Yet who would have thought
the old man to have
so much blood in him?

...so asks that naughty Lady MacBeth after her conscious finally starts to creep up on her for having convinced her man to kill Duncan.  My post-punk Lady MacBeth is the first in a series of Shakespeare characters I'm working on for my first official shop update.  I find the whole business of editing photos and posting my items in my Etsy shop the least fun part of having an online store; I'd much rather be making things.  So I'm taking a page from the book a few others clever Etsy sellers who have shop updates.  Basically, it involves listing several new things all at once, rather than here and there, which is what I've always done in the past.  I'm hoping getting all my photo editing and listing done in one big batch will make it seem a bit less tiresome.

The update will take place on Friday, July 17th at 6:00 p.m. EST, but I'll be posting about it again before then.  I'll also be sure to post pictures of all the items that will be included in the update: at least six new dolls, one bust, a few new prints and three new pendants.  I've tried to make things in a variety of price ranges, so hopefully there will be something for everyone (everyone who likes Shakespearean characters dressed in decidedly non-Elizabethan costume, that is... I'm being inspired by the 20s and 30s at the moment, as well as the British fashion magazine Lula.)

Have I mentioned yet that I am freeeeeeee? Free of academic drudgery, free of three hours of reading per day, free of essay-writing, free of schedules.  Free to make dolls and write my book all I want.  The other night, a friend asked me how "the old novel" is going.  The old novel indeed.  I've been working on this book off and on for  so many years I'm too afraid to actually count them.  But it had to be finished by December if I ever want to graduate, which I really do.  I'm actually hugely relieved to have  a deadline in sight, as deadlines have always been very good for me (maybe another good reason to go the shop update route?)  Anyway, just to give you an idea of how much material I have generated over the years, I took the above picture of just some of my files and notebooks...truly, this not all of it.  Rather than feeling good about this mass of material, I find it very daunting because there is just so much to go through and edit and finally type (yes, I write long-hand - with a fountain pen , no less! -  a fact that elicits utter amazement from most people.  I'm the world's slowest typist.) 

Old novel, I will tame you.

Currently, I'm participating in the Shakespeare challenge being put on by ADO (Art Dolls Only), a team of doll-makers of which I'm a member.  Participants have been interviewed on the ADO blog for the past few weeks, so I thought I'd share my little interview here. 

1)  Why did you choose this particular character?
I have had an ambivalent relationship with Ophelia over the past 15 years.  As a teenager, I was attracted to tormented characters, and mad women in particular.  I had a print of Waterhouse’s painting of Ophelia over my bed, and went around with a velvet-covered notebook, which I filled with poetry about beautiful women losing their minds.  Your average death-obsessed adolescent.  When I was a little girl, I eventually rebelled against my beloved Barbies by cutting off all their hair and snipping off their toes.  Similarly, as I got older, I started to resent the highly romanticized portrayal of women as frail victims who lose their minds over every little torment.  Eventually, when I saw Kate Winslet’s portrayal of Ophelia, I made peace with the character; Winslet played Ophelia as a stronger character who is driven mad not simply because Hamlet is a jerk, but also because she is a woman with no real agency who is surrounded by people willing to manipulate her for their own ends.  In other words, the whole incestuous, Danish monarchy is mad and Ophelia is just the one who most embodies that madness because she is the one with the least power to affect any change - all fairly true for young, unmarried women of that time. 

 
2) What techniques did you employ? Why?
I chose to make Ophelia as a polymer clay figurine (ie. Head, torso and arms only) to emphasize the idea that she is not entirely whole. But I gave her white hair to counter the usual depiction of her as fragile and waif-like. To me, she has aged a lifetime in her madness, and cannot bear to carry on living knowing the cruelty of which people are capable.

3) What are your associations/ experiences with Shakespeare in general?
I’ve always loved Shakespeare.  As an undergraduate literature student, I studied his plays and I also taught them when I was a high school English teacher.  While there is much debate about his female characters, and whether or not they are misogynist, I think that, like most of his characters, they are complex enough to be read many different ways.  And ultimately, the guy made up his own words – beautiful words – and he could string a hell of a sentence together, and that means more to me than his politics.

