I is for...

Still working, keeping it simple again tonight. I is for three more of  my dolls ISA, IDRIS amd IMANI. Good night all. 

 

H is for...

You +1'd this publicly. Undo

     H is for HAKATA dolls. Japanese HAKATA dolls are ceramic dolls depicting nobles, samurai, beautiful women, bijin and geisha and working people. HAKATA dolls feature distinctive molding and beautiful coloring. The molding technique is similar to sculpture and the coloring technique is similar to portraiture.

 

 

H is also for one of my dolls...HARLOW.

 

 

 

G is for...

G is for four more of my dolls...GINGER, GA GA, GALIMAH and GRANDFATHER.

  

  

F is for...

F is for my one of my other loves and that's fabric art. I love using printed fabrics to make quilts or taking plain white cotton muslin and painting my own patterns and designs. When I'm not making art dolls I make art quilts. These are a few of my quilted and fabric painted art pieces.

The Moon Watcher

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

 

  Dreams Caught on the Wind

 

 





 

Kente Block Quilt

 

 

 

Fire On The Mountain





 

 

Looking Back

 

 

Talkin' To The Moon

 

 

 

Monterey Sunset

Sisters Under The Moon

E is for...

 

 

 

 

 

I don't have any dolls with names that begin with E so I will make this post simple and academic by using some defininitions used in textile art.

ELEMENTS of art: the basic components or tools of visual communication; include line, space, shape/form, value, color, and texture.

EMBROIDERY: decorating fabric with stitches.

EMPHASIS: the principle of design that is concerned with dominance; the development of a main idea or center of interest (focal point).

Sorry, this is kind of a boring post. I promise I'll do better tomorrow.

Good night.

D is for...

D is for of course, DOLLS. time is short tonight so I'll keep this short.

These are DOLLS waiting to be finished. You can tell that they're not very happy about it.

   DEANNA

                                                                                                  DREW

  DONNA

                                                                  DOLORES




It's been a long day. Good night, see you tomorrow.

C is for...

  C is for CRAFTER. I am proud to call myself a crafter. No longer are "CRAFTS" just something that kids do in the family room to pass time on a rainy day. Crafters have elevated their specialized skills to a level of professionalism that rivals any profession. The unique, one of a kind items that crafters design and create are sold at thousands of art and craft faires all over the world and on thousands of online sites.


Here are some more of my dolls whose names begin with today's letter C.










 

 

                                                                                                                           CHER

                       CARRIE

 

CINDY                                

CRYSTAL                   

B is for...

 

B is for BELIEVE. The other day for some reason this word kept popping up in a variety of places. First, I saw it on a picture frame in a store where I was shopping. Later that day, I was stuck in bumper to bumper traffic and the letters on the license plate on the car in front of me spelled BELIEVE. A few minutes later, I drove past a huge billboard and again I saw the word BELIEVE. I decided that something or someone somewhere was trying to send me a message. I've stepped out on a limb this month to make some changes in my life. Sometimes it feels like standing on two shores at the same time. One, the fear of failing the other the fear of succeeding. It feels like something is trying to tell me not to worry.


B is also for two of my dolls:

BARBARA LOUISE...

 and BRINDLE.

A is for...

A is for APRIL and again I will try to do the A to Z challenge. I was successful my first year and was able to complete the challenge. Last year I didn't do as well and only got through the first few letters. Work commitments and other projects were more than demanding and I couldn't get to my blog.

APRIL is also ALLERGY season for me although I have to admit that I've been sneezing since the middle of March.

 Being a doll maker and an ARTIST, I of course want to 'plug' my craft. So, A is for ARMATURE which is the wire and wood frame that most of my dolls are built on and for ART DOLLS my art and craft specialty and for Madam ALEXANDER Dolls.

 A is also for...

  ADAMMA,

                                                                                                                  ADILAH  

                                                                                
 and ALICE BLUE,
















three of my dolls who have happily been adopted and have become part of other families.

