Time and Space in Wonderland

The sense of time and space in Wonderland is quite discombobulated. The rabbit keeps running past looking at his stopwatch, Alice grows and shrinks, and logic is thrown out the window.

Alice grows and grows while inside a house, and her arm went out the window and her foot went up the chimney. I was always fascinated with this image. What if Alice had actually popped out of the house? What if she never got smaller - would she have to walk around as a huge person wearing a house?

Here's my Alice in Wonderland doll, made in conjunction with the Art Dolls Only Wonderland Challenge.

She's made with paperclay, cloth, wood, mixed media, and painted with acrylics. She's about nine inches tall (sitting).

I was rummaging through my ribbon collection, came across this wonderful gold tassel-type trim and decided it would make perfect Alice hair. It kind of hangs in her eyes as her head tilts quizzically.

The silhouette of the rabbit is painted on her, surrounded by little watch parts.

The little wooden house with a porch was built by my husband.

She's listed and available for sale in my Etsy shop. 

And I must brag just a little bit -- the main reason I didn't finish my Wonderland doll in time was that I was trying to get the Art Dolls website up and running!  It was launched yesterday, and ADO members are now adding their info so that it will be a great resource for the group and for art doll aficionados everywhere.

Wonderland Challenge - in progress

Well, I'm supposed to be finished with my Wonderland doll today. But for various reasons (one of which is that I've been obsessively working on the brand new and fabulous Art Dolls Only web site), she's not done yet. But she's a work in progress. 

 Remember when Alice grew and grew inside the house and almost popped through -- well, what if she had actually popped through the roof?  Here's a drawing I made on a paper tablecloth at a pizza parlor the other day. (This gives you an idea of how pressed for time I can be.)  My daughter thought she should have a feather in her hair - don't know if that will make it to the actual piece. 

The Alice in Wonderland theme seemed to fit in well with my House Doll concept, so I'm making one of those. She'll be somewhat similar to my last House Doll. 

Here is how the piece looked earlier. I've done more sculpting since then. And I hope to have her done very soon - so please check back.

Last year's challenge was my introduction to the Art Dolls Only group and the realization that there were a wonderful group of artists out there that had some of the same interests that I do. Since then, I joined the group and have made more dolls (though not quite as many as I would like to).

Please visit the Art Dolls Only blog for a list of the other participants in this challenge!

Art Doll Challenge: Redwing

Last spring, we took a trip south of Albuquerque to the Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge. We walked out on a bridge across a lake as the sun lowered in the sky. The place was filled with redwing blackbirds, who flew across the water and called to each other. Those moments live inside me, and I've created a figure which embodies the spirit of the redwing.

The Art Dolls Only Challenge was to make a doll which incorporated some or all of the elements: earth, air, fire, water. A redwing blackbird flies through the deepening blue sky. The red and yellow on the bird's wings echo the sunset and fire. Trees or vines climb up the doll's neck, with roots in the earth but stretching up toward the sky. The tips of the doll's hair are blue as if they have been dipped into water.

Here is "Redwing". She's made of clay and cloth and painted with acrylic.

Her hair is a Tibetan lambswool wig.
Wings are painted on her back.

She stands about 17 inches tall. She's the third doll that I've made as I work on developing my style and technique in dollmaking.