Tag Archives: Art doll show

Art Dolls Old and New

The New

First up this week is the newest art doll creation from the studio bench. Let me introduce you to Glide.

Glide

Glide is a standing figure sculpture on a permanent base. She features only one metal element, her shining copper skates. This design departure is intentional and meant to draw the viewer’s eye to that unique footwear.

The rest of her construction follows my usual padded wire assembly, but does differ with the addition of a padded fabric head. I decided to start with a paperclay sculpted face that I made with holes around the edge so that it could be sewn on rather than glued in place. Her face is “colored” with colored pencils rather than painted. The pencils allow for precise layering and mixing to achieve an almost faux porcelain look.

Glide also features some torch fired enamel eyes sculpted into the paperclay face, and some cozy looking skating attire. I chose yarn for this art doll’s hair to further emphasize the rag doll-ish look of her design.

The Old

Well, not so very old. I promised last week to share some updated images of Oops and Red. These two art dolls joined in on Glide’s photoshoot, so here are their new glamor shots.

Oops

Standing mixed media "Red Riding Hood" art doll figure, Red

Red

Off to Install a Show

Next week Glide, Oops, Red, and several of their art doll friends will be installed for about a month in the 3D display area in the dining room of Carol Woods. If you have a chance, stop by and take a look. Many of my most recent art doll sculptures that I’ve shared on the blog, but have not been in a gallery, will be in that show. I will share some images of that installation with you next week.

Art Doll Motorcycle III

More Parts and Pieces

The little motorcycle sculpture is now ready for its art doll riders. This past week I added all the remaining parts and pieces that a motorcycle enthusiast would expect to find. The art doll riders will sit on their padded “leather” seat and grip copper, hardware, and polymer clay handlebars. The addition of a button shaped brad gas cap, knee guards, tank rondel, a glass gem headlight, and brass brad gauges complete this miniature steampunk machine.

steampunk mixed media motorcycle sculpture ready for art doll riders

motorcycle is ready for art doll riders

Now the Riders

As with most of my art dolls, the riders will start in my metal studio where I will hammer out their faces from a circle of copper stock. They are on the bench awaiting some sanding and polishing. In the meantime, I got started on twisting together the dolls’ wire skeletons. Here you see the beginning of the driver sitting on the cycle.

wire frame of driver

Last Chance to See Art Dolls

Three of my art doll pieces in “Our Art Is…”

This is the last weekend for my featured artist show, “Our Art Is…“, with painters Eduardo Lapetina and Pat Merriman at the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts. The show runs through Sunday. It has been a fun show with lots of wonderful feedback. Several of the dolls will be making their way to their new homes when the next featured artist show installs on Monday.

Art Dolls Installed and Invitation

Our Art Is…

The new show at the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts including my newest art doll figures is now installed. This show that features my sculptures along with the paintings of Eduardo Lapetina and Pat Merriman will run through June 21st. The opening reception is this Friday, May 29th, from 6 to 9pm during Hillsborough’s monthly Last Friday celebration. If you are in the area I hope you can join us, and see our new work. Here is a peek into the feature gallery.

View through door of Featured Exhibit gallery at HGA

A Closer Look

If you regularly read my posts you have seen most of these new art dolls in their studio shots, but here is a bit more of a tease from the gallery installation.

Psyche-Delia

Psyche-Delia is a steampunk rocker.

The art doll Media holds a key to…?

Art dolls: Media, Getting Ready, and Psyche- Delia sit atop a trio of pedestals.

Joy

Joy dances in a dress that looks like it may have been pulled from Eduardo’s palette.

art dolls: Doll with Doll and Spring in Hillsborough Gallery of Arts

Doll with Doll (sold) looks up at viewer

Doll with doll, and figure titled, “Spring” in front of another Eduardo Lapetina piece in the background.

“Paper Alice” art doll with Alice in Wonderland paintings.

It was completely serendipitous that Pat Merman had produced two mixed media Alice in Wonderland themed paintings that flank my art doll Paper Alice. Paper Alice has paperclay sculpted head and hands, and parchment locks.

Current Drift floats on a pedestal

Hope that you can stop by and see these and my other new art dolls in the feature show, as well as, other examples of my sculptures throughout the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts.

Art Doll Excursion

Getting Ready for Feature Show

I am busy finishing up the art doll figures that will be part of my feature show opening next week at the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts. Each year as I put together this body of work, connections between individual pieces emerge. The pieces I have created this year push gesture, narrative and incorporation of materials. My latest, Mechanical Succession, checks all of those boxes, and is a bit of a stretch beyond the others.

Mechanical Succession

I created her on a slightly larger scale than most, and obviously opened up every tool kit and materials bin in my studio in making her. There are still a few tweaks in positioning and perhaps a random detail or two left to add. She is definitely on of those pieces I spoke of in an earlier post that you need to take a break from while you are working in order digest what you have done so far.

Go Where the Art Doll Takes You

I have to be completely honest and say I’m not sure myself what I think of her yet. Some pieces go exactly where you want them to, while others take you on their own excursion instead. I feel that Mechanical Succession is one of the latter. I am guessing that the story that she jumped out of must be an interesting one, though I’m not quite sure if it is some magical fairy tale, or one that cautions us about the future.

