Recent Work

Nan — a Primitive Halloween Party Gal!

August 27, 2010 By Rebecca Leave a Comment

This little girl’s ready to fill that bucket! Meet Nan. She’s a 16″ original, one of a kind muslin & fiberfill creation. She’s been hand-painted top to bottom and has been sanded & aged, giving her such a lovely, vintage patina. Nan has been sealed so that she may be lightly dusted after display. She has button jointed arms which may be slightly posed. She has an embroidery loop thread attached, making her suitable for hanging–or she may sit with assistance. Her legs are sewn through.

Nan’s face has been been carefully painted with a variety of media. Her mask is painted. Her nose & lips have been needle-sculpted by hand, giving her a great little pout. Her hands are needle-sculpted as well. Nan wears pretty green stocking with hand-painted ribbon closures & cute shoes painted in the style of MaryJanes!

This moon print fabric is 100% cotton in shades of cream & lime. Nan’s blouse is made of white muslin & features a beautiful mother of pearl button at the neckline.The hem, sleeves, neckline & back have been stitched by hand.

This fun little fellow is a paperclay creation. He’s been hand-sculpted, without the use of molds, over a styrofoam armature. He’s been hand-painted with a variety of media & sealed. A rusty wire creates the perfect primitive handle.

Nan is currently available on Ebay. She ends Sunday, Aug. 29th at 9:15 PM EST. Click here to bring the party to your house!

Filed Under: Dolls, Halloween / Fall Tagged With: appalachian folk art, green, halloween folk art, halloween party, jack o'lantern, masked doll, primitive halloween

Doll Army

August 17, 2010 By Rebecca 2 Comments

If you’re wondering where I’ve been the last few weeks, the photograph below might explain it all.

I’ve been alone in my workspace from morning until–most days–dark, assembling a powerful doll army. Ok, truthfully, I’ve been preparing for our local Market in the Park, scheduled to take place this Saturday. Yesterday, I began to work on my table display & something tells me I’m gonna need more space. The dollies above are the finished dollies. There are still around 10 waiting for clothes, or balloons, animal friends, accessories or hair–including one large Santa & a sweet Mr. & Mrs. Claus set! And I still have to find room for around 60 Christmas ornies! Although this has been a lot of hard work, it’s been so cheerful in the studio with glass glitter sparkling & snow glitter falling.

I’ve had fun working in paperclay. I find sculpting a bit challenging–so I suppose it’s important to work on that until it isn’t so challenging. I think I’m getting there. I have Santas, snowmen, angels & reindeer galore!

This is going to be a family even too. My husband will be offering prints of his fabulous photographs, for the first time ever. I’ve been trying to talk him into opening an Etsy shop for a long time. I’m just glad that someone, besides me, is getting to finally see his work. I think he’ll be happily surprised by the response.

And to add to the fun, my sister-in-law, Lori, makes the most beautiful jewelry & will be offering it at the market too!

Aren’t these gorgeous?!? If you’re near West Liberty, KY on Saturday, Aug. 21 come check out the festivities. There will be 45 local vendors, free home-grown food, music by local artists & lots of goodies & fun to be had. Click here for more details & driving directions.

Filed Under: Announcements, Recent Work

Scenes from my workspace.

August 1, 2010 By Rebecca 4 Comments

There’s been a lot going on the past few weeks. My studio (and tabletop) looks like a tornado full of art supplies & doll parts has stormed through it. I’ve been playing around with paperclay & papermache cones & have these little guys to show for it. Almost done!

There are doll parts strewn here & there, waiting for buttons, clothes & finishing details.

And there are new bodies waiting for extra coats of paint & then all the details!

Extra workspace means I get to have several projects going on at once. It helps me work better, but I’ve found that there isn’t such a sense of completion. I do, however, love working on these Christmas dollies. It’s a little weird when I’m thinking about snowmen & santas–then I open the door& a burst of steamy heat hits me in the face. But, I almost feel like a kid, anticipating the greatest of holidays. I like being in touch with my inner child!

Filed Under: Christmas, Dolls, Sneak Peeks Tagged With: elves, paperclay, Santa, snowmen, studio, work in progress

Starla–Little Pink Wonder

August 1, 2010 By Rebecca Leave a Comment

I apologize if you’re scared of clowns. However, I don’t think this little girl will send a shiver down your spine.

Meet Starla. She’s quite the talent! This little juggler is a muslin & fiberfill creation. She stands 17″ tall. Her lower torso is rag-stuffed & lightly weighted so that she stands nicely. She’s made in the style of a stump doll & has no legs. Her arms are button jointed.
Starla’s nose, bottom lip & hands have been needle-sculpted by hand for a great bit of dimension & the cutest pout. She’s been hand-painted top to bottom a couple of times & has been aged to perfection!

Her blouse is constructed from muslin while her apron dress is constructed from vintage fabric that is so sweetly faded & super soft. Starla’s blouse boasts a fancy, hand-made tissue paper pom pom which is wired & sewn in place.

Starla’s four pink balls, which she so delicately balances in mid-air are paperclay over styrofoam creations. They’ve been hand-painted, aged & sealed. They’re attached to rusty wire which is attached to her hands.
Her hair is brown mohair. It has been applied with light glue for extra stability & needle-felting. It’s been pulled to the side & left slightly loose.