Asphyxia

There's a new teaser up on the Cult of Doll website, so go check out the darkly fanciful work of Asphyxia!

Sleep Sound

I'm sitting here with tears streaming down my face after watching one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. I won't say anything about it - there is some text at the beginning that explains it far better than I could. Sigh.

Jamie xx: Sleep Sound on Nowness.com

Cult of Doll

Well, clearly I haven't been very good about maintaining my newly-recussitated blog. I blew the dust off just to have it all resettle.  Apparently having two toddlers in a place with zero childcare means you don't get a lot of spare time. But a friend of mine is going to start babysitting for me one morning a week, and so I plan to use part of that time to update here.

For now, I'm excited to have joined the Cult of Doll, an  group of artists with all kinds of  exciting, semi-secret plans which include dolls, of course, but also original fiction and an almanac. For now, you can check out the group's website, and see the new teaser from Brian Blacknick.

Babysitter comes Thursday  - see you then!

A Christmas Miracle

Something wonderful happened in our home a few weeks ago - our cat came back! 

Our sweet little Sachi-cat, whom we reared from when he was just three weeks old, ran away from my father & step-mother's house a few weeks after we moved here. Understandably, the move was all a bit much for him, so when my sister  came to visit with her dog, he bolted into the woods. We were devastated, and little M., who loves him so, never stopped talking about him. ('I have a cat, his name is Sacho. He's my friend.' Heartbreaking.) We looked for him for weeks, but nothing. When winter set in, our hearts sank because we couldn't imagine how he could survive both the coyotes and the cold weather, especially as he's a very docile, spoiled little cat who's never had to hunt or fend for himself.

But then one evening my sister and stepmother showed up with a cat cage, and even then I assumed they were bringing us a new cat, a cat they'd found in the woods who needed a home. But lo and behold, it was our dear little one, skinny as hell but otherwise fine. Some very nice people had found him just a week earlier, taken him to the vet, and placed an ad in the local paper, which my stepmother then spotted.  They wouldn't even take any money for the vet. We are so grateful. Leslie, Lucy, Nick, Amy: you are our Christmas angels!

Happy Christmas and whatever else you celebrate, everyone!

Hello World!

Here I am breaking my long, somewhat unintended silence in blogland. First let me say thank you to everyone who wrote with kind words and/or queries. It means a lot to me that so many people noticed my absence, and I’m sorry if it worried anyone. So let me start by saying that  I’m safe and healthy and very happy to be mama to a very sweet little girl. Baby S. was born ten months ago, and life has been a mad, lovely whirlwind ever since. I don’t think I ever even announced on my blog that I was pregnant – I just got consumed with some non-doll-related projects and then tending to two little ones in diapers, as M. was only just two when S. was born. (Thankfully, he’s out of diapers now – woot!)

Then, to add to the fun, we packed up all our worldly possessions, the plants and the cat and moved across the country to Cape Breton Island on Canada’s east coast, the place of my dreams. We’ve wanted to live here for so long, but it took us ten years to find a way to do it without having to become feral and live in the woods. This is the most beautiful place I’ve ever been, but there’s not a lot in the way of work, so we bided our time and finally took the plunge, which has been a little bit scary but mostly very exciting. 

There’s more to say but I’ll have to save it for another post (which won’t, I promise, be another year in coming). That baby girl is going to wake up any minute, and that little boy and his Dada are about to tramp in the house in their muddy boots, on their way back from visiting our new house, which is actually very old but new to us and full of squirrels at the moment but hopefully will be filled with us in a few months. Whew!  

Shop Update: Wednesday July 25th

I'll have eleven new dolls/ ornaments available in my Big Cartel shop this Wednesday, July 25th at 8pm EST/ 5pm PST.  I'm sorry if the time is inconvenient in some regions, but I'm a bit short of time because I'm leaving on vacation next week.  The listings are all in the shop, and you can see photos below.  These will most likely be my last dolls for a while; in the fall I hope to experiment a little!

Life is What Happens to You...

...while you're busy making other plans. My dad used to say that to me when I was a teenager and I always thought it was so wise. A few years later, I learned that those are lyrics from the John Lennon song, 'Beautiful Boy', and felt a bit duped, though to be fair my dad never claimed he had made it up.  Anyway, life has happened to us in a big way in the past couple of months and we are still catching our breath. All good things, but somewhat unexpected and many other things have been put on hold, or at least turned down to low simmer in the meantime.  Also, very annoyingly, I have lost the USB cable that attaches my camera to my computer, so while I can take photos, I can't upload them.  It's been driving me nuts because I know it's somewhere in our apartment - I almost never take it anywhere - but multiple frantic searches have turned up nothing.  So I finally broke down and ordered a new one.  I'm nearly finished a group of eleven new dolls, so I hope to have photos of them on the blog in the next couple of weeks.  (My USB cable is coming from the distant shores of Hong Kong...hurry, hurry, hurry!) 

