Why Attend an Art Doll Convention?

               my sales table at the Quinlan Philadelphia Weekend Event

If you are interested in Art Dolls there are so many good reasons to attend an Art Doll Convention.  Viewing pictures of art dolls over the internet or in a magazine cannot compare to the actual experience of seeing the art doll right in front of you.   I recently returned from quite a large Art Doll and Teddy Bear convention in Philadelphia sponsored by the Susan Quinlan Museum.  What an absolutely delightful experience it was! 

                                                    Gypsy Wedding by Natalie Ruiz

If you are a collector, attending an event like this gives you the opportunity to get to know the artists on a close and personal basis while getting to see the latest works of a wide selection of artists.  The Quinlan Philadelphia Conference is a very reasonably priced conference to attend which includes the cost of your meals and beverages.

                                                  Moment of Zen by Lori Platt

If you are a doll or teddy bear artist, attending an event like this gives you the opportunity to network, exhibit your work to a large group of collectors and representatives from various professional organizations.  The price of the Quinlan conference is exceptionally reasonable, includes all of your meals and beverages, and includes a sales table. 

My sales table 

The first day of the event was filled with a variety of workshops that early arrivers could take.  I taught a workshop on how to use watercolors on needle sculpted cloth dolls to develop skin tone and facial coloration.  Here are pictures of the broach doll busts that two of my students painted.

Bernice Gasaway's hand painted broach

Mary DeMattina and her hand painted doll broach

The first evening event was a viewing of the one of a kind artist signature piece gallery.  What wonderful inspiration to find in one room!  The talent within the group of artists attending was simply amazing! Here are a few pictures from the gallery.

                                      Briar Rose by Rafael Nuri

                                            Goddess by Marla Niederer

                                                     Henni by Nina Tugarina

                           Wonder and a Vow by Christine Shively Benjamin

                                                          Periwinkle by Mary Ward

                                  Sleepless in the Sahara by Lillian Alberti

                                       Those Quiet Moments by Diane Keeler

                                                        Aqua by Patricia Rowe

                                                      Charlotte by Coleen Athens

After the exhibit there was a banquet dinner.  What a lovely group of people all in one place!  Whenever I attend a doll maker’s convention or retreat I always find new friends. 

The next morning several other galleries were exhibited. I was able to exhibit one of my wedding cake toppers in the Here Comes the Bride Gallery and one of my Flower Faeries in the Hand painted Gallery.  On top of the morning gallery exhibits there were all kinds of supplies for doll making and teddy bear making for sale. 

Wonder and a Vow by Christine Shively Benjamin

Wedding Topper by Marla Niederer

Flower Faerie by Marla Niederer

After a day of a variety of very interesting programs to attend there was an early bird Art Doll and Teddy Bear sale open only to conference attendants. 

                                     Donna Mae Robinson's sales table

                                                Shelly Thornton's sales table

                            Christine Shively Benjamin's sales table

                                                             Diane Keeler's Sales table

                                              Michelle Pulaski's sales table

                                                      Mary Ward's sales table

The evening ended with another lovely banquet dinner.  It was so nice to be able to chat with old and new friends!

On the final day of the conference the Art Doll and Teddy Bear sale was open to the public.  It was so much fun to chat with all the collectors that came to stop in and say hello.  The whirlwind event ended with another banquet dinner where attendants could visit and revisit highlights of the event.

                                        Lillian Alberti's sales table

                                          Sandra Wright Justiss at her sales table

A doll on Sandra Wright Justiss' sales table

Now that you are inspired by all of these beautiful dolls, I hope you save the date on your calender to attend the Quinlan Art Doll and Teddy Bear Convention next year on May 4 - May 6, 2017

If you can't wait that long and are interested in taking an art doll making workshop I will be teaching an online class on AforArtistic starting on May 25, 2016

You can click on the following link to find out more about the class and to sign up.  Hope to see you there :-)

http://www.aforartistic.com/bridgette-with-marla-l-niederer-cloth-doll-artist.html

Nature’s Gifts

I wake up early in the morning on most days excited to get to work in my studio and one morning I had the good fortune to witness the most glorious sunrise right outside my living room window.  I took a few photos and thought you might enjoy seeing this one. 

