Treasury Alert - Beautiful Felted Figures

I couldn't resist these BFF's, I've loved needle felting but never really got he hang of it. I'm tempted to give it another try after looking at these lovely offerings on etsy.

ADO Facebook Fan Page Photo Feature

Thank you to Crystal Mussada of Moon Cradle Designs for sharing The Goose Girl for the Grimms Fairy Tales Quarterly Challenge.
CLICK HERE to visit Crystal's blog!
Want to have your doll featured on the ADO blog? Take part in our MMC or our Quarterly Challenge! Create a doll inspired by one of the ADO Themes and post it to our Facebook wall and you may just find your doll featured on the ADO blog! You do not need to be an ADO member to be featured.
The August MMC Theme is Tarot Cards.. and don't forget the ADO Quarterly Challenge-Grimms Fairy Tales, which runs until the end of September.

Treasury Alert

Look Whats Under the Big Top!

New treasury by Lisa of Skunk Hollow.

New Member Spotlight - Harem6

Today the new member spotlight is back and the focus this week is on the ADO member Harem6...well truthfully I should say members because Harem6 is actually Ildiko Muresan and Flavia Marele, two doll artists from Romania who have been making mixed media dolls since 2009. They are very contemporary and unique artists and each of their dolls has such character and originality. Here's what they say about their work, "Our dolls and animal shaped objects are our spacecraft traveling in the world of fantasy, ideas, and symbols, bringing out a unique view of reality, a very personal one." Wow! So here's where you can see more; in their Etsy store, their blog, website, and Flickr stream. Welcome to the team Ildiko and Flavia!

SaTurDaY's WEird aND wONdERfUL...

Derek Kinzett, British wire sculptor.
Click on images to enlarge...

Have a great weekend folks

Treasury Alert! The Dolls of ADO

Another ADO treasury! This time created by LoopyBooby. I haven't seen some of these dolls, I really should get out more! Some new faces in this lovely group, be sure to click through or even comment on your fav!

Treasury Alert - The Eyes Have It

A wonderful collection of art dolls from our Art Dolls Only members on etsy created by Toadstools and Treestumps. That's right the Eyes Have It! If the eyes are the windows to the soul what a tale these dolls have to tell.

New Work From ADO Members

The new Member Spotlight will return soon, but to tide you over here are some new works from ADO members....

"White Deer" by Rosa Grueso

"The Key" by Paula Nerhus



"Mitsey" by Dorote Zaukaite Villela

SAtuRday'S WeiRD & wOndErfUl

Lucinda Drayton singing at Ginger Gilmore's home, amongst her life-size sculptures.






Not to everyone's taste, but I am soooo frustrated with Blogger messing with the posting elements, I needed something to calm me :O) Is anyone else having posting issues?

Did You Know...

There is a doll museum set up in New Delhi, India.  It was created by a renowned political cartoonist, K.Shankar Pillai.  It has one of the largest costumed doll collections in the world.

 Image from the Shankar's International Dolls Museum...

Sunny Summer Day Collage

It's Summertime!

Credits:

1. Rosanna Pereyra

2. Hoopie

3.Evelyn's Wonderland

4. Laurence

5. Donna Cooper

6. Lorraine

7. Deidre Doan

8. Donna Cooper

9 Jan Bush-Wood

10. Paula Brinkman

11 Bobbie Larsen

12. Marci Hart

13. Spirit Mama

14. Lorraine

15. Stitchy Woo Woo

~~~~collected by Kandra Niagra~~~~

~~~***~~

ADO Facebook Fan Page Photo Feature!

Thank you to Sharon Ferguson of Felt Forest for sharing her darling Frida-inspired Chihuahua for the July MMC Challenge. Please be sure to visit Sharon's ETSY SHOP and BLOG.


Want to have your doll featured on the ADO blog? Take part in our MMC or our Quarterly Challenge! Create a doll inspired by one of the ADO Themes and post it to our Facebook wall and you may just find your doll featured on the ADO blog! You do not need to be an ADO member to be featured.
The August MMC Theme is Tarot Cards.. and don't forget the ADO Quarterly Challenge-Grimms Fairy Tales, which runs until the end of September.

New Member Spotlight - Dorote Zaukaite Villela

Today's new member spotlight is on Dorote Zaukaite Villela, who sells her incredible dolls under the name The Workshop of the Tireless Artist. I am in love with Dorote's dolls, each one is so detailed, seemingly delicate and yet amazingly powerful. Please take this opportunity to check out more of her work at her blog, her etsy shop, and her Flickr stream; I promise you won't be disappointed. Welcome to the team Dorote!

SaTurDaY's WEird aND wONdERfUL...

And aBsolUteLY AmAZinG....

