The subject of making dolls has come up a few times around my blogging friends so I thought maybe it might be fun to share a couple of posts about a collaborative doll I was involved in. It began as a 'nekkid' doll that I created and then mailed off to travel around to several different artists before returning home to me as an incredible piece of art. Her name is 'Shudayra'.
She began, as I said, as just a bare bones doll form...
She traveled throughout Canada and the US until she finally returned to me looking like this...
Closeup of her face and the front of her cape, including the cape fastener
The back, showing her cape and the embellishments
Close up of her cape (notice the handmade paper bead trims)
The back of her skirt
Close up of her head, showing hair adornments
Beaded shoes
Close up of front of her cape
There, I think that gives you a good idea of what she looks like and the incredible amount of work that went into her creation. Next time I will share further details of her steed and following that, her journal. Hopefully you will enjoy this look back and all the details! I think you can click on each of the pictures to embiggen them as well.
-Today's quote...."Sometimes my greatest accomplishment is just keeping my mouth shut"
This is great. I'm interested in how you sculpted the face. Can you say more about it?
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid my memory doesn't stretch back quite that far, but I know at the time I had a couple of books by Pattie Medaris Culea and I think I used her techniques for the face. Perhaps your library has copies of her books?? I *think* the book I mostly likely used was 'Creative Cloth Doll Making' but I know she has other books as well.
DeleteOh, that's the one I looked at some time ago and blogged about. Yours looks different, so I thought a different technique. This is so great.
ReplyDeleteI thought I remembered you mentioning her book awhile ago so thought you might be familiar with it.
DeleteThat is a beautiful doll--her journies took her far and wide i would imagine...beautiful work hugs, Julierose
ReplyDeleteI think even after all this time of having her I discover some other new little detail I haven't seen before.
DeleteNow that was definitely an incredible journey for Shudayra. Her journal sounds like a fun read.
ReplyDeleteShe did travel a lot of miles before she came home. She was away for nearly a year. The post about her journal should happen on Friday so stay tuned!
DeleteLove the doll. The felted artworks are fabulous. Great quote!
ReplyDeleteI love her too! She lives in my sewing room and keeps watch over all I do.
DeleteWow, she looks absolutely gorgeous. What a great deal of thought went into her adornment.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
The thought, along with the sheer talent of the other artists, never ceases to astound me. Hard to believe that so many little details went into her and her horse.
DeleteOh wow! Shudayra is fantastic! What a fun and beautifully ended group project. I hope you'll also tell us what the impetus was for beginning this project, and if you can, how the individual artists/artisans were picked to create her. I'm always interested in the process. Can't wait to see and read more.
ReplyDeleteIt's been awhile since this collaboration happened so my memory might be a tad hazy on the finer details, but I believe this came out of an online art doll group I belonged to at the time. One of the members decided to 'host' a round robin and we could either sign up to take part or we were chosen to play along if we wanted to. I think it was the former. We all had to create the 'body' of a doll and start a journal and then it was up to the other artists to add to and then send them on to the next person in line. If you want to see more of the other dolls I worked on for the group, just click on the 'dolls' label in my sidebar and scroll through to see them (along with other dolls I've done).
DeleteOh, I'm so glad you explained that. And it makes me happy to know that each artist got a finished doll in the end. That is truly wonderful.
DeleteOh My Heavens! Shudayra is Magnificent! I am so intrigued with her story and journey. I have never been part of such an amazing collaboration and with mailing costs what they are I do not see doing so in the future. How wonderful you had this experience. Lovely links dear. Keeping my mouth shut or even down to a whisper is very very difficult for me.
ReplyDeleteThe mailing costs now certainly wouldn't be conducive to doing a collaboration like this, for sure. Too bad, because it certainly was a fun project!
DeleteWhat a stunning collaborative project. All that detail sure shows a lot of love went into her. Looking forward to finding out more about that project.
ReplyDeleteYes, there certainly was a lot of love that went into her. She's a work of art (heart) and something I really treasure.
DeleteWhat a fabulous treasure you have. Looking forward to the journal entries! Have a lovely weekend! Christine xx
ReplyDeleteYes, I think she's a treasure too. She's something I will never part with, that's for sure! Lovely weekend to you too.
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