Traveling Doll Project: Simone

Simone was my last Traveling Doll Project doll to work on with the Art Dolls Only artists. I joined a small group of three artists, and we exchanged three dolls, working on each one before we passed them around. Eventually each doll has returned to the person who started it. Here's the Traveling Doll Project Blog (Simone's up there on the front page right now but I'm sure there will be others soon). You can see more abut the 28 artists who participated, and follow the journeys of each doll there.

Simone started off in Texas, and her first journey was a car trip to Iowa with Waxela. You can read about it here and see some photos of her beginnings. She then visited Nicole from Mealy Monster Land in New York state (read about it here).  Her third and final stop before returning home to Iowa was Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Simone's Arrival

She came as a roaring twenties gal, who enjoyed spent her best times dancing, traveling, smoking, and enjoying her existence. Life had given her a few gray hairs and some wrinkles, but she still kept her smile - was it cheer or cynicism?

She was set up in her spot on my desk, and she waited. And waited. And waited. She was very patient.  Finally, I woke up in the middle of one night and knew what she needed.

Simone practices flying

Feathers! From flapper gal to a woman in flight. Not to escape, but to soar beyond her limitations. She had a certain crow-like quality to begin with, and it came out in full force. Black feathers flow from her sleeves and a crow hat made of clay sits on her head. She can take on anything now!

Simone - full view

Through her sheer skirt you can see Nicole's yellow slip; Waxela's wonderful purple and red sandals peek out from underneath some fringe.

A crow is painted on her shoulder (and she has a crow tattoo on her ankle if she cares to lift her skirt a bit). A crow is defined as a "black bird having a raucous call" and the term is often used in a derogatory way toward women. They are sometimes seen as a liaison between life and death. But crows are really fascinating and intelligent creatures who have learned to live and thrive among us humans under all sorts of different circumstances.

I read this book not long ago. The author, Lyanda Lynn Haupt, studid the crows in her Seattle neighborhood. Haupt weaves her own observations together with myth, science, and history about the birds. So Simone became a crow of sorts, clothed in shades of black with her crow beak shadowing her forehead. Is she on her way to a costume party? Or is she going to climb to the top of a tree and build a nest, foraging for trinkets in your back yard before soaring off toward the clouds?

Simone and Peregrina

Before leaving New Mexico, Simone posed for a portrait with Peregrina, who also made the trip visiting each of the artists.

It was a wonderful collaboration, and a joy to work with Waxela and Nicole on the project. It was really invigorating and challenging to work with dolls made by other artists, and fascinating to see how they developed through their travels.

Looking forward to next year! – Melody

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?

Traveling Doll Project: two other dolls

Today was the unveiling of the other two dolls that I will be working on as part of the Team Docka for the Traveling Doll Project. 

Here is Simone by Spiritmama:

And here is Payten by Mealy Monster Land:

Payten is already home with me, and I have lots of ideas of what to do with her.... Click on the images to see the blog posts about each doll.

Traveling Art Doll: Peregrina

I've finally finished my doll for the Art Dolls Only Traveling Doll Project!

 

This is Peregrina, a "blank" doll to be sent on to Mealy Monster Land (Nicole) and SpiritMama (Waxela) on our mini travel doll challenge! 

She's made of cloth with paperclay, painted with acrylics, and stands about 14 inches tall. I debated whether to paint her face, but in the end I couldn't resist. It also seemed that she should have some undies, so I painted them on her as well.

So off she goes with her diary to Waxela tomorrow, where she will spend a month, then she will be sent to Nicole. 

 

Each of these artists will give her their creative touch, and she'll eventually end up back here. 

In the meantime, I've received Nicole's contribution, Payten, shown here posing with Peregrina. I've got a month to work on her and then send her to Waxela, when I'll get Waxela's doll from Nicole!  Some of the groups are as large as six or seven, but I opted to join a mini group of three this time around. I can't begin to imagine how Peregrina will turn out, and I've got my creative juices flowing to figure out how to start on Payton. I think I'll start by getting out the paint brushes.... 

A little more about Peregrina. It's a name that means "pilgrim" and is the subject of a beautiful song composed in Mexico in the early 1920s by Yucatecan poet Luis Rosada de la Vega with music by Ricardo Palmerin. It was commissioned by Felipe Carrillo Puerto, progressive governor of the Yucatán in 1922, for his love, the San Francisco journalist Alma Reed. You can read more about their tragic love story here, and you can read the lyrics to the song. I haven't found an English translation yet, but you see it run through Google's web page translation here.

Here's a video of the famous Jorge Negrete singing Peregrina with scenes from the movie El Rebelde (Romance de antaño) in 1943.  

Of course, I realize that adventures can change in mid-stream and Peregrina may take on a completely different personality, but it's always fun to start with a story!

Art Dolls Only Traveling Doll Project

I'm thrilled to be featured today in the Art Dolls Only Traveling Doll Project Blog! I sent them a self-portrait taken in my kitchen with a couple of my dolls.

My digital camera has a little screen that flips around, so I can set up the picture field. Then I put it on timer, reach over and click the shutter, and have 10 seconds to compose. A remote control would probably make it even easier.

I'll be exchanging dolls to work on with Waxela of SpiritMama and Nicole of Mealy Monster Land. We each start a doll and send it on to the next artist, each contributing to the final project and ending up with our own doll again after it has been in the hands of other artists. It will be fascinating to see what we come up with!