Creating Art based on your Fears-Big Dolls And Ventriloquist Dummies

Okay, I have this thing about big dolls.... That kissy doll is around 2 feet tall and when you pull her arms together with the palms touching she blows a kiss.

Now if the fact that old kissy was as big I was at age 3, the hissy popping sound of the kiss, surely scared me. I thought she had a snake inside her that I woke up when I moved her arms together.

The other doll- like creations I still get the creeps over are ventriloquist dummies.

My Mom used to make me watch scary movies with her when I was little. One that has always stayed with me was the 1964 Devil Doll.

This evil magician found a way to trap a victim's consciousness inside his ventriloquist dummy. He kept the poor dummy in a cage each night. So, we have the origins of my claustrophobia, the fear of being controlled by someone else, and the hatred of humanoid doll like things pretending to be something they're not....what a cornucopia of fears....

Now at age 49, I make art dolls for a living....go figure. I make Cthulhu monsters, ghosts, anthropomorphic figures, and all kinds of strange creatures.



Sometimes I wonder if I'm really overcoming my fears by making these sculptures or just feeding them.

But, I do think it is much more challenging to create something that you're not completely comfortable viewing when you're finished with it.

Beat Poetry- Or I though Howl was my Favorite Poem

I watched a film yrs ago where Allen Ginsberg and his boyfriend performed Howl....I just loved it. I adore beat poetry........ This is a good audio version of Howl....http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15308

Now being a super Sci fi geek I love me some William Shatner ....who by the way is a totally sweet man who adores his grandbabies....

I'm a feminist who was offended by Palin's ignorance..... The tonight show gave me such a present...........

WILLIAM SHATNER -reads Palin's farewell speech as a piece of beat poetry....
http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2009/07/william_shatner_gets_all_groov.html


Thank you , Mr. Shatner!!!!!!

Bug is Complete! Works in Progress Part 3

I finished the wings on Bug last night. I've now given her the name Moira in honor of
the Dancer who inspired me as I
worked on this piece.
I'm happy with how she turned
out, but I really need to find another way to
do wings, using a buttonhole stitch took forever.

Bug and the Tales of Hoffman -Works in Progress Part 2

Bug's been coming along nicely over the past few days.
Her arms and hands were stubborn, but I finally got them into an attractive pose.

Actually, The film the Tales of Hoffman with it's lovely sets and ballet sequences and vivid use of colors, really helped me figure out a gesture that didn't look clunky.

You can see the Doll's story sequence here...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9oK24SFzHw&feature=related And the Dragon fly ballet here..... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnHKm9fn2yo&feature=related

Shearer was such a great dancer.

So, Bug is nearly complete. She just needs her wings . If you think she 's lacking anything, please feel free to give me your input. I was going to bead her, but metallic fabric is so much more bug like and I like her smooth lines.

Works in Progress- BUG

While she may not have an original name at the moment, Bug is the first in a new series of insect women sculptures I've been working on over the past few weeks.

She started out as another half doll for the doll making book I'm writing.

But when my husband saw her finished head, he thought the face was very insect- like and
suggested I follow through on the idea.

The biggest problem was that
the doll's torso armature was
covered with yarn, batting
and fabric.
Adding legs meant that I would either have to tear apart what I had completed or build a separate leg armature that could support the torso in an upright position.

Since I felt that the doll up to that point was successful, I opted to construct a combined set of 4 legs with a center opening that the doll could be inserted into and secured in place at the waist. I used 14 gauge wire on this armature section instead of the lighter 16 and 22 gauge I used on the torso because I wanted the legs to be able to hold the weight of the torso and the embellishments I intended to use when the skinning of this figure was complete.

At this point, the arms and hands need to be completed, the wings need to be made and secured to Bug's back. I'm thinking that beading done on her torso and head would be the best final touches. My favorite final thing to do on a doll is it's hair, but in this case I probably should let Bug stay bald.....maybe a turban or some other head piece might work?