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Showing posts from October, 2013

Evolution of Message Stick Art Dolls

Message Stick Art Doll - stick, polymer clay, hand dyed & stencilled fabric with embroidery  My    message stick art dolls    have evolved over the last couple of years.  Why have I called these art dolls “Message Sticks” ?    I wanted to recreate a doll which was based on traditional techniques, so I have used ideas from a few different cultures. Many traditional dolls were made from wood - often wrapped with fibres.   In Egypt, several types of paddle dolls have been discovered in tombs in Egypt. The dolls are made of wood, flat, and constructed in a shape has led the form to be called a 'paddle doll'. The dolls seemingly follow a convention for the female figure, emphasizing the hips and hair. The wooden figures are usually painted with a geometric pattern of lines and dots. These patterns may reproduce tattos or ritual scaring in female Egyptian culture of the period or represent clothing or jewellery.  A fine example of a paddle doll with hair constructed

Wise Words Wednesday

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment. Buddha   Read more at  http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_life.html#qE1GYK62QIE6eqfM.99

Arty Places #12 - Lambton Spring Art Show

St John the Baptist Anglican Church in Lambton ( Newcastle NSW) became Arty Place #12 in this blog's series of Arty Places last weekend.  This was such a great community event and I was so happy to participate in a local "arty" event right in my own neighbourhood. The  show's opening was a special occasion, with my friend and local politician, Sonia Hornery, Member for Wallsend, officiating. This art show also had the best background music - usually at these shows there is pre recorded music over a speaker, but on Friday night, we had the most beautiful harp musical accompaniment and on Saturday, a very accomplished musician on the piano. While the Spring Art Show has focussed on paintings, a number of artisans attended this year with displays of their work. Here is some of the work in the section of the show where I was. I didn't sell much, but I had a really lovely time and enjoyed the opportunity to show some of my stuff. As

TAGS

Tag 39 Surely not another 'face ' after the 29 Faces September Art Challenge? Yes, I enjoyed drawing faces so much last month, I have transferred faces to my contributions to Tag Tuesday . This week's theme was Beads, Buttons and Bows. After thinking about the very old song, "Buttons and Bows" , I made the tag (pictured above) using a painted and stencilled background, and wrote the song lyrics on the tag after I drew the face with a felt tipped marker and coloured pencils.  The other tags for this month will all somehow have a face included. October's other themes are Torn and Tattered, Shoes,Autumn and Haloween .  Tag Tuesