I found a new website with great online classes

In my nightly surfing, I came across this wonderful site, The ArtTrader Magazine.  At this site you can find all of the copies of the magazine since the beginning of print.  All are available for download, so you can read them at your own pace.  They are full of beautiful art and the articles are informative and interesting.  If you are not into ATC's or mail art, you can simply enjoy the beauty of the pages--they should help to inspire you to expand your artwork.  I downloaded all nine of the magazines and have been reading my way through them tonight.  I hope you will drop by and get your copies, they are free, because I know you will enjoy them.

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• Mail Me Art (danidraws.com)

Making art dolls in the playroom of life

Here's a lovely article that showcases the talent of a group of ladies.  I love finding these articles because art dolls are just now becoming noticed in the artistic communities.  I hope you enjoy this article as much as I did.
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By PATRICIA DUFF
South Whidbey Record Arts & Entertainment, Island Life
Jan 08 2010, 4:17 PM · UPDATED

Dollmaking.
It’s not an art form at the forefront of the gallery set. But, as a form, it stands as one of the oldest and most cross-cultural of the crafts.
Even the cave dwellers made dolls.
Prehistoric study reveals that dolls were made to depict religious figures, as well as being used for playthings. Back then, they were made from such primitive materials as clay, fur or wood.
Up through the last century in most of the world, handmade dolls have taken their place in museums and art galleries in all manner of style and mediums. And, although many of the dolls of the past secured their place in the important annals of folkcraft, some dolls have even reached that fashionable pinnacle of modern high art through artists such as Hans Bellmer, a German artist who in the 1930s and ’40s created surrealistic dolls with interchangeable limbs. Much later came New York City artist Greer Lankton, who became famous in the 1980s for her theatrical window displays of drug-addicted, anorexic and mutant dolls.
Mutant dolls aside, today there is a healthy number of artistic groups creating art dolls, including one on Whidbey Island, which began in February 2009.
The South Whidbey Art Doll Round Robin or “Gals and Dolls,” as they have nicknamed themselves, was started by Eibhleis Mac Ian (pronounced ay-lish).
The small group of four women have been collaborating on unique projects that in one year produced a cast of about eight characters fabricated from various materials and the personalities of their makers. You can see these dollish characters currently on display at the Freeland Library through January.
Mac Ian started making dolls three years ago, collaborating with other artists through the mail.
“I was participating in round robins on an international scale,” Mac Ian said.
“But I wasn’t ever going to get to know these people by getting a box in the mail each month.”
An art doll round robin means each person in the group receives the doll on which she works for one month, using whatever tools and materials inspire the muse.
But, Mac Ian wanted to be present with the people with whom she was creating the dolls, at least sometimes. She put an ad in the local paper.
Ginny Snyder, Kate Boyle and Pam Winstanley responded immediately, and Gals and Dolls was born.
“Each of us made a plain doll at the beginning of the year and passed it along to each member, who added a little something as it came to them,” Mac Ian said.
The pieces are one-of-a-kind sculptures lovingly imbued with personality through clothing, embroidery, jewels, journals of their histories and evocative names such as “The Merrow,” “Rabbito” and “The Marked Woman,” among other qualities.
All the women expressed their enthusiasm for the group, not just because they are creating art, but for the combination of their varied gifts that come together in a clash of fun and art. They even meet in a separate friendship group called “Stitch and Bitch” at which a variety of craft is practiced while, ahem, talking.
“We’re all levels of artist,” Boyle said. “It’s nonjudgmental; we help each other because we all have different skills.”
Snyder agreed that it was predominantly the chance to be “goofy” with a group of like-minded sensibilities that makes the creating part of Gals and Dolls that much richer for her.
“Part of the idea is to find kindred spirits who you can share a playtime with and be creative,” Snyder said. “We don’t take ourselves too seriously.”
Snyder pointed out that the dolls are less collaborative than they are a composite of all the skills and personalities of the group. Any medium can be used on the dolls and, in fact, the next round robin will not include dolls at all. They will create what’s called an “exquisite corpse,” based on a game invented by the surrealist André Breton.
Breton used words but in this case, an image is drawn onto a canvas, a section of which is given to each member of the group who has no idea of the whole and who will add what she will using various multi-media. The piece will be reassembled later to reveal a new image full of surprises.
Also planned for future endeavors is a bird to which each artist will add feathers, or at least her own idea of “feathers,” and later a round robin using sticks and stones.
“In the past it’s been almost spooky the way it comes together,” Snyder said.
Boyle said that she sees what the group is doing as the very essence of folkart in the modern world and that history shows folkartists to be predominantly women and influential to modern artists of both sexes.
“These groups have a place in art all over the world,” Boyle said.
The group will hold a presentation at the meeting room of the Freeland Library at 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 16 to talk about what they do and how to start an art doll round robin.
“We feel that it would inspire other artists, as well as encourage those who may not think they are artists,” Mac Ian said.
She hopes to inspire other home-grown groups to form on the island and increase the dedication to art of all kinds on the South End.
South Whidbey Record Arts & Entertainment, Island Life Patricia Duff can be reached at pduff@southwhidbeyrecord.com or (360) 221-5300.