Next week I will share some images of the show installation, and provide one last reminder to set aside next Friday from 6-9 to come out to the opening, see it in person, and say hello.

Art Dolls and Photo Angles

Today I took some photographs of my newly completed art doll sculpture titled Current Drift.

Current Drift

This figure sculpture is another piece that will be at the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts starting May 25th.

Making This Art Doll

This piece did not begin as a preconceived sketch, but with a simple decision being made while in the metal studio creating hands and face. That choice was to leave her eyes closed. As I took the polishing buff to the blackened and hammered piece of copper a very peaceful visage emerged. The question then arose as what this figure was enjoying. Was she listening to beautiful music, basking in the warmth of the sun, or perhaps even a fairy tail princess awaiting an awakening kiss? In the end, I thought she’d enjoy a gentile ride.

Though not intentional, I feel that she fits in with my earlier pieces Driving in Reverse, and Future Thoughts. Like those two earlier figures, this doll seems to be communicating something to the viewer. Also, as with those earlier art dolls, her title conveys both her action, and her attitude.

Photographing and Finishing

Taking images of Current Drift was an interesting challenge. Unlike a figure seated or standing, getting all the elements of this art doll in a single shot requires shooting from above. I find that when you do that the piece tends to seem flattened. It took quite a bit of camera angle and art doll repositioning until I landed on one that I thought worked as well as possible. Even with all that movement I haven’t settled if this piece is completely complete. I have been toying with the idea of imbedding the whole piece, art doll and boat, in a puddle of clear or slightly blue tinted resin. I guess you might just have to show up to the show to find out.

Art Dolls and Patience

Now that the winter holidays and working on extra jewelry pieces for Valentine’s Day has past, my attention turns to putting together my feature artist show for the gallery. This year, I will be part of the show opening at the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts on the last Friday of May .

One of the challenges of this preparation is holding back recently completed pieces until the installation of the show. This is where blogging about what is going on in the studio is very helpful. I can share previews of the work without having to succumb to the urge to bring it in to the gallery right away.

Two of my most recently completed art doll sculptures are “Spring” and “psyche-Delia”. I will take the time to tell you more about them and their companions who are as yet just sketches when show date nears. For now, I just thought I’d let you get a peek at them devoid of any artist commentary.

psyche-Delia

Spring

Let me know what you think.

Back to the Gallery

My weekend forray to the land of re-born baby dolls was an interesting experience. I must admit that the ultra realistic baby dolls there were not my cup of tea, but there does seem to be a very dedicated group that practices the craft and/or collects the “babies” as they refer to them. My sculptured art dolls were most definitely different from everything else there, and they did receive a very positive response from those walking around the exhibit floor.

Yesterday, several of my pieces returned to their usual venue, the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts. They do look much more at home atop their pedestals than all grouped together on a table. With a little visual room the viewer is allowed more time to take in all the details of each figure.

Steam wall display

I did take the time to do something different with the display of one of the returning dolls. In the gallery we have a room that we use to display member artists’ printed pieces like prints, note cards, books etc. Along the walls of this room, we have acrylic card holders that hold artist bio cards for visitors to help themselves. Above each card bin there is a bit of wall space where each of us can display one or two small works.

I usually hang a mixed media wall sculpture, but this month I decided to put one of my seated art dolls there. Steam looks pretty comfortable atop her shadow box display, and the interior of the box provides a great space to store the display block she usually perches on, and her information label.

Now it is time to get back into the studio and create a few more pieces for my featured artist show that opens at the end of July. I’ll be sure to give you a sneak peek right here.

Taking My Art Dolls on the Road

This is the week that me and my art dolls are traveling to our first doll show. The “road” in this case is only taking us 30 minutes away to Durham, but even short travel requires planning. Since the vast majority of my creations end up on pedestals in the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts, I don’t often have to think about display and sales materials.

This weekend my gallery will be a table top. This limited space requires a bit of work. Of course the most important element will be the sculptures themselves. Some of the art dolls I will be taking are already on display, so I will be pulling them for the weekend. I picked up Garden Girl II from the UNC Botanical Gardens gift shop where she has been one of several small sculptures of mine available. For my pieces currently still on their Hillsborough Gallery pedestals I’ve created tent cards with images to take their place when I remove them tomorrow..

Garden Girl II and tent cards for gallery

Some pieces require special hardware. Three of my art dolls are hanging pieces with nowhere to hang them on a table. I solved this problem with a little time in my metal studio. I welded a little swing set type display for them to hang from. The challenge with this piece of hardware was to make sure it was strong and sturdy enough while still remaining relatively unobtrusive.

“Swing set” display stand for hanging dolls

Many other dolls have either custom stands I have constructed for them, or display blocks that they sit on. Rounding out our travel preparation list will be sales materials, artist cards and promotional materials, information about the Hillsborough Gallery, and all my packing and transport stuff.

I think that I have everything together, but I may just check my list once or twice more. As I wrote last week, if you would like to visit us on the road we will be at the R.O.S.E. International Doll Show Down East this Thursday through Sunday, June 18-22 at the Sheraton Imperial in Durham.

Wartski Art Dolls and Sculpture

Art dolls and mixed media sculpture