If you want to watch a very touching but rather heartbreaking video of the titular song, here are some lovely images of John, Yoko and Sean.

Six Fine Things

I know I'm nearly cribbing from the very polarizing Martha Stewart with this post title (personally, I drool over her mag at the library when I get the chance...domesticity porn), but I can't think of anything more clever or creative moment, and given that it's M.'s nap time, I don't dare spend too long trying.   I sometimes marvel at the fact that my life these days is more sedate, predictable and geographically confined than it's ever been: I seldom leave my very quiet, residential neighbourhood and divide most of my time between home, several parks in the neighbourhood, the local library and a few shops.  While I do sometimes crave a little more variety and freedom, overall I'm more content than I've ever been with my very simple existence.  To whit, I've curated a list of some of the things that have made me happy this week. 

1. Playing soccer by the Lachine canal with the boy.  It's so breezy, green and peaceful up there, with water on one side and bike paths on the other.  And my little one running with boundless energy, chirping 'ba! ba! ba!' as he chases his ball.  Balls and dolls - his two favourite things, and a nice balance I think.

2. My mother's day gift: a Kitchenaid mixer. WHAT!? I thought I'd be an old lady before I could afford one of these glorious machines, but Mr. L has been squirelling away his credit card points for years and actually had enough to get my beauteous new mixer without spending a penny. (Let us not speak of interest rates at such a magical time.)  I confess I haven't even had a chance to use it, but visions of cookies and bread and super easy pie crusts dance in my head.

3. Wolf Hall  I'm doing my best to keep my eyes pried open for half an hour before bed to do some reading (have I complained recently about how M. still wakes up several times a night?) Currently, I'm reading Hilary Mantel's novel about Thomas Cromwell and the many machinations of Henry the VIII.  Beautiful writing and a page-turning story.  Delicious.

4. The Culture Gabfest podcast on Slate.com.  I read about this on my friend Tom's blog and now I'm hooked.  A trio of hyper verbal, witty, erudite culture critics/ writers deconstruct books, TV shows, movies, poetry and news coverage and are so freakishly smart and funny about it that they manage to find interesting things to say about even the most banal of topics (eg. Titanic, celebrity baby bumps).  And there appear to be many other great podcats on Slate, such as Double X and Lexicon Valley ( a whole show about words). There are not enough hours in the day.

5. My new pressure cooker. I know - another appliance.  Do I sound like a crazed, McCarthy-era housewife?  But it really is an amazing thing if you're vegetarian, or simply like beans.  It makes the most tender, delicious beans in under half an hour and this is miraculous after many years of boiling the crap out of beans only to have them come out...edible.  I've heard from a real Italian that you can make perfect risotto in seven minutes, which I find almost too good to be true but I'm going to try it this weekend.

6. Revenge.  Well, perhaps not a fine thing, but a deeply satisfying guilty pleasure.  It's got very rich people, very vengeful people, very bad people.  It's got beautiful women kicking ass (literally). Everyone is always impeccably dressed, shooting death stares at their various enemies and being super fake, rich-style, while they plot to destroy one another.  There's a moral centre, of course, but that's besides the point.  It's terribly silly and I love it. 

PJ & Paper Tales

It's been a rough couple of weeks here at casa Black; pink eye, the stomach flu and a nasty cold have all ripped through and my poor little bunny bore the brunt of it.  Fortunately, he seems to be on the mend now and I'm hoping to take him to the park later today for the first time in days.

Anne Bachelier

I haven't had much time to to work on dolls (the laundry, oh the laundry!) but I've been thinking quite a bit about them and I'm excited about trying a few new things.  I'm planning on basing the next batch on some of my favourite fairy tales (think 'The Wild Swans', 'Little Red Riding Hood', 'Jorinda & Joringel').  I've been looking at the stunning illustrations of Anne Bachelier for ideas. I'm also planning to make their clothing almost entirely from paper.  I've done a lot of paper bodices before, but I think it will be fun to try paper skirts as well. 