You can see the original article here 

Here's a look at why I like paper mache!

This artist has the most enjoyable and whimsical creations.  Please browse through the galleries and see if you don't agree.  This really is why I love paper mache, it's so versatile.

I love that you can take a medium available anywhere, that children can use to create, and make these gorgeous sculptures.  If you do an online search, you will find many paper mache artists out there whose works are unbelievable!

Here is the link to view PapierDog

Art Dolls 101

Our new member in the spotlight this morning is Anna Zueva,a professional doll artist who lives in Perm city, Russia. Anna's dolls are so enchanting and whimsical, with such delightful characters, that I know you'll want to see more then the peek you'll get here. So for more of her art dolls; visit her Etsy shop, her blog, or her amazing website! Welcome to the ADO team Anna!



As I mentioned before, I have become fascinated by the world of Art Dolls.  I am amazed at the myriad forms these dolls take.  The methods, the styles, the subject matter of these works of art never ceases to impress me.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Art Dolls, I really would suggest that you visit Much ADO about Art Dolls  and familiarize yourself with all the artists and their styles.  I am getting to where I can identify the artist just by looking at the dolls, so I know I am getting better in my knowledge of this community.

There is another site you could visit to see the works of various artists as they apply to holidays.  This site, American Holiday Artists, showcases dolls that were designed with different holidays in mind.

I frequently visit art doll blogs, so I encourage you to check out the other sites listed in the blogrolls on these sites.  Over time, I have developed favorites--some of them I have showcased here before.  I wish I had the money help support these wonderful artists, not to mention collecting a wonderful assortment of beautiful art dolls.

Art Dolls at Gallery Five

This article I found online is the best description I have ever read about exactly what makes an Art Doll.  I had to share this with you.  The links to the other artists are absolutely beautiful.  I know that if you like Art Dolls, you will love the work of these artists.  What I enjoy most about Art Dolls is that each one is an individual, much like people.  Each one has its own story, and presents itself in specific ways to the viewers.  For me, this is part of the mystique and encourages the viewers to interact with the dolls themselves on a very adult level.





One-of-a-kind handcrafted doll 22" tall
by Alice Watterson

Art Dolls, by and large, are the artist’s own interpretation of the human form. It can be abstract, impressionistic, mechanical, representative of an idea or notion, altered from a normal doll (like a really far-out barbie doll), or not even look like a doll. That is the fascination of these dolls. They are in galleries, private collections, museums all over the world. The originality of each doll is unique to the creator…but sometimes the creator or artist takes a left turn and just when you think the doll is made by an artist you can always recognize, you get a glimpse of a new and wonderful direction the artist is taking. That is amazing…instead of a world of a gazillion dolls that all look alike you now have a world of one-of-a-kind creations that can literally blow your mind.Some of my most favorite artists today: Akira Blount, Kim Goldfarb, Alice Watterson, Olga Rohl, Dima, Karen Flanders, Lynn Sward, Marge Hennen and Charla Khanna…and many, many, more wonderful artists who see the world just a little different. Viva la Difference!I invite you to experience this art form by checking out art dolls at Gallery Five.                         by Nancy Napier

Gallery Five

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Art dolls - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I have recently begun a fascination with art dolls and have been reading blogs all over the web.  I devour all I can find that describes not only what an art doll is, but also how an art doll becomes.  There are quite a few art doll artists that I find myself returning to over and over. 

