Out With The Old

Time to reflect on 2010 and what it has meant in terms of success. Spiritually, creatively, personally and of course monetarily, though you see I have listed that last.
This has been a year of new things for me.
Spiritually I moved closer to the Creator in my garden; though I have lived here for 28 years, this was the first full growing season without the huge messy White Mulberry spewing berries and muck everywhere. Everything came alive and I found a sanctuary to write in, unleashing thoughts and feelings I didn't even know I had... though I mourned the loss of my shady mornings at 6AM when the cold set in, I've already planned for the growing season of 2011.

Incidentally, anyone looking for a rebirth of their own creative selves should look up the book "The Artists Way" by Julia Cameron. She will shake your preconceived notions of a lot of things!

In February I was accepted into the Art Dolls Only team and once again I can feel a connection to the other Artists out there who share their progress and experiences.

I participated in a few Challenges and look forward to more.

In June I was made aware of the upcoming Doll and Teddy Bear Artists Convention to be held in Philadelphia in May of 2011.

www.quinlanmuseum.com/convention

Is this my way out of anonymity? I don't know, but I'll work like a demon between now and then to make sure I have my best with me. I've scaled back my ambitions a little. If I can't take my entire host of Soft Sculptures, what I do take will reflect what I hope best represents my work.

Personally, I've tried to connect more with my friends. They are what matters at the end of the workday.

And monetarily? Well, I've just added up the yearly sales figures for 2010 for both Etsy shops, and I could be discouraged but why bother? Next year will be better, enough said.   

So out with the old, have yourselves a Happy Little New Year, and here's to 2011!                                                                    

WIP Continues

Success! After a lot of wrestling with musculature and so forth, the sculpture is once again balancing on her own two feet.

This is very important even if she will need a stand when she is dressed and completed, as it assures me that her proportions are not going "skewy" along the way.  She has another week or two of muscles to build, then some fat layers and I will start creating her head. She's not far off schedule, though I took a generous Christmas break.

New WIP, untitled so far

Quick sketch

Here's my latest sculpture, a nine year old child from the mid 1960's. She'll be about 20" tall, and if I can stay on track I hope to have her finished by January!

Wire armature

wrapping fingers with fine yarn

Sticky Witch

It's one of those Halloween mysteries; how she got this way, or what spell she might use to unstick herself from this goo. For now, she's going to need some dry frogs...

Sweet Witch has flown in just in time for Halloween

The first of the 2010 Witches Coven has made her debut. Sweet Witch is complete and ready to move on. I love the way she turned out, never exactly the way I pictured, but that's the fun of it! 

She's a bit of a glut with her all day sucker in one hand, a slice of chocolate cake in the other and a hat full of Tootsie rolls at her feet. Still, she looks very pleased with herself, and proud to be the first of the bunch to make it to Etsy.

 

Sticky Witch is right behind her in production, but declined WIP photo ops.

Completed Rumplestiltzkin!

 Rumplestiltzkin was completed before deadline and will be listed on Etsy soon. He is about 30" tall, wearing a silver gray tunic with red and gold trim, dark blue leggings, red cap with a peak, and black felt shoes with wooden soles. His hair is thin and wispy greyish wool and he has a straggly little goatee. In his hand he holds an ivory and gold rattle trimmed with small silver bells, intended to entice the Princess's baby, which he is sure will soon be his.

He is a complex little man, definitely a strong presence in the Studio, and I feel he watches every move I make as if wondering what's in it for him...

The Witches are Coming!

My gaggle of Witches is coming along nicely, and I hope to have a good bunch listed on Etsy in time for Halloween. They all have individual personalities, some are sweet, some are sour, some look as if they'd like to give me a good kick in the pants for not constructing their bodies more quickly.
They're all constructed with sculpted heads, hands and boots on a wire armature, then filled out with batting before being given their costumes and accessories.

Rumplestiltskin

The big news this coming month is the ADO Grimm's Fairy Tale Challenge. (And my search for a new website provider, but that's another story...)
I'm working on a variation of Rumplestiltskin. His body will be soft sculpted with a wire armature; muscles, etc. built up in batting, then covered in dyed nylon. His head, however, may vary from my recent pieces. The sculpting is done in clay, but I'm working on casting it in a lighter material.

Updates as they unfold.

Alice in Wonderland Challenge Piece

This is my Alice with The Baby that Turned into a Pig.
 Alice is 32" tall with a soft sculpted body and fired clay head covered in two layers of dyed nylon with painted brown eyes,

dark brown human hair with red felt headband, red wool felt jumper and vintage strap shoes. She holds tightly (reluctantly?) to Piggy, who is squalling loudly over his transformation. Piggy also has a soft sculpted body with a fired clay head, and wears a vintage cotton baby gown and cap.

Welcome to my Blog!

Here you'll find updates on what I'm working on in the Studio, progress photos and sketches, news about upcoming Shows, and links to other great sites.