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Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Grace

No, the compulsion to make dolls has not passed yet. Once I get on these tangents it usually takes awhile for me to get it all out of my system. What usually does it is buying all the equipment I'll need to go into mass production. Once I've spent all the money and cluttered up the studio with wedging tables, kilns, etc. etc. then it peters out and leaves me at peace.

Grace is made entirely out of Sculpy with bent kneed legs so she can sit on a shelf and watch what's going on in the room. She feels prettiest in a tutu although she hasn't done a tour jete in over 15 years. She may get some German glass or mica; I'm still working on her but ham that she is she insisted that she couldn't wait to meet you.

The paint makes so much difference, don't you think? She has red hair like my sister and father.

I formed her body around some wadded up paper towels secured by masking tape.

Here are her various body parts fresh out of the oven.

This took hours; glueing strips of paper around her torso. Meditative, quiet work.

I made heads out of paper clay and Crayola air dry clay that I am also experimenting with. I'll show you those in another post.

Here she is all put together.

The days glide past and I hardly know what day of the week it is. Next I want to make some religious figures similar to some I've seen in Mexico. I want to put them in nichos or shallow boxes. I have so many ideas. I am burning with inspiration.

30 comments:

rebecca said...

you simply take my breath away!
thank you for "gracing" my life....

love,
rebecca

SUZAN BUCKNER said...

She's beautiful!! Grace is my daughter's middle name.

Have you thought about doing the wooden slat bottoms of the vintage Mexican Santos?? That would be awesome!!

Anyway..I love Grace!!

Sea Mist and Sunsets said...

Oh, Grace is the embodiment of my grandma in name and charm. Born in 1890 and making her way through Indiana, Missouri, Oklahoma and on to California before coming to a halt. I'm picturing her tutu and stripes twirling up and down the rows of gladiolus she grew each year.

So glad your "roll" took you to Grace. She is another smile maker. Tell her I said Hi!

Heather, paperfollies.typepad.com said...

you ARE such an inspiration to never give up on curiousity and tangential thinking...thank you! xoxox ~ happy new year and cheers!

Barb Smith said...

Grace is the most beautiful name to me (and what my hubby and I would have named our daughter if we could have one together, but I digress) and your Grace is gorgeous. You have done an exquisite job on her and it shows that it was a labor of love, too.

You cracked me up talking about how once you buy all the needed supplies for a particular art form that is about the time your NEED to do it passes....that sounds all too familiar to me. lol

Peace & Love,
~Barb~

femminismo said...

Marvelous work on Grace. She came into being just perfectly - like most everything I've ever seen on your blog. (Hmm. I'm trying to remember something that didn't. Can't.) Thanks for taking us to the party. Whata' tree! Violet martinis? My favorite flower and color!

Ricë said...

there's nothing like it, is there? may you have such a wonderful string of these days before you've had your fill of this particular obsession. fabulous work--i love the dolls--but that's secondary to the joy, isn't it?

Mary Tafoya said...

Judy, it's really amazing how much articulation you are getting out of such simple body parts! When I saw the first photos of her all put together, and then saw the basic shapes you had created it out of in the later photos, I went WOW. This is very inspiring (I'm intimidated by dollmaking a LOT). I also love the paper decoupage effect -- when I first saw it I thought it was very complex inlay or rhinestones or something.

A.Smith said...

ZOMG!!!!!!!!!!!! This family of beauties is going to be the death of me, I swear. You have been kissed by the angels and they are dancing around your studio in sheer joy at what is coming out of there. And who is to blame them? Grace is just that.
Her tutu is beautiful and her godmother is going to make her a little tiara of antique Swarovskis because you cannot go dancing without a tiara. Who ever heard of that?

Candace said...

Oh Judy. I love Grace best of all so far. Don't tell the others. LOL. It's the RED HAIR...! I am really enjoying the Sculpey obsession play out. I love working with it too.
Thanks for showing us these lovely lovely girls.

Kelly Kilmer said...

I love love love love love love
LOVE
your dolls.
I know I've said it before, but I had to say it again ;)

Angie in AZ said...

Judy, I am LOVIN' the dolls! They are so cool! And I really do love the choice of hair color, of course, being a redhead myself! I am curious how you are attaching the limbs?

lklight said...

I can SO relate, that's exactly how I work too, buy all the crap, make a big ole mess & suddenly I'm interested in something else!
I just went through this with a sudden urge to work w/ plaster...now it's all sitting in a big pile alone & abandoned.
Love these dolls that you're making, happy new year dahling!

Laurel said...

Oh ohh ohhhhhh! I love this one the best! But of course they are all just stunning. I want. Maybe some day you sell. Maybe some day I have money to buy. For now I just covet.

The word verification below is "kickwud". Seriously! These are hysterical!

Lynn Cohen said...

these are all so wonderful. Might you teach dollmaking at Art and Soul???? And where and when is it this year?

Chris said...

Judy! You dolls are so expressive, their personalities are wonderful.

Kelly Snelling said...

she is so grand! these religious figures sound fabulous and i know they will be. i can just see them with their explosion of color. clap, clap, clap! go judy go!!

Carla Sonheim said...

She is so beautiful...

Anonymous said...

Grace is absolutely beauiful! I have a class with you at Valley Ridge in May of 2009....thaought I'd drop by and say hi.
Will you be bring some of your dolls to Wisconsin for show-n-tell????

Bridgette Guerzon Mills said...

I love your gals judy! It's neat to see your lively girls from your paintings become 3D characters.

I wonder if wax would work on sculpey clay....

Happy New Year!!!

missesbeames said...

JUDDDDYYYYY!! I love Grace! My middle child is named grace. And your grace is a peaceful placid version of my grace. Beautiful.

Anonymous said...

Such grace! Love your new work and find your spirit in these sweet, quirky gals.

Happy New Year!

Kim Rae Nugent said...

Thank you for sharing Grace and the other girls!

I wish I could get my creative fire lit.

:)Kim

Becky Mairi Farrell said...

Hey, you changed your banner. It looks good :) Happy new year!

Amy Stoner said...

Oh Judy, she is fabulous beyond words. STRIPES! And my favorite color! She just rocks so much!

happy new year!

liz elayne lamoreux said...

she is brilliant! i love her stripey socks (tights?). and her tutu is truly perfection judy.

(love the new banner!)

happy new year to you dear girl.

xoxo

TimeFlysSew by: C.Marie said...

Judy,
What a beautiful doll Grace is, I adore her little tu tu.
Happy New Year to you.
Christy

Anonymous said...

i love her, german glass or not...she is sooo lovely!

Happy New Year Judy, may it be all that you hope for and more!
xoxoox

julie king said...

grace is my favorite of all your dolls so far! thanks for sharing. my clay arrived on saturday and i hope to play this week! your inspiration and creativity are contagious!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for showing the process on your doll.
The one in a bikini put a smile on my face, because
she is so expressive !!
Mariette xox