I'll post some more pictures of Ophelia once she's finished (and I've taken those cruel pins out of her head!)

A few weeks ago I posted an in-progress photo of a custom order I've been working on; it was commissioned by the lovely Ms. Kelly.  Kelly asked for a self-portrait figurine in black with a Victorian costume, and I absolutely loved making her.

Part of the fun was making my first quasi-authentic 19th Century bustle.  The originals were made from wire cage and fabric, so I used window screen instead:

I also gave her a deeply pleated skirt and a five-piece corset:

And of course, a ragged little parasol for all that melancholy  wandering about in the rain so de-rigeur for Victorian ladies (well probably not really because they were always cooped up at home with the vapours, but that's how I like to imagine them ...)

Here is the original Kelly:

I've also added two more 3-D illustrations to the shop. These were a lot of fun to make, and nice also because they don't take nearly as long as a doll, so I get to see the results more quickly.  I'll be offering them as custom orders later this week.

And finally, after marking over 100 papers in two weeks, I am finished my teaching contract!! I am officially unemployed, which is both scary and exciting.  The dolls are coming!

 Last night I invigilated the final exam for my course; I still have to grade half their final papers and the exams, but then I will be done!!!  My new goal in life is never to grade another paper, so I'm very much looking forward to having the summer off to concentrate on dolls, Etsy,  blogging and general stuff-making.  I'm taking a course in American Gothic Fiction (lots of Hawthorne and Poe) and I have two words with which to express my feelings about that:  Yippee Skippee!  Dolls and spooky stories?  What a way to spend a summer...

I'm still working a way on several custom orders, and have recently completed two.  One very special project was creating a doll that was meant to embody the spirit of Sapphire, the beautiful cat pictured below, who has passed on to kitty  heaven. Linda, her  'owner' (I don't really like that term in relationship to animals, especially when  I feel more like I exist in service to my cats!)  asked me to create a doll that could help her commemorate Sapphire, and as a cat lover myself who has lost felt the pain of losing a beloved pet, I was honoured to have the opportunity.

Sapphire has that beautifully superior, slightly cranky look of so many cats,  so I tried to capture that in the doll's expression.  I also used Sapphire's beautiful grey and black coat as inspiration for the doll's clothing.

  And I made my first attempt at a clay pet; far from perfect, but it was fun to try and I will definitely be making more.

You can read more about Sapphire and see some of Linda's lovely illustrations here.

I also made another version of Ghostly Minka, who was my one Hallowe'en offering last year.

This Minka has the same punky hairstyle but a slightly more demure expression.  I need to braver with short hair styles, because I do love how they turn out. 

And speaking of Hallowe'en creepies, if you have a vampire fetish, you should check out the BBC series my husband and I just finished watching, Ultraviolet.   You can find it on netflix in the States or zip in Canada, and here are my top four reasons to watch:

1. It's about vampires
2. The almost absurdly handsome Idris Elba (you might know him as Stringer Bell from The Wire, but he's even yummier with an English accent.
3.  It's good
4. It's funny (yet frightening) to see how hilariously passé clothes from 1998 already look (lots of shiny suits and unfortunately shoulder-padded leather jackets.)

Also, if, like me, you watch all things vampire, you might also recognize Stephen Moyer who plays Bill Compton on True Blood.  Ten years ago, he looked positively petite and fey compared to his more recent vampire incarnation. 

...to the end of the semester!  I only have one more week of classes left, then two weeks to mark my students' exams and final papers , then done!  I don't think I've ever been so excited about finishing a job as I am about this one.  The marking has been overwhelming - eight months of having nearly thirty papers to mark almost every weekend.  Blech.  No wonder both students and teachers hate Composition courses; they have to write so. many. essays.  And then we have to mark them.  But not for long.    Freedom, I almost taste you.  I'm taking a class in American Gothic literature this summer, about which I'm very excited, and other than that I'm writin' fiction and makin' dolls. Yessssssssss.... Thank you, by the way, to everyone who left consoling comments on my last post.  Clearly, the whiff of liberty has me feeling much better...

