Creating a figure that involves a dragon has been a goal for awhile. I want to challenge my ability to create an armature that will support a flying dragon. Here is a peek at the concept drawing. It may go through several iterations before I settle on the final figure.
Lots to Do
I've decided to enter the September International Art Doll Registry contest. The theme is Celtic, so I'm making a goddess. This will be my first adult figure in 12" scale. Working smaller will be a challenge!
Update: Morrigan won the Intermediate category in the International Art Doll Registry October contest. It’s gratifying to know I’m making progress with my art. Each figure is a challenge to improve upon. I have no doubt that it will be this way until I am no longer able to do this thing I love!
New Santa Doll
I love Christmas and decorate every corner of my house, so I just had to make a Santa doll. This one is one of my larger dolls and will really make a statement in the owner’s home. “Reindeer Santa” is made of Cosclay, a new flexible polymer clay. The good thing about it is that a doll can be accidentally dropped and won’t break. The bad thing is that it can be hard to work with and easily gets “moonies.” I’ll have to use it more before I decide if it’s better than my usual Cernit - Fimo mix.
Source: https://johansendolls.com
"PATIENCE" WINS PDMAG 2022 GOLD AWARD
I’m excited and honored that my 18th Century-inspired child doll, Patience, has won the Professional Dollmakers Art Guild 2022 Gold Awards “Child or Teen” in the Professional category. This is a much-anticipated contest held yearly for doll artists all over the world. It’s gratifying to receive recognition for my work. Patience will be featured in the fall issue of International Doll Art magazine.
New Doll Series
After a year on hiatus from doll making due to my having my grandchildren live with me for three days a week for help with Zoom school due to COVID, I’ve finally returned to what I love doing. Queen Anne dolls have always been fascinating to me and so I’ve made three dolls inspired by the 18th Century. The smaller 7” and 9” dolls are made to be held by a larger doll or can be displayed on their own. It’s been fun researching the clothing, even down to the fact that children wore stays (corset) under their clothing from a very young age! So, the larger doll has stays under her clothing. I’ll be making more dolls from different centuries in the future.
A New Direction
Never having made a figure in paper clay, I took an online class with NIADA artist Connie Smith. Connie is known for her anthropomorphic figures. She had us make a rabbit figure. I have always wanted to make an 18th century men’s costume and this was my chance. Lord Rex is the result. He has Creative Paperclay head, hands, and legs, with a costume made of silk and velvet. Now the next challenge will be to create a doll in paper clay. With the pandemic, I am taking care of my grandchildren three days per week so my daughter can work from home. During that time, I’m tutoring them so they don’t lose their academics. This has slowed down my productivity, so it’ll be awhile until my next figure appears.
“Lord Rex” - Paper clay anthropomorphic figure
Dark Angel - Mankind in Peril
I write this on April 15th, after a month in self-isolation with my husband, who is one of those at greater risk for contracting the coronavirus. The death toll from this disease is staggering and growing daily. I seriously don’t know if we will survive this pandemic and that is frightening beyond words. My newest figure, Dark Angel - Mankind in Peril, was originally conceptualized in December as a dark fairy. When the pandemic hit in February, this figure became a way to cope with the impact. Making it kept my mind off of what is going on outside my home while expressing my feelings and helping reduce stress.
Art is an expression of the soul. It comes from deep within. This figure is not an angel in the biblical sense, but my expression of the fact that the virus is invisible. Everything looks the same - no war, no destruction - thus the benign look on the figure’s face, but she is ready to cut down the people of this planet randomly and without mercy.
The figure is 9.5” tall and made of a strong mix of polymer clay, as are her sword, globe, and wings. She is painted with Genesis heat-set oils and has a mohair wig. The wings were made by applying each feather individually, front and back and painted with acrylic. The sword has a metal core, so it won’t break. All of these and the base of faux marble are removable.
Poppen & Teddy-Beer Article
I am honored and delighted that my dolls are featured the Spring 2020 issue of the Dutch magazine Poppen & Teddy-Beer. It’s gratifying to see my work in print and shared with others around the globe.
Brooch Series
What to do next is always my challenge after finishing a piece. There are always four or five ideas swimming around in my head. While I’m thinking, I’m going to do a series of small brooches and necklaces with sculpted faces on them. It’ll be fun and each can be finished in two or three days. To that end, I bought some real semiprecious stones to use in them. It’s been a challenge to set them in polymer but a challenge is always good!
NIADA
The National Institute of American Doll Artists held their conference in Kansas City, Missouri, this year, July 18-21. The theme was the Roaring 20s. Each year the artists hold a Gallery Night to show their work to the public and everyone dressed up in period costumes which made it even more fun. I love going to this conference to be inspired, meet artist friends I have made over the years, and have a critique of my dolls…an important part of constantly improving my art. I took a fabulous class on making shoes with Neva Waldt, heard a presentation by renownd doll maker Van Craig, had a great time with friends, and enjoyed every moment. If you are an artist or a patron of the art of the doll, I highly recommend attending a conference. It’s always great fun.