This is day one, so far so good.

EPiC Arts and Crafts Festival, Granite Bay, California

Just wanted to let you know where my Gloria's Girls Dolls will be appearing next month. We're taking our show on the road and traveling to Granite Bay, California. The East Parkway Church, 4700 East Roseville Parkway, is having an arts and crafts fair on April 13th from 9:00am to 3:00pm to raise money for their mission trip to Northrise University in Ndola, Zambia. 

Northrise University (NU) is a fully accredited regional university strategically located in Ndola, Zambia. The University is dedicated to delivering the highest quality of education through a comprehensive approach to teaching, research and learning.

Since its inception in 2004, NU has attracted local as well as international students who receive training in various academic disciplines at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Being a leader in education innovation, Northrise is the first University in Zambia to offer online programs.

I will be sharing my booth space with Jan Hollins, Quilts and More. We will be offering a beautiful and unique selection of art dolls, quilted art and home accessories.

If you are in the area or even better, just come out and see us and the other wonderful artists and crafters at this event.











You can see some of the items that will be for sale on Pintrest,    
http://pinterest.com/tamilynnlopez/. Or visit the facebook page
at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Epic-Arts-and-Crafts-Festival.

See you there.

A Stitch in Time at The Brickhouse Gallery

I will be doing a presentation at The Brickhouse Gallery, Oak Park in Sacramento California on Saturday, February 8th from 12 to 5. It is a "Tribute to African American Doll Artists" which will be part of The Sisters Quilting Collective 2nd Annual Quilt Show. I will have about 50 of my dolls available to visit and adopt.

If you're in the Sacramento are please stop by and see me and the other doll artists who will also be  presenting. You can also visit some of the other events happening all month long. The gallery is located at:
2837 36th Street
Sacramento  CA  95817
916-475-1240
http://www.thebrickhouseoakpark.com
https://www.facebook.com/SistersQuiltingCollectiveTheBrickhouseArtGallery

When Women Gather: Sunday and Zora

My trip to Charleston, South Carolina last September for the Mermaids and Merwomen in Black Folklore exhibit, was more than I had hoped it would be. The exhibit at the Waterfront Gallery at City Park was beyond belief. There were over 100 quilts and cloth dolls in the show and the gallery was absolutely beautiful. I was so proud to have three of my pieces as part of the exhibit.

There were many events and celebrations over the three day opening. One of the most moving events for me was the celebration of Yemaya's Feast Day at sunset on Sullivan's Island. We were all asked to wear white and about 100 or more of us from all over the United States met at this historic place.

Sullivan's Island was a main port of entry and was the macabre equivalent of Ellis Island for the slaves that were brought from Africa to North America. It was where slaves, passengers and crew members who survived the Middle Passage were first quarantined from the general population. Infectious diseases like cholera, measles and smallpox were a hazard.

 I've been to the East Coast a couple of times but I've never touched the Atlantic Ocean. It was a very spiritual experience. Our procession lead us from a pathway lined by ancient military canons, through a tall grassy field and to the beach when the sun was just setting. We were lead by a Yoruban priest who chanted while a drummer set the pace for our foot steps. Offerings of flowers and fruit were tossed into the ocean. We sang and watched the sun go down and just as we were leaving we could see a dolphin jumping in the water just a few yards from the shore.

I wanted design a group of dolls that reminded me of this beautiful procession on Sullivan's Island with all of us dressed in white. I've named it "When Women Gather" because this beautiful event and all of the other opening events was about creative women (a few men too) from all over the country who came together and traveled to Charleston, South Carolina to share their textile art, quilts and cloth dolls.

 This is Sunday, she has a beautiful bouquet of orange flowers to offer for the feast of Yemaya.

 Zora also has an offering of flowers.

These are the first two dolls for "When Women Gather". More ladies in white will join this procession.