I've had several, great custom orders projects, most of which entail working from pictures.  It's a fascinating challenge, trying to capture someone's features and personality while still representing them in my own style and aesthetic.  Her eare some photos of one I've just finished and one that's on progress.  Behold the lovely Hilary:


Of course she has those enviable high cheek bones and that gorgeous hair, so my early attempts focused on those features.
 
Hilary requested antlers, an Elizabethan collar and puffy sleeves, all of which were fairly straightforward...

But she also made an off-hand remark about it being too bad you can't get steampunk goggles for dolls, which I then took up as a secret challenge.  I put my nerdy (in the absolute best, sexy way) husband on the case, and he came up with a bit of sheer crafty genius.  These don't yet have lenses, but they give you an idea.  How I love learning how to make new, odd things!

I've also been working on a commission for the beautiful Ms. Kelly, the world's foremost collector of Black-Eyed Suzie Dolls (thanks, Kelly!) 

As you can see, Kelly has the most amazing bone structure, so that was my focus with her doll. She is still in the early stages, but this has been such a fun project for me.  I have some beautiful costume books out from the library, and the eighteenth century is calling to me for this one.   She already has a charming little five-piece corset:

Now I'm feeling all gushy and grateful...how lovely is it that I get to recreate these beautiful  people in my own little way?  You're nearly dead to me, day job!

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind, what with all the lovely feedback I got from the Handmade Portrait on Etsy, which you can see by cliking on the link, or in the post beneath this one.  Thank you to everyone who commented - it was so nice to read your thoughts.  A few days after the video went up, I was Etsy's featured seller for two days, which was also very busy but wonderful.  Lots of dolls going off to new homes, and several custom orders to keep me busy for the next few weeks.

You can read the interview that accompanied the feature here. 

There were a few dolls who only lived in the shop for a day or two, so I thought I'd include them here.         
Slightly awkward Jane might not be the prettiest girl at the dance, but she is probably the smartest and most interesting. She has read all of Proust's A la Recherche du Temps Perdu (in French!) and she take you down at seven card stud. She knows 27 bird calls by heart and can play 'Heart and Soul' on the accordian.
                         
At the tender age of 11, Corabelle ran away from home to join the circus. She's tired of finding bits of straw in her hair, but the evil ring master became enraptured by her alabaster skin and will never let her stray. But Corabelle is tougher than she looks, and is planning her escape...it involves Ambien and some very malnourished lions...
                   
Rumour has it that Isabeau is the older sister of the Little Prince. She lives on a tiny planet that neighbours B612, and instead of a rose, she tends to a tiny grove of talking Calla Lilies. Before her brother left, they used to visit frequently and share tea with jam sandwiches. Ever since the Little Prince left, she has missed him terribly.     
                  
Much like the last Sad Match Girl, this woeful lass has had her spirit - not to mention her snow-white locks - ruined by the crush of industrialism. She even had polio as a child, making one leg slightly longer than the other, and she must stand on those uneven days all day long! Poor match-girl...she has seen better days, before she was made to go work in the match factory, her stockings torn and dreams deferred.

I also added some prints to the shop, but I think I'll save those and make them into a giveaway for next time.  The next few weeks will be busy with custom orders, so I'll be sure to include some work in progress shots...Thanks again for all your supportive words...I was told by the powers-that-be at Etsy that the video got 400 hits from this blog alone!  I had no idea so many people visited my little corner of the interweb, but thank you all!

I had the very good fortune to be featured in this month's Etsy 'Handmade Portrait' video by the lovely and talented Ms. Tara Young, aka. weirdwolf .  In the video, you can learn a bit about how the dolls are made, as well as see some beautiful  exterior shots of Montreal.  You can see the video in its original context here, or watch it below.

Tara also wrote a short article, and  TeenAngster curated an art doll treasury to accompany the video, so I'm including these as well. Thanks, guys!  Thanks also to Espers for the beautiful music.

