Mermaids

I am almost finished with mermaid #1 and am very pleased with the way she turned out. This has challenged me to "think out of the box" and leave my "comfort zone" to create something new and different from me. It has also made me read and consider the legends and folktales about mermaids from Greek mythology's water sprites to the stories about mermaid sitings in all of our oceans, seas, rivers and other bodies of water. I 've looked at dozens of paintings, drawings, animation, costumes, and photographs for inspiration and even considered the advice of a three-year-old 'consultant' who told me "she's 'upposed to have red hair and a fishy tail".


I am posting just a sneak peak at mermaid #1. I will do a full reveal and post the short story I wrote that inspired her after I submit my entry.

This is her "fishy tail" as my consultant called it. I'm still working on the beading and I want to give her real hands with 'fingers'. I have not yet mastered the art of hands with fingers. I have several failed attempts and my son looked at the last set of hands I did and said that my mermaid looked like she had arthritis. Oh well! Back to the drawing board.

Inspiration

I decided to take some time out and get outside for a while this weekend. My first doll entry for the Mermaid show is almost done. Working on this project has reminded me that the creative process is also a series of decisions to be made. The finished project is made up of lots of little solutions for lots of little problems. There is point in doll making for me that after I've worked on a doll for awhile she begins to speak to me. It is then that the process gets easier and she begins to become her on person. 

I went to Folsom California which is about a 15 minute drive from where I work in Rancho Cordova. Folsom was kind of a sleepy little town at one time but it is having a real growth spurt. One of the new major shopping malls that is under development is the Palladio. It is a beautiful center designed to resemble an Italian villa. It has a 16 screen theater and room for over 100 shops. They are only about 15% full right now. I hope that in this economy they will be able to attract the businesses they need to be successful

One of the things that I love about the whole Sacramento area is that it is such a large art based community. There are galleries large and small everywhere. Outdoor art is also everywhere too. There is even a Safeway Grocery store here with a large piece of sculpted art by a local artist at the entry to the parking lot.

The Palladio has wonderful outdoor art too. It was so hot (over 100 degrees) all I wanted to do was get out of the heat but I took a minute to take pictures of these wonderful horses. They are the "Horses de Palladio" by artist  J. Randall Smith. I love the textures, the colors and the shapes that he used to create them. His medium is bronze, resin and clay and the way that he uses pattern is very much like a textile artist. I am  inspired to create a quilt using the same variations in shade and texture.

Mermaids

My mermaid project is coming along OK. No real pictures to show yet. This is a project that I want to really do well with in hopes of being selected. I am experimenting with fabric paints in different color combinations and trying to come up with a fish tail design that I really like.
Whenever I design any of my dolls I like to make up a story about her that tells me who she is, what her history is and all of the little details that give her a personality. After reading some folktales about mermaids (some of them were a little strange), I went to sleep on it and came up with two stories of my own. Both mermaids will be very different. One will have a heroic legend and the other will be a fantasy figure with all of the glitz and glamour of a fairy tale. Both will represent very strong women.

 The challenge right now is trying to keep up with all of the projects I have started. I hate it when I do that to myself. Recently, someone asked if I could create a kid friendly doll because my dolls are not for children. I decided to use a commercial pattern that is very basic with only a few details. Terese Cato, author of Make Cloth Dolls had a great guideline in her book about making dolls for children. They of course, have to be safe with no wiring that could poke little fingers and no small pieces that could be swallowed. Because the doll will most likely be "loved to death" don't spend a lot of time on sculpted details or fancy costumes. I remember a doll I made for my niece Cindy about 38 years ago. The body, the head, arms and legs were all one piece and she had yarn pig tails. Cindy was about two or three at the time and I wanted her to learn how to button buttons and zip zippers, so the doll had two outfits that she could change. Every time I would visit my niece, the doll never had clothes on, her pig tails were fuzzy and undone and she had a variety of stains on her from peanut butter to ketchup. The wonderful thing about the doll was that she was always in the middle of  what ever was going on in Cindy's life, so I knew she was loved and that she was my little niece's friend. I'm trying to recreate a doll with that same appeal. The pattern I'm using just isn't doing it for me. I cut out two dolls and stuffed and assembled them but they just aren't me. I am committed to finishing them though. Maybe I'll like them better when they're done and maybe a little girl will be happy with one of them.

