My interest in dollmaking began for me in 1993 when I first
saw a porcelain doll studio. In the window were beautiful porcelain dolls which
captured my attention. I wanted to find out more about them right away, but my
life was too full and too busy and I never seemed to find the time. Doll
magazines began to show up in the larger magazine shops and I was attracted to
the lovely porcelain dolls all dressed up in their Sunday best. Each one so
beautiful. The thought of making porcelain dolls gently tugged at me for a long
time.
Then one day in 1994, a day that seemed like so many others, I came upon a
book about dollmaking by Rotraut Strott, "Making Original and Portrait
Dolls in Cernit". Her dolls were mesmerizing. So real. So life-like. I
never saw anything like them before. Seeing the process of sculpting from a slab
of inanimate clay and creating a beautiful doll in a kitchen oven, the idea took
hold of me. Starting only with the one book and a little clay, I attempted to
sculpt a face. To my own amazement, I came pretty close. I have not stopped
sculpting since.
Having been called to a quiet life of contemplation,
the art of dollmaking has been part of a spiritual journey which began for me
over fifteen years ago.
Since 1996, I was diagnosed with
fibromyalgia, my husband left me, my 38 year old brother died
unexpectedly in an accident, my aunt and mom died in 1999 and 2000, I
underwent a hysterectomy shortly afterwards, and then began caretaking
my 80+ year old dad the last last 5 years. My father also passed
away peacefully in November of 2006 and I am just coming back to my own
life again. There has been much loss, much grief, but my faith and
my art has gotten me through it all.
Creating art and selling my molds allowed me
to take care of my family in the last most difficult 10 years and if I
thanked everyone who purchased them a hundred times a day, it wouldn't
be enough.
I hope I will have the pleasure of making dolls
and other artwork for a long time. It has been
a gift, a pleasure, and has given me many, many hours of enjoyment and comfort.
Thank you for visiting my website and showing an interest in my work.