Original Doll Artist Council of America (ODACA)
It is my honor to have been inducted into the Original Doll Artist Council of America (ODACA) on July 23, 2019. Their goal is “to promote original doll artists and to encourage all doll artists everywhere in their doll making efforts.” Artists undergo a juried process to be accepted into the organization. It is my honor and pleasure to have joined this wonderful group of doll artists, along with new member Esther Manzo.
IADR Award
It’s exciting that “Alice and the Frog Gardener” won the International Art Doll Registry Alice in Wonderland show in the Advanced category. The piece took six weeks to complete and is one of my best pieces. It is always fun to put a lot of work into a piece and then have it be recognized.
PDMAG Gold Award
I’ve been honored with a 2019 Professional Doll Makers Art Guild Gold Award for Juliet, Heart on a String. She won the Advanced Fantasy category. It’s always exciting to be recognized for a piece, especially when it’s one of my favorites. Entering competitions is a good way to improve my work, especially when the judges give feedback. Anyway, I’m thrilled beyond words!
Alice and the Frog Gardener
Finally, the Frog Gardener is complete (see Work in Progress)! His clothing is made of velvet, Japanese kimono silk, Chinese silk jacquard and leather for his boots. Dressing him was a challenge because of his pose. The shirt and vest could be sewn, while the pants had to be glued. I ended up making my own buttons when I couldn’t find any small enough. The hard part was hand sewing the buttonholes on his vest. Why didn’t I do that before I dressed him? Everything turned out fine in the end.
Now to dress Alice…She is 8.5 inches and will be my next challenge. Her dress will be made from a light blue Swiss batiste and antique fine cotton lace, as will her undies. She will have the traditional black and white striped stockings. I want to use leather for her tiny shoes. We’ll see how goes, since her feet are about .75”! A costume drawing is in the Work in Progress section of this site.
People wonder why handmade art dolls are so expensive. It has taken about 40 hours for the frog and another 20 just for the stand! I estimate that Alice will have taken at least 60 hours. Over one hundred hours for this piece is a conservative estimate. Of course, it’s all been fun for me to make. At this point, I think it’s become a compulsion, I enjoy it so much!
More to come…
Everyone Loves a Flapper!
Sometimes a face just doesn’t cooperate and wants to be someone else. I’m working on making Alice in Wonderland and made a mistake in the facial proportions. Instead of throwing it into the “Valley of Lost Dolls” bucket, I kept sculpting and ended up with an adult face that I thought just may work for a flapper (see my Work in Progress link). It was serendipity! A conference I’m attending in July has the 20s as a theme and the face is perfect for that. With only two weeks to finish Alice, I had better get a move on!
Through the Looking Glass
In Chapter IX of “Through the Looking Glass,” Alice comes upon a door marked “Queen Alice” over the arch. She knocks repeatedly and can’t enter. An old frog comes over to help her. When she says she’s been knocking on the door, the frog replies that she shouldn’t do that because it will “vex” the door.
This scene is one I haven’t seen reproduced in the doll world and so I’m going to try it! It’ll be fun to sculpt a frog and dress it. Of course, making Queen Alice will be a joy. More to come…see Work in Progress.
“First Flight”has turned into “Friends.” It’s been so much fun to sculpt a dragon, especially one that is blue-green and red-violet! I bought some antique silk sari fabric from an artist friend last year and was finally able to use it for a portion of the costume. The bodice is polymer clay covered in 23K gold leaf (with a small dragon emblem that I also sculpted using magnifiers). Using gold leaf was a first for me and resulted in a rich gold color that won’t tarnish. I always try to make everything so it will stand up to time and dust!
This figure is my demonstration for an organization that I’m trying to enter, so it had to be very special!
"First Flight"
Creating a figure that involves a dragon has been a goal for awhile. I want to challenge my ability to create an armature that will support a flying dragon. It may go through several iterations before I settle on the final figure. Take a look at “Work in Progress” for a sneak peek.
First Flight Concept Drawing
Creating a figure that involves a dragon has been a goal for awhile. I want to challenge my ability to create an armature that will support a flying dragon. Here is a peek at the concept drawing. It may go through several iterations before I settle on the final figure.
December Progress - Hyakki Dondoro
Currently, I am working on a Japanese figure holding a puppet fashioned after those of the Hyakki Dondoro, a group founded by Master Hoichi Okamoto in 1974. I’ve been fascinated by the life-sized puppets and masks he created. Performances include works based on Japanese legends or people’s hidden emotional world. Often the puppeteer plays a character interacting with the puppet. The word “hyakki” means “unlimited spirits,” the idea that the puppet is a vessel that receives the human spirit.
Dec. 21 Update:
It’s three days before Christmas and I’ve finished “The Spirit Puppet,” as I’ve decided to call this figure. With the holidays and a three-week vacation in January, I won’t be back to doll making until February. My next figure will involve a dragon. Can’t wait!