"Brazilian born, Connecticut based, Dalton Ghetti carefully crafts the tips of pencils into amazing micro sculptures. These miniature masterpieces are a side project for the professional carpenter, who has been perfecting this art for the last 25 years. Dalton uses a razor blade, sewing needle, a sculpting knife, a steady hand and lots of patience to meticulously carve the graphite which can take anywhere between a few months to a few years. Over time he has broken many works in progress and keeps them in what he calls the cemetery collection. One of the most fascinating things about these tiny works of art is that he has never sold them, only given away to friends as gifts"

(From: telegraph.co.uk)

Happy saturday :O)

ADO Featured Artist: Paula Brinkman

It's time for another interview! This week we are talking with Paula Brinkman of Spirit Dolls by Paula.

Please tell us about yourself. What is your name? Where do you live? What makes you tick? 


My name is Paula Brinkman. I live in Connecticut, in a town full of barns, stone walls, fields, woods, and some interesting people. I would say all those things make me tick, but my own backyard with its view, my veggie garden, my little fish pond, make me happy. I have been married for almost 17 years and have a 7 year old daughter who will be entering 2nd grade in September. We all live in a cute yellow house with three cats and lots of art supplies. My mom lives down the block.

When did you start making dolls? Why did you start making dolls?

I started making dolls in 2005, when I still lived in Key West. I started making them for a lot of reasons. My past creative work had mostly been illustration. I had freelanced for many magazines, greeting card companies, and book publishers. After moving from New York City in 2001, I unknowingly entered a long stretch of interrupted creativity. After moving, renovating an old house (which took way too long), having a baby in 2003, and losing my dad in 2004, I was kind of wiped out. Even though I had a nice studio space in my Key West house at the time, my ideas were not flowing, and what was coming out in the form of drawing or painting was not pleasing me. I always know when I'm onto something good if I really can't wait to get back to working on it. That was not happening. The studio was like my enemy. I did not yet have a digital camera or my Macbook, and now I can't imagine NOT having them. It was a weird time for me.

Then my neighbor gave me a voodoo doll she'd picked up in New Orleans. She said, "You should make these." A little lightbulb went off. Aha! I liked the idea. I liked how simple the doll was. I liked the thought of making something dimensional, instead of drawing or painting. My neighbor became the first in a long line of folks who generously gave me their extra fabrics, buttons, doodads, etc. It seems like every woman keeps a box or two (at least) of that kind of stuff, and they're more than happy to share.

I decided to call my dolls "Spirit Dolls," thinking at the time what a unique name that was. HA! The first time I googled it I nearly died when I saw how many other spirit dolls are out there. Still, I kept with it and just went with "Spirit Dolls by Paula". To this day people still ask me what they are, if they are voodoo dolls, etc. I am SO happy to be part of ADO, where those type of questions simply do not exist!

Who or what influences you? Inspires you?

I'm influenced by light, color, texture, and moods. I am inspired by all my creative friends, whether their passion is music, knitting, sewing, painting, sculpting, jewelry making, photography, gardening, I could go on and on! I appreciate them all! I'm also inspired by my daughter's fearlessness. At 7 she really, purely, believes - in me, in herself, in magic.

Tell us a little about your dolls and your process for making them. Materials, preliminary sketches, inspiration, etc.

My regular dolls are about 10 inches high. That was the size of the original voodoo doll I received, and once I started making my own dolls, that size felt most comfortable in my hands. Their framework is tree branches. I cut them from my own yard and form what looks like a crucifix shape. The center branch gets wrapped with whatever poof I happen to have - it could be fiberfill, cotton batting, sometimes a pillow stuffing. Next I slip a rectangular dress shape over the "neck" and cinch it in at the waist with some yarn. The head goes on last. These I usually paint in bunches- maybe 12 at a time. They're painted as a rectangle on canvas, cut, and the edges are joined together to form sort of a cylindrical shape.

I attach the heads to the neck of the doll using a glue gun. I stuff the heads a bit and from there I seek the right fabric to create a little turban. That camouflages the hard edge of the top of the head. Usually I wrap something fluffy around the neck area to camo the bottom edge of the head shape. I do not sketch before I work. I know when I see certain fabrics whether or not I want to use them for dresses, and the look and feel of the fabric is what guides me. I keep a notebook with random ideas in it, maybe stuff I'd like to try in terms of evolving the look of the faces, or dress shapes, etc. I like to finish off the dolls with something special like a button or a lost earring adorning the waistband. Lately I'm trying to make capes for the dolls because I'm not loving their raw-edged branch arms. I don't know what else to do right now except hide them in a glamorous way!

TDP

My Traveling Doll returned home with movable arms that I absolutely love. I am a creature of habit, though, so I probably won't get into wrapped wire limbs any time soon. Other dolls I have made are as big as 20 inches, and I had a brief phase of making smaller ones about 6 or 7 inches. I don't prefer that size, as it means more scrunching over and sometimes getting out my reading glasses. My mom and daughter love the smallish dolls because they're so "cute," but I prefer the larger ones. I made one life-size spirit doll as part of an outdoor sculpture show in Key West. That was a construction challenge extraordinaire, as she had to be basically windproof, waterproof, and able to withstand people touching her for 3 months.

Do you have a favorite doll? It can be handmade by you, handmade by someone else, or even (gasp) mass production.

I have several favorite dolls. Thanks to ADO's challenges, I've been inspired to create some subtle changes in my dolls, such as the clay mask on last year's Halloween challenge doll.