I'm also in the middle of a group of dolls that are like my "Grandma Kizzie" doll. I love this group of dolls because I'm using colorful batiks and beads and they all have a mystical, fantasy quality about them. I have a weekend off for the first time in a long time and the weather forecast is for HOT weather in the 100's. I don't do well in the heat so it's a good excuse to stay in and finish some of my dolls. I hope I'll have some photo updates for my next post. 



The Flower Collage By Barbara Range

Check out the new web page on The Brickhouse Gallery's website for Barbara Range's new shop The Flower Collage.                                                                                                                                                                                 The Brickhouse is a growing art gallery and artists studio space in the historical Oak Park neighborhood of Sacramento. The Flower Collage, is owned and operated by the gallery curator Barbara Range. The shop features art by local Sacramento artisans, jewelry, gifts, scented oils and soaps, greeting cards, floral arrangements and so-o-o-o much more.                        

The Flower Collage is located in Studio 4, one of 9 active and growing shops and studios in the Brickhouse Gallery.

 A link to their site is at the top of this blog page and if you are in the Sacramento area you can visit the Brickhouse Gallery Oak Park and the Flower Collage at 2837 36th Street, Sacramento California.

Mermaids

I am excited about my latest challenge. I received an email from a fellow textile artist about a juried show taking place in Charleston, South Carolina. The theme is Black Mermaids and Merwomen in Black Folklore. I have to admit that my only knowledge or experience with mermaids up until now has been what I hear from my granddaughters and from the Disney movie "The Little Mermaid". I read Hans Christians Anderson when I was a child and saw the ballet "Ondine" a long time ago but I never considered it for an art expression. The call is for quilts or quilted wallhangings and cloth dolls that portray the image of Black mermaids. There are legends and folktales about African and Caribbean mermaids during the era of slave trading. They were said to have rescued slaves who were thrown from the slave ships into the sea. I really would like to submit an entry for this art show. The exhibit will be at the City Gallery at Waterfront Park in South Carolina. So, I'm currently in research mode. I am reading and looking at as many images of mermaids that I can find. I will keep you posted on my progress. I am looking forward to this great summer journey.

Jan Hollins Interiors

I want to thank Jan Hollins of Jan Hollins Interiors at Studio 5. She will be a "foster mom" to three of my "Gloria's Girls" dolls, Mariah, Martha Sue and Cindy

 until they are adopted. Jan has a beautiful studio and store in the Brick House Gallery Oak Park in Sacramento.

Jan's store is full of her beautiful  art quilts and home accessories and her husband's fabulous paintings and murals. Her services offer custom designed window treatments, bedding and slipcovers. She also offers classes in

                                   quilting and textile arts.



Grandma Kizzie

 Grandma Kizzie is 97 years old. She raised 6 children and made sure that they all graduated from college. She now has 19 grandchildren, 48 great grandchildren and 15 great, great grandchildren.

 Kizzie passes on the stories of all of the  ancestors to all of the children. Her favorite stories is about her great grandparents. Her great, grandfather was an escaped slave. He was shot by one of the overseers when he ran into the woods to hide. An Indian woman found him half dead under some branches. Her people brought him back to their village where they nursed him back to health and hid him from the slave master.

 After a few years the Indian woman and the slave were married by the chief and they had two sons and two daughters. The children had brown skin and thick, curly, coal black hair. When the plantation owner saw the children he tried to claim them as his "property". Their mother got between the slave master and the children and cried and told him that they were Indian children and by law he couldn't take them. 

 The children grew up as free men and women. One of the daughters went on to become college educated. She graduated and became a professor at one of the Black universities.