When I first started reading about this subject, I found this clip to be a good starting point.  After reading this, I felt I had learned, at least in part, what being an art doll artist meant.  I also felt that I had gained some understanding of what all was involved in this fun and addicting art form.

A doll artist must be proficient in many skills - including sculpting, painting and costuming. They need an understanding the various clays used create a human or human-lie sculpt. The figure or doll is usually dressed or draped in fabrics. Costuming can be elaborate or simple. Sewing and color sense is very important. It is similar to a composition if this were a drawing or painting. It adds the sense of time and place. Portraiture is another skill a doll artist must possess. The face is the most important feature. An expressive face or telling smile can elevate a doll to art. Just like the Mona Lisa rises to the level of fine art. A well crafted figure figure rises from doll to an art doll.

Art dolls - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Well Hello!

I have finally decided to jump on the blogging bandwagon and start writing about my life and my art. I am not sure if any other person will be at all interested (except for my lovely daughters) but I think I will have fun writing stuff here and I can always hope that someone will find me mildly entertaining or even wildly eccentric.

I have been reading blogs now for about 3 months and I am hooked. There are quite a few that I look at daily. I knew I was in trouble when I started having dreams about reading blogs and when I had withdrawal symptoms if denied access to these blogs. No one told me how addictive this new hobby would become. I think there should be some official WARNING label attached to every blog telling the unwary that they are about to get sucked in and turned into BLOG ZOMBIES! I swear, I spend hours each day just reading posts from my favorite bloggers. Most of those I read have to do with art and art dolls--both realistic and primitive types, and I hope to be able to review some of them with you in the future. I'm not sure if I need to get the blogger's permission first, or if it would be okay to just talk about their blog and include links to it. This blogging stuff does not really come with any directions or instruction books, so I'll be feeling my way as I go. If I inadvertently cross any invisible boundaries, please feel free to tell me so I can avoid that pitfall in the future.

For this posting, I think I would like to talk about the blog that got me started. First and foremost, I must give kudos to my DD who writes the most irreverent and obscene blog I have ever read on her myspace page and now who has her own blog out here in the blogiverse, http://hookerwithaheartofguile.blogspot.com/. She definitely has a knack with words and is not squeamish about speaking her mind. So, after reading her postings for a while, I tremblingly attempted to blog on my myspace page, but chickened out and just posted videos and stuff from You-Tube.

The second, non-family, blog that I began to read was http://rasehallstudios.wordpress.com/. This is done by a lovely lady named Lori, but she goes by Lo for short. I was drawn to her work because it is whimsical, very colorful and makes me feel happy. I went back and read all of her old blogs and I have to say that this woman can paint! She also loves to cook and shares some of her recipes on the blog. She lives in Sacramento, CA and is married to an artist. She has a video on YouTube where you can watch her paint one of her "girls". You can view that here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-fcEmTpFw4. She also takes the most beautiful photographs.

For a while, she posted quite often. Now, however, she posts infrequently, but I am sure that life has interjected itself and she is as pressed for time as we all are. She has also become enamored of yarn and knitting and makes really beautiful hand-dyed yarns. I do enjoy the yarn posts, but wish she would get back to painting and art. She has a wicked sense of humor and is delightful to follow, no matter what her content is, so I recommend that you go on over to her blog and make yourself acquainted.

I even used her artwork as a jumping-off board to get my own art started again. I dabble here and there, but not as often or as much as I would like. I decided that the best flattery I could give to Lori would be to try to paint "in her style". I have been working, on and off, on a painting for several months--mostly because I am my own worst critic and get stymied easily. Tomorrow, I will try to include photos of my work in progress. The only good thing I can say for myself is that I did take pictures as I worked, so can show the progression pretty well. I hope to finish this particular picture this week, so I will post the entire event. I bet you are just dying to see, aren't you? Patience is a virtue, unless you allow waiting to become a way of avoidance. (I may be speaking from experience, but I'll never tell)

Anyway, I will try to figure out how to get pictures put up on here next. So stay tuned.....