I've also been digging up photos to use as inspiration for faces because I want to try a few that are more detailed.  In the past, I've looked at photos of models simply because they're easy to find, but they never worked for me; models' faces tend to be very symmetrical and conventionally beautiful - far too 'perfect' for my tastes.  I'm drawn to faces that are unusual, that have somewhat exaggerated or asymmetrical features.  Lately, I've been particularly interested in women with striking profiles and strong noses.  One of my favourite (stranger) faces is also one of my favourite musicians, so I will making the beautiful PJ Harvey into my muse for at least a couple of my next dolls. I love that her face is both gawky and lush, severe and sweet.  Here she is performing my favourite song from her new album live.  It sounds quite different from her previous albums...gorgeous.  (And check that crazy head thingy.  Love her!)

Tom(my) Wrote That

Thank you for all the kind comments and emails about the new dolls, and thank you of course to all who adopted them - they are now on their way to their new homes in Canada, the US, France and - for the first time - Norway.  I love thinking of the dollies living in places in the world I've never seen. 

Now for a Big Pimpin' edition of the Black-Eyed Suzie blog.  I'm super-excited about the release of my friend Tom Ryan's first book, Way to Go, from Orca Book Publishers.  Woot!  Congratulations, Tommy! I'm so proud of you!!  Tom's family are our neighbours in Cape Breton.  His parents are good friends of ours, and Tom is one of my favourite people. We have spent many nights driving around dirt roads trying to amuse ourselves.  Our houses are connected by a long, wooded dirt road, and at the risk of sounding all sentimental and nostalgic, there is even a shortcut we can take through the woods to get to one another's houses.

Tom lives in BC now, but I keep tabs on him through his very well-written and funny blog, Tom Wrote That; it even has these very fancy, new-fangled things called 'vlogs' (musings via video) that I'm very impressed by.  His book is currently available on Amazon and IndieBound.  Though I usually order books online, I'm going to go to an actual bookstore this weekend and buy a copy because I feel like this is an event worthy of traveling beyond the boundaries of my sleepy little neighbourhood.  So, while I haven't read it yet, here are a couple of glowing reviews:

"This book is a truly life-changing one. It will make you question your views and the way you inflict them on others." (YALSA YA Galley Teen Review )

"A very well done book about a front-burner topic, it makes a fine addition to the 'I think I'm gay' genre. Danny is very believable, and unlike so many 'issue' novels, the supporting characters are fully realized and multi-dimensional...A lot of kids will benefit from reading it...It's a story that absolutely needs to be told, and the author's approach succeeds beautifully. Excellent." (John Wetterholt Follett Library Resources )

Can't wait til you're back East, Tommy dear!

Shop Update & More New Dolls

I will have fourteen new peices available this Saturday, March 24th at 2pm EST/ 11am PST. (you can convert that to another time zone here.) You can see photos in the the blog below, as well as in the previous blog post, or check out the listings in my Big Cartel shop, where you can also read descriptions and see the prices.  If you would like to receive a reminder by email at the time of the update, you can sign up for my newsletter here.

New Dolls - Les Fleurs du Mars

I've been putting in pretty long hours on dolls for the past couple of months, but somehow neglecting to add more than a scant few work-in-progress shots several weeks ago.  Well, they're all finished now.  I had three days a week to work from home for a while there and I don't think I've ever been so focused in my life.  My friend with babies have told me this and now I know it's true; once you have some time again, you don't waste it.  There's no staring out of windows or procrastinating.  You just go.  So, here are several new ladies I was working on while it was still very March-y (cold and grey) even though we are suddenly experiencing unseasonably warm weather.  I'll be posting a few more dolls/ busts in the next couple of days, as well as announcing my next shop update  which will most likely take place some time this weekend.  I'm sorry that I don't have stories for these yet - Mr. L is back to working full time (it's quite the roller coaster these days!) and I'm having trouble keeping my eyes open.  Time is suddenly very scarce again, but I'll see if I can squeeze a few in before the update...

The Dark Fragility of Marmite Sue

Haunting.  Exquisite. Delicate. Melancholy.  These words are often over used, but they accurately describe the meticulously crafted work of ball-jointed doll artist Marmite Sue. Her porcelain Angel Egg dolls range from the more traditional articulated form to unique and somewhat eccentric figures with lace detailing, butterfly wings, high-heeled feet, jewel-inlaid porcelain, and ribbon corsets built directly into the doll’s torso.  The intricacy and originality of such details take the ball-jointed doll to a level of artistry and craftsmanship I’ve never seen before in the medium.  

