I was very Honored to Receive the Award for the Original Doll Catagory at the Figuartive Artists Consortium!

I just wanted to share that I was very honored to receive the award for the original doll category of the Figurative Artists Consortium Competition in Ottawa last Sunday for my new workshop doll Mistique!  The award itself is a beautiful work of art created by my friend Diane Blewett.  And to top it off it was presented to me by my friend Peggy Wilson.  I met Peggy at the very first doll making retreat that I attended many years ago.  At the time I didn't know how to needle-sculpt but was bound and determined to learn by the end of the retreat!  As I was trying to figure it out Peggy kindly pulled two stuffed doll heads out of her bag and asked me if I would like to sit with her and needle-sculpt one together.   She made the process of learning how to needle-sculpt so much more understandable and fun.  I have continued to develop my skills since then and have started to teach what I have learned in the hopes of continuing to promote doll making as an artform and to share the joy that I experience each day when I set out to create something new.
If you are interested in my new workshop Mistique you can find out more information and sign up on this link if you wish
 http://www.aforartistic.com/Mistique.html

Kuan Yin Revisited

I started a cloth representation of Kuan Yin quite some time ago and for some reason she was set aside amongst my multitude of unfinished projects.  I worked diligently during the last Figurative Artists Consortium Retreat in Ottawa on her hand beaded lotus blossom seat and never finished her.  So I took her out this weekend, completed her lotus blossom seat, needle-felted mohair for her hair, and have little left but a few finishing touches to do.

For those who did not see the original post, and may be unfamiliar with Kuan Yin, she is known by many as the goddess of compassion, one who hears the cries of all beings. She is also known in Buddhism as a Bodhisattva, one who puts off Nirvana in order to liberate all sentient beings. Many representations of Kuan Yin depict her as a beautiful oriental woman in flowing gowns carrying a vessel filled with the waters of compassion. She is often seen standing or sitting on a lotus blossom. In the representation of Kuan Yin that I have created, she has golden colored skin and is seated in the Bodhisattva pose.