As far as doll making, I have been working away this week on a cage doll and a second Bridgette.  I will share some pictures soon.

P.S. P.S. It’s not too late to still sign up for the Bridgette online class on A for Artistic.  You can find out more information by clicking here

http://www.aforartistic.com/bridgette-with-marla-l-niederer-cloth-doll-artist.html

Another Week in the life of an Artist

Another week has passed living the life of a full time artist.  I am still trying to find my balance and establish a routine.  A friend of mine mentioned that it may take six months.  I love waking up every day to the knowledge that my day will be spent engaged in my art but it takes enormous self-control not to chase every fleeting artistic fancy that floats across my mind down the rabbit hole while focusing on completing my current project.  I remember reading a post on Facebook not that long ago that compared the artistic mind to having all your browser pages open on your computer at all times. Whoever wrote that comparison hit the nail on the head.

My current project, a tuck comb inspired doll named Bridgette, has kept me immersed within Jane Austin’s time. While watching a show on Netfilx about the  Highclere Castle with my husband Bob, I noticed a beaded face screen by the fireplace on the show.  I had to share with him what it was and why it was used.  Why would I know what a face screen is you may ask?  Well, Mary Ann Tate so kindly shared another Jane Austin website https://janeaustensworld.wordpress.com/2009/02/ on which I found information about face screens (just part of my never ending search for the end of the internet).  They were beautiful beaded screens placed between one’s face and the fireplace to protect one’s face from the heat of the fire.  Some say it was to keep the wax make-up from melting off.  During Jane Austin’s time women often huddled up close to the warmth of the fire while engaged in the fine art of needlework.  The thoughts of these women sitting by the fire with needle in hand filter into my mind as I sit in my home engaged in the many hours of intricate needlework I am completing while working on Bridgette’s costume.  I have been using timeless embroidery stitches to create bullion roses, lazy daisies, and fly stitch borders on her dress.  

The life of an artist truly can be bliss!

How to Start Living the Life of a Full Time Artist

I have almost completed my first two weeks living as a full time artist.  I am finding that the first key to success as an artist is establishing a good working routine.  There are pitfalls to working at home without an established studio and I am trying not to get pulled into them.  I try to start each morning with an early morning walk, a green smoothie, and pot of tea.  I check my email, check Facebook, look at pictures of vintage dolls on the net, and then settle in to work on my current doll project.   I am learning that I need to limit my ipad time and not fall into the trap of searching for the end of the internet because I don’t believe the end really exists.   

The current project I am working on is a tuck comb inspired, ball jointed, needle sculpted, cloth doll with a face overlay.  When I am not working on the doll I am immersing myself into her time period.  I watched a movie on Netflix called Mansfield Park put on by PBS based on the book written by Jane Austin.  I assure you it was just for the sole purpose of costume research and the time was well spent because I had cloth and needle in hand during the entire movie.  In my spare time between doll making and sleep I have been reading Mansfield Park and Mummies by Vera Nazarian. As you may have guessed it is a parody on Jane Austin's Mansfield Park.  And during my endless search for the end of the internet I have found this website http://www.janeausten.org   that has everything you might want to know about Jane Austin.

I started working on this doll about 10 months ago while working full time in a demanding job outside of the art field, driving a ridiculous amount between work and home, and trying to keep up with the daily ebbs and flow of life.  I was able to experiment with and create some beautiful ball jointing techniques for this doll during this time period.  Typically I start with the head first but I was so excited about trying to develop different ball jointing techniques that I started with the body.  Unfortunately by the time I got to the head and costume during this time period I was exhausted and out of steam. The first head and beginnings of her costume reflected this and I tossed them into the dead head and dead costume pile.  I redesigned the head to have a more realistic shape and used a cloth overlay to cover that unsightly middle of the face seam often found on needle sculpted cloth doll heads.  I believe she reflects the contentment and balance that I am starting to feel as a result of entering this new phase of life.  Don't you agree?

Tuck Comb Dolls

It was a blustery winter day, and I had the day off from my day job, so I pulled out some needle sculpted ornaments  that I made and a package of paper clay and decided to try out some ideas I've had to create tuck comb inspired dolls.  The ornaments were going to be practice heads but I really like how they are turning out so I may make them into complete dolls.  I will keep you posted on my progress!