The Key Art Doll

Off the Workbench

This week’s completed art doll is a mixed media sculpture titled, “Key”.  With this piece, I continue to work to stretch my figures to possess a narrative of their own.  Key is obviously a steampunk adventuress in the middle of some important and exciting task. No, I do not know what the key she is holding opens or secures, or why she looks so thoughtful as she holds it.  Those questions are hopeful for you the viewer to answer for yourself.

steampunk art doll titled The Key with custom stand

Key

I chose to once again vary my construction techniques and media choices with this art doll.  Many viewers see the hand hammered copper faces I create for many of my sculptures as them wearing masks.  With this doll I chose to actually make the copper be a mask over a paperclay sculpted face.  I also chose to extend the paperclay sculpted part of the figure to include her shoulders and top half of her torso providing her with a more defined shape. I sealed but did not paint most of the paperclay to leave it with the appearance of a porcelain bisque piece.  I like how this augments her steampunk/neo-victorian styling.

Next Art Dolls

My pre-sculpting research this week has drawn me deeper into the world of fairytales.  I find that I am not drawn to the well known princesses and characters that have been Disney-fied and rehashed into very specific images in our common imaginations. I have instead looked to some more far flung and bizarre tales for inspiration, as if talking animals, fairies, and magic spells weren’t strange enough to begin with.  They are all in the very beginning and sketch stages, but I will hopefully have a few to share with you shortly.  It is interesting that these sculptures start in an opposite position from the art doll Key above.  She is a character that I have created and provided with gesture to imply that she is part of some tale.  The new art dolls I am working on, start with a tale from which I will try to generate my vision of the character.