Sunday, March 28, 2010

In Progress: Purple and House

As always, I'm working on several projects at once. One is a monochromatic doll for the ADO (Art Dolls Only) challenge. She does have a few other colors, but this one is going to be mostly purple. I just couldn't quite bring myself to paint purple skin or lips, but she does have purple eyes. I've got several different shades of purple to try for hair.
The second is going to be a house-doll. I was asked to make a house for a fundraiser for OffCenter, a local art studio. Brought a little crooked house home, and my husband built a little crooked porch on it. Now I think I'm going to add arms, legs, and a head.

And my third project is a "Nouveau Retablo" for another fundraiser - this one to benefit the New Mexico Hispanic Women's Council and the National Hispanic Cultural Center. Right now, it's just a piece of wood, so I didn't think it would be too interesting. I'm thinking of a doll-type relief sculpture on the wood with lots of bright colors.... More soon!

Last Chance at a Bargain Price!

Don't miss my two dolls on eBay, ending later this afternoon (5:25 PDT)! Last chance to bid on one for a bargain basement price! If they don't sell, they go back to Etsy tomorrow -- and at a higher price.

And while you're there, search for "ADOT" on eBay to find pieces by other members of the Art Dolls Only Team. We plan to do group listings once a month around the beginning of the month, so I'll post a reminder here next time it comes up.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Payten: Traveling Art Doll Project

Payten visited Albuquerque for about a month, and I had fun working on her. She started off as a "blank" doll, and I painted her and added her hair and some clothing.
She goes to SpiritMama next before returning home to Mealy Monster Land, where she started her journey. You can read more about her here at the TDP blog. You can also read about Peregrina, the doll that I began, here. Now I have Simone to work on!  

And a reminder - don't forget to visit my eBay listings for two of my dolls before Sunday afternoon (14:00 PDT), when their auctions end!

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Allegro Melody Art Dolls on eBay!

A group of us from Art Dolls Only (ADO) have gotten together to make our art dolls available on eBay. You can find all sorts of unique and creative art dolls by members by searching for ADO under the Dolls category. So far, we have some folk art dolls, a fairy godmother, a wizard in a box, a forest spirit, a sweet cloth and clay girl from Australia, with more to come. Please visit our listings and browse our wares!

We plan to do this on a monthly basis around the beginning of each month, always ending on a Sunday. Some of us will list more often as we have dolls available!  Here are the dolls I am offering on eBay this week: little Kells and Erté. They begin at a much lower price than their regular listing, so you might get a good deal if you bid!  Here are photos of them:
Kells
(ending March 21, 2010 at 14:00 PDT)
Erté
(ending March 21, 2010 at 14:10 PDT)

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Artiquerque Craft Carnival

Today we went to the Artiquerque Craft Carnival and got to see lots of great handmade stuff.  It was organized by the Artiquerque Crafters. Here are some photos I took. I figured that since we didn't have any money to spend, I could at least help promote some fellow artists through my blog.
Many of the crafters sell their wares on Etsy - this one is by Bigfootlovestacos
Here's the booth.  These guys said they weren't the artists -- they were just hanging out. 
This is one of the organizers of the fair. She's opening her Etsy shop, Up! Sprout, on the first day of spring. The Calavera Catrina masks behind her looked perfect for our Día de los Muertos celebration next November.
There were some interesting calavera art in this corner, along with an adorable baby. The artist here is Charles "Vick" Duncan.
 
Belita Orner also teaches screen printing workshops.
 
Jessica Degruyler with her jewelry hanging on an agave stalk.
My friend Kendra Brock with bracelets, printed bags, and baby shirts with cool and funky designs.
Julia Kennedy with quilted works next to Kendra.
The incredible hula hoop lady Alaska Piper, AlaskaJ on Etsy. 
We love seeing her and her hula hooping friends at local summertime Botanical Garden concerts.
And the ever favorite Kids Crafts table. 

This fair seemed to be kind of a grass roots effort -- first time done, lots of young crafters. They were all tired by the time we got there in the afternoon -- something which often seems to be a pitfall of manning a craft booth all day long. A band was setting up as we left - I hope the music livened up the place!

The current craft movement in this country is quite fascinating. Like the Arts and Crafts movement at the turn of the last century, there is a trend toward the "made by hand," although this seems to be more of a "do it yourself" type of thing with an emphasis on clothing and adornment. People are knitting more; making their own jewelry; dying, painting, embroidering, sewing, and printing their clothing. Etsy has made it possible for millions of folks to offer their wares in an online marketplace - a search just brought up over four million handmade items listed. 

I remember reading this New York Times article by Alex Williams about Etsy a few months ago. It addresses the challenge of balance with expectations and reality when entering the handmade marketplace. Says Williams, "you need to maintain the morale of the labor force, which can be particularly challenging when you are the labor force." Something to ponder.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Butterfly Circus

I'm in the process of working on my second Traveling Doll Project doll, Payton. She came from Mealy Monster Land, and I've heard that she wants to join the circus.
I've started painting her face, and began searching for inspiration for the rest of her. I was reminded of a short film I watched recently called the Butterfly Circus. It's a wonderful film, and definitely worth the 20 minutes to watch it.

(The film may take a little while to load, and is best watched in full screen mode - not sure why it's not embedding with a small video window like it should!)
Hmmm - perhaps she needs some butterfly wings?