Lenore by Marmite Sue (36cm, porcelain)

Marmite’s Sue’s customizable dolls measure 14.2” and are constructed with high-quality materials; you have the option of human or high-grade synthetic hair, and either silicone, porcelain or glass eyes, all of which come in both natural and surreal colours.  Another remarkable detail is the possibility of changing the doll’s head, thereby allowing for multiple character options on a single body (the animation potential for this can be seen in Teaspoon, the video below by Marmite Sue.)

The faces themselves are my favourite element of these dolls.  There are three options (Willa, Luna and Noi) and each is at once sweet and dark, ethereal and arresting. Reminiscent of one of my favourite artists, Ryo Yoshida, Marmite Sue dolls are wide-eyed without being overly child-like. But in fascinating contrast to the beauty of the dolls’ faces, there is something unsettling in their aesthetic.  By carving into their ‘skin’ and sculpting their feet as stiletto heels, Marmite Sue evokes a subtle, exquisite kind of pain, thus drawing the viewer’s attention to the nexus of beauty and discomfort.

Dentelle in Pink by Marmite Sue (36cm, porcelain with human hair)

Clearly, these are art objects, not mere playthings.  But play is not a bad thing! The bodies are highly articulated, with two joints in the torso for a greater degree of poseability.  There is also the option of ordering either a permanent face-up (ie. the dolls' ‘make-up’ has been applied with high-fired china paint which cannot be removed) or a removable face-up (ie. the face has some permanent shading, but you can apply removable make-up with watercolour pencils and nail polish). Like the option of changing faces, this allows you to create many different characters for your doll.  There are also several different skin shades, from palest ‘Pearl’ to a rich ‘Cocoa’.

 To browse through Marmite Sue’s doll galleries, visit her blog, and you can also email her at marmite_sue@hotmail.com to request a catalogue. (Her porcelain orders are filling up quickly, but she has mentioned the possibility of a resin line becoming available soon on her blog.) You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter and Flickr.  Happy dolling!

Little Lace by Marmite Sue (36cm, porcelain with human hair)

best books for bébé

One of the many lovely things about being a mama is getting to read all the beautiful books and play with the toys given to my babe. I've always imagined reading my babies the classics - Goodnight Moon, Where the Wild Things Are - but we're so lucky to have many thoughtful friends who have given M. great books I'd never heard of before.

Our friend Alexis, among an embarrassment of riches, gave M. the hilarious Iggy Peck Architect, which he now insists we read him at least twice in the morning and twice at night.  I thought he wouldn't get into it until he was a bit older, but it has great illustrations and he's captivated by them. Come back from Boston, Alexis - we miss you!  Harvard is not worthy...

You might remember from a previous post that I have a Fairy Godmother who lives in England.  She has spoiled me all my life and now she's doing the same for M.  In addition to giving him many lovely toys, snazzy outfits, his stroller and his snow suits, she has sent several books, my favourite of which is Margaret Wild's Fox for its darkly beautiful illustrations.

Congratulations on becoming Dr. Auntie Mo - we are so proud of you!

My dear, dear friend Rebecca gave M. one of the few Maurice Sendak books a didn't already have, and, like all the best kids' books, it is both sweet and slightly spooky. I was saving it until M. gets a little older, but now that I see how much he loves Iggy Peck, I might bring it out, if only so that I get to read it!

Rebecca also gave M. a Moulin Roty puppet that is so adorable, I've had to resist the temptation to bring it into my studio as decoration.  (I promise I won't be greedy mom - I've even given M. all my very favourite old puppets, stuffed animals and soft dolls.)  Baby, toys, books...it's even more fun than I imagined it would be...

Stands & Orchid Salve

Mr. L and I have made various attempts at doll stands over the years, and while they  worked fine, I was never totally happy with how they looked.  We used wooden dowels and bases, and it always seemed to overwhelm the dolls somehow.  Then my brilliant man came up with a totally new design which is both more practical and quite elegant-looking.  They're handmade from brushed aluminium and can be custom cut for the length of your doll (the doll should be measured from the tips pf her toes to just under her arms). Much more suited to the style of my dolls, I think.  I've added the stands to my Big Cartel shop.  

Another clever thing Mr. L has done recently is resurrect our orchid, which stopped flowering after we left it with a friend for a summer. (The poor dears don't like to be moved.) I had written it off entirely and, I'm now ashamed to say, told him several times should be thrown out.  But he read somewhere that eggshells soaked in black tea was good for the fragile flowers so for two years he lovingly fed it with the icky brew.  The man has saint-like patience.