Canadian artist and writer Sarah Faber aka Blackeyedsuzie started making art dolls while she was living in the woods of Maine, unable to legally work in the States. Sarah tired of constantly being in her own head as she worked endlessly on her first novel, so she decided she needed to do something with her hands. She chose doll-making because she could build on her experiences as a young girl, helping her crafty mother make beautiful dolls. After buying some books Sarah started experimenting with polymer clay, and eventually paper clay.

Blackeyedsuzie's style was influenced by her love for Gothic novels, Victorian and Elizabethan costumes and Dame Darcy's comic Meat Cake. Her dolls are infused with the same elongated, wide-eyed traits as the characters of Edward Gorey and Tim Burton. However, Sarah's dolls have their own style: Victorian beauties with a dark side — card sharks, bourbon drinkers, albinos and vampires...

Sarah doesn't necessarily consider her dolls to be Gothic, although some are dark and contain elements of the supernatural or uncanny. She considers them to be "Victorian, with a certain edge." The dolls' descriptions tell tales of dire lives of Victorian England, but not without a certain playful wink.

For Christmas, I gave my husband a book of beautiful retellings of Greek myths called The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony.  I then promptly stole it.  Well, I prefer to think of it as borrowing, and for a good cause.  I've been researching the Persephone for my own flailing little book, as I'm so in love with the imagery of that tale.  Ya got flowers, ya got Hell, ya got pomegranates and snatched maidens and a bad-ass mother prepared to go up against the lord of the underworld to get her daughter back...good stuff.  So here is my figurative take on the story, entitled Persephone Ascending:

While gathering flowers in the vale of Enna, Persephone was seized by Hades and hauled off to the underworld. She just couldn't resist that pomegranate seed! And now her mother Demeter grieves for her, chokes the harvest and cloaks the world in winter for half the year. Come back to us, sweet maiden!

And with my new love (er, I mean camera) I finally got some decent pictures of Willow, who was rather underserved, I think, by those dreary shots in my last post.

Willow wanders hither and thither, through wide meadows and verdant valleys, over babbling brooks and sibilant streams. So slim, she bends with the breeze, whispers with the wind's song, wonders where her love has gone...

Finally, for reasons that cannot yet be revealed, I scanned some beloved old family photos this weekend.  My mother and grandmother were born in Brazil (though of American, British and French heritage). And so I have many wonderful photos of my Vóvó (Portuguese for grandmother) and her parents dressed in the most beautiful Edwardian and Victorian clothes against lush, tropical backgrounds.  Here she is with her mother:

And here is the beautiful statue of Christ that overlooks the harbour in Rio de Janiero. Any children of the 80's out there?  Any closeted Duran Duran fans?  Well, me too.  But in this case, I meant the city!

Last weekend I bought a new camera and it is just awesome.  (thank you, Christine!)  I generally try not to fetishize technology, but it is not unreasonable to say that  this camera has actually improved my quality of life.  Before this, I had a ten-year-old camera that my father very kindly bought for me on a business trip to Japan because they still cost a small fortune back then.  When I told my friend this, she asked "did they even have digital cameras ten years ago?"  Well, just barely.   And considering it is so old, it has served me quite well, but the new one is a revelation. Taking pictures is now a delightful activity instead of a tedious chore.  Observe:

This is Mme. Frontenac (available in my shop)  and a little story that, I confess, is a mishmash of fact and fiction...

According to legend, the Governor General of New France, Louis de Buade de Frontenac, was heartbroken when he discovered his wife was having an affair with the Sun King. He eventually forgave her, but left explicit instructions about the treatment of his body upon his death. After he died, Madame de Frontenac received a special delivery: her husband's heart in a lead box. So, be true to the one you love and Happy Valentine's Day!

I also had the good fortune to be featured in the Spring issue of Art Doll Quarterly, which came out this week.  The dolls in the magazine are three that I made last summer.  First there is Ivy...

...and Peggine with the Huntsman's Daughter:

 There is also a brief article (written by moi), a portion of which I'll be posting on my 'about me' page.

Tata for now! I'm off to tidy my studio, which is a true horror...