That woman was Kizzie's grandmother.

Cindy

Cindy is wearing school colors and her cheerleader uniform today because it's homecoming and tonight is the big game.

She'll be right out in front cheering the team on to victory and getting everyone in the school spirit.

Ya-a-ay Team!!

Miranda

Miranda with her flaming red hair and soft green eyes is dressed for a hot summer weekend of shopping in the Hamptons.

Don't let her sexy demeanor fool you though. She is one of Manhattan's top corporate attorneys.

One of her favorite things to do besides shopping is hanging out with her three best friends. The four of them have been seen at the best parties and the most popular clubs.

They never have to wait in line to get in because they always wear the latest fashions.

Martha Sue

Martha Sue is five years old and she lives with her grandmother in Baltimore. She was born in 1918 and is growing up during the "Roaring 20's".

In the summer she loves to help her grandmother in the garden where the grow corn, tomatoes, strawberries, raspberries and other fruits and vegetables.

Every year her grandmother makes jam, jelly, and relish to sell at the fair.

Martha is wearing her favorite Sunday dress and shoes. Her grandmother made her dress and her pretty pink ribbons, butterfly barrette and her little brown bunny were presents from her favorite aunt and uncle.

Donna

 This is Donna, she is an attorney, a busy realtor, and a talented artist.

 She has beautiful cornflower blue eyes and platinum hair.

 Her sister Cheryl asked that she be designed and created as a one of a kind  birthday gift.

 She is wearing a great tailored but feminine business suit, high heels, a designer bag and diamond stud earrings.

Happy Birthday Donna!!!

Mariah

 This is Mariah and this is a very special night for her. She is dressed and ready to go to her first high school dance. Her date bought her a beautiful wrist corsage that matches her dress perfectly.

Dad says that curfew is at 10:00, "No Exceptions!"  Mariah will be 14 years old in a few weeks so mom says that she can wear a little lipstick and mascara, just for tonight because it's a special occasion.

Alice Blue

Well, work, illness and family commitments had to come first this year and I didn't get to finish the A to Z challenge. I will try again next year. I'm glad to report that my family is doing much better, I finally kicked the spring cold/allergy syndrome and work has leveled off a bit. I work on my art and my dolls every chance I get, even when things aren't going so well.

This is Alice Blue. She is one of the good things that came out of the cold I was trying to get rid of, so at least something positive came out of it.

Alice has been chasing this little rabbit for days now. Her mother tells her she must be more lady-like but her father loves her adventurous spirit.

Alice has great courage and an amazing imagination. She wants to grow up to be a writer some day.

She's wearing her favorite "Alice Blue" dress and a blue hair ribbon. She also has her little white rabbit tied with a blue ribbon so that he won't get away.

"D" is for...

"D" is for "dollmaker". Of all the thing I love to do from painting, drawing and quilting, I think dollmaking is my favorite. I think it's because I get to combine everything and I'm so pleased when one of my dolls gets adopted. "D" is also for Drew...

"C" is for "Carrie", "Cher" & "Cindy"

My day has been a long one, so my post is going to be a short one. The good news is that my boss is back and I very happily turned over the keys to her. After working 13 days straight, I'm looking forward to taking four days off after tomorrow. The weather is going to be cold and rainy here but I'm going to get warm and cozy at home and of course, make dolls!! I found three new books about doll making on Amazon so when I'm not creating I will read and learn something new and of course, I'll be blogging.

"C" is for three of my dolls Carrie, Cindy and Cher...

This is Carrie, she was designed for the character Carrie Bradshaw on the movie and T.V. show "Sex In The City".

This is Cindy, she's my little cheerleader and she was designed or my niece Cynthia.

And last but not least, is my Cher doll. I was such a fan of Sonny and Cher when I was in high school and I'm still a Cher fan..

This is the end of my short, slightly incoherent A to Z blog for the day. Very tired, I'm going to sleep now, see you tomorrow.