2024 is the year of the Art Doll in my studio. I'm going to try and come up with one art doll a month. It occurred to me that my Instagram account is called Art Doll Stories but I hadn't made any art doll in a long time!
I started by making three heads. Don't ask why I came up with three. It seemed like a good place to start. The dolls are roughly almost 9 inches tall.
After sewing up their bodies, the next step was to wait for their personalities to present themselves. Most things we make have a part of us in them for sure, but I wanted these dolls to have something of their own as well.
I've always been inspired by my grandmother whose given name was Mercedes Mirea. I didn't know that until I was probably in my tweens. She was known to most as Nena (Mama Nena and later, Mavens, to her grandchildren). But I remember the day she told me what her full name was and I guess what really stuck with me was the way she smiled when she said, "Mercedes Mirea." I could sense the pride and the delight she felt, having such a beautiful name.
That was the memory that sprouted when I was going over a roll call of names in my head. After that, I did some berry-picking: some of her favorite things, some of mine, some just random ideas.
Coffee! That was a no-brainer and a must. My grandmother loved coffee. She also loved bread with her coffee. Her go-to was, of course, pan de sal. Pan de sal must be the national bread of the Philippines. But I wanted something a little fancier for her spread so I went for the croissant. The peanut butter cookies are my favorite so I had to put it there too! I made the mug, the dishes, the croissant, and the cookies using Sculpey polymer clay. They were then painted with acrylics and chalk pastels.
The tablecloth is muslin. I grabbed my fabric oil pastels (Sakura brand--I mention this because once upon a time, my grandmother had them too!) and drew the plaid lines on.
When I began making Mirea, I had no idea how I was going to present her. I was scrounging around for a box (I like repurposing boxes) when I caught sight of a few canvases I had bought for another project. It seemed like the canvas would be instrumental in helping me to tell a story. The canvas made it possible for me to decoupage a few elements that hinted of my grandmother's love of music, her taking French lessons, the little plants she kept in her room. At the same time, it can be hung on a wall or propped up on a shelf or table.
I enjoyed working on the canvas. Lots of ideas and images were popping about like fireworks in my head! Making art dolls and accessories just satisfies that need to create little props. It's probably a good thing we live in a small place. Otherwise, I'd have dioramas and sets everywhere (my favorite thing to do is watch Taika's behind-the-scenes clips of their stop-motion films).
Well, that wraps it up for January's art doll. I'm quite pleased with my first. I finally got to honor my grandmother in a way that I just know she would have loved and appreciated. Thank you for the inspiration, MaNens!