show

Featured Artist Show at Hillsborough Gallery of Arts

Featured Artist and Art Dolls

Up Close

Walden Nap

Spinning or Weaving?

Sketch

Art Doll Selfies

Material Shift

Art Doll Selfies

Balloon Surprise

A New Balloon

Looking up again

Pinocchio Inspired Art Doll Becomes Real

It’s Story Time

Retelling Pinocchio’s Tale