Finally, I'm getting a lot more time to work on dolls these days.  Mr. L got a new job at the NFB that is great in many ways, but the best for me is that he's only there three days a week and so I'm now able to work a few days a week while baby M. always has one of us here to dote on him.  It feels strange but good to have more time to be creative and I feel very lucky to have flexible work that still allows me spend so much time with my boy.

 

More Prezzies

And this time they were all for me!  February is my birthday month, and Mr. L is an excellent giver of gifts.  This year he gave me a non-fiction book that I'd heard of on the CBC and can't wait to read.

It's the story Shirley Mason, of a woman who was diagnosed with Multiple Personailty Disorder in the 50s, the psychiatrist who treated her (and crossed many ethical boundaries while doing so, including lying in bed with her patient while she administered shock therapy) and the journalist who helped turn the case into an international sensation. I'm very interested in illnesses that are cultural as much - or more - than they are physical. No doubt it will be very unsettling as all women profited enormously from the case.

I've been getting into graphic novels lately, as I've long dreamed about writing one (starring dolls, of course!) This one looks dense and dark, with amazing illustrations.  If anyone has any favourites, I'd love to hear them.

I also got a set of sturdy pliers to replace the dinky little craft store version I've been using all these years.  Psyched about those, but I'm pretty sure you all know what pliers look like, so moving right along...a Ureshii Gift Certificate!  Ureshii makes super cute yet very comfortable clothes that are made to measure; I'm just too old for anything that pinches, itches or digs into unpleasant places, so I insist on comfort so matter how lame that makes me.  Haven't settled on exactly what I'm going to get, but it will definitely include this skirt.

Thank you so much, my love.  I don't know what I did to deserve you, but I'm hanging on for dear life...

Also, a big thank you to everyone who left kind words about my latest dolls, and to those who adopted them.  They are all on their way to their new homes across Canada and the US, and I'm so very grateful that I get to do this. 

Four new dolls will become available this Sunday, February 5th at 2pm EST/ 11am PST. (you can convert that to another time zone here.) You can see photos in the the blog post below, or check out the listings in my Big Cartel shop, where you can also read descriptions and see the prices.  If you would like to receive a reminder by email at the time of the update, you can sign up for my newsletter here.

The Bird Gerhls - Four New Dolls

I can't seem to get away from this bird motif...it wasn't planned, but I will readily submit.  Below are the photos of my most recent dolls, and I'll be announcing the details of my shop update shortly (it's looking like Sunday).  I'll also be posting links to the shop listings so you can see prices and details in advance of the update itself.

Wren lives on a windswept outcrop where she feeds gulls from her hand and mostly keeps to herself.  The villagers think she's a witch.  I guess when you sequester yourself, wear vaguely victorian clothing and talk to birds, you're sort of poking the hive...

Gretchen is taller than every boy she's ever met and stronger, too.  She can only fit swallow eggs on her head, but she's channeling Ostrich all the way.

If there was a ballet called 'Bluebird' it would star Maeve.  But she wouldn't eat wet kleenex or stab the other dancers or get up to any of that other weirdo ballerina behaviour.  She'd make them all a nice cup of tea and offer up embroidered hankies.

Gisele is the weird one, let's be frank. She's a little bit gawky, a little bit of a bird herself. But she's fiercely loyal and can put up her dukes and when she gets into scraps defending one of the Bird Gerhls, she doesn't even get a run in her stockings.

Teeny weeny nests

Welcome to my new blog!  I must say, I love my new squarespace site.  Typepad is great, but for someone like me (ie. neither very tech-savvy nor patient enough to learn), I find squarespace much easier to navigate and it's far more visual when I want to make changes.  I found I was always putting off changing or adding to my old blog because I found it confusing and then got frustrated.  While I still have a bit more content to add and general snazzing up to do over here, I love the new clean look and I hope you'll enjoy it, too.

But on to the fun stuff.  I'm nearing completion of four dolls; I hope to have them finished over the weekend.  I've made a couple of tiny, Alexander McQueen-inspired nests to adorn some pretty little heads. 

I made the eggs and nests and felt somewhat insane doing so, but in a good way.  I've also made a few more flouncy skirts in the style of the tutus I made for the Black Swan ballerinas.  These ones are made from silk organza and I love how they manage to look both froufy and somewhat tattered.

Tata for now...I'll be back with more work in progress photos soon.