Halloween Challenge

I also love the doll I made for the Burlesque challenge this year. Her face is a bit different because she has super-sparkly eye makeup and her smile reveals teeth. My daughter commented that she has "a tricky face". I'd like to do more faces in this style - more theatrical and dramatic I guess.

Burlesque Challenge

I have a dear friend in New York City, named Sylvie. She's French, and makes exquisite dolls. She sews everything, which is a skill I do not have. I'm a stitcher, not a sewer! Growing up, my favorite doll was a "Chrissy" doll. She had hair that could be long or short. If you pressed her belly button you could pull out a long ponytail from the top of her head, then there was a knob on her back that would wind it back up into her head. I could not resist the urge to trim her hair, and then eventually I pierced her ears. I tried to take it to the next level when I used a curling iron on her hair. Of course it melted, and I think that was the end of Chrissy. The other mass production doll I loved, and still have, is a Little Kiddles. She came in a clear pink plastic "cologne" genie bottle kind of thing. She has a big head, tiny body, red ringlets, and if you open the cologne bottle to remove her, she still has the same scent as in the 1970s.

by Sylvie

Besides making dolls, what do you do? Job, other creative pursuits, hobbies, etc.

Besides making dolls, I work part time as a teacher's assistant at a local preschool. I started last year with a class of 3 year old kiddos. I enjoyed it so much that I accepted a position this fall teaching 4 year olds. Apparently I am blessed with an abundance of patience, because I find working with kids this age to be delightful. Other creative pursuits include photography, gardening, and right now I am creating my third "Art Bra" for an upcoming breast cancer fundraising event in my town. I met the organizers of this event at the opening for my doll exhibit this past March. It is an interesting coincidence, because almost twenty years ago now I was making my own Art Bras when I lived in New York City. I recently unearthed a few of these bras when I was removing stuff from my brother's attic - a blast from the past! In any other spare time that I have, I try to volunteer at my daughter's school.

What are some of your favorite: movies, books, websites, magazines, foods, TV shows, music? (Any or all!)

Favorite movies: Moonstruck, The Godfather, La Vie En Rose to name a few.

Books: This past year some of the books I've read and really enjoyed include The Red Tent, Eat Pray, Love, On The Road, The Glass Castle, Traveling Mercies, The Help.

Right now I am reading through a stack of Oprah magazines that I never got around to in 2007 and 2008. I made them my summer reading list, so I can finally get rid of the pile! I am also revisiting childhood by reading all the Little House books with my daughter.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

If I could live anywhere....Wow. New York City was great. I lived there for 15 years but it was without a child. I love going back now and doing simple city stuff like walking, looking, eating, riding the subway, but I'm not sure I could live back in an apartment again unless it was large and I had the means to afford it! I loved the West Coast of Ireland, but I have no idea what real life would be like there for me. One of my favorite cities is Amsterdam, and for a while I might have chosen that as my spot, but again, with a child my focus has changed entirely, and I feel content where I am right now. The thought of packing and moving again makes me queasy...I like to stay put.

Where do you see yourself in one year? Five years? Ten years?

In one year, 5 years, 10 years, I would like to still be in my yellow house. My goal is to not move while my daughter is still attending school. My family moved when I was in 7th grade, and I just hated it. Like other parents, I now gauge time by my child's age. I related to Nicole Johnson's comment that in ten years she'll be dealing with teenagers. Yikes! Me too! I'd be happy if we could enlarge our house just a tad. Right now I share a workspace with my husband, and it's not ideal. I don't need fancy, but I really do crave my space and privacy.

Where can we find you on the internet? (blog, website, Etsy shop, eBay, et al.)

I am on the internet a few different ways: my website is spiritdollsbypaula.com I also have a Blog.

I have a spirit dolls fan page on Facebook but I am very bad about updating it. My personal Facebook page is more current and fun.

I also belong to a great gallery in Key West Florida, called Harrison Gallery. They have shown my spirit dolls there since 2006. Their website is Harrison-Gallery.com but what they show of my work was basically borrowed images from my website. Right now I have many all-white wedding dolls there, as Key West remains a popular destination for weddings.

I have a profile page set up on Etsy but have been frustrated by my lack of ability to get my photos to appear properly on the site. I have been offered help from several ADO members, (thank you!!!) as well as another friend with a Mac, so my goal is to try to get one doll listed this summer.

I think I can handle that! Of course I am on Ning, as part of Art Dolls Only, and I've just started putting some stuff on Flickr as spirit dolls by paula.

MMC July: Frida Kahlo

In Celebration of Frida Kahlo's Birthday month our Mini Monthly challenge for July was create a doll inspired by the wonderful artist Frida Kahlo.

check out our members original pieces!

by Ayala Art

by Christine Alvarado, Du Buh Du Designs.



by PieCake Primitives

by StitchyWooWoo

by Joanna Thomas

by Evelyn's Wonderland

by DarcyArts

by Ashley Daugherty

by Freaky Little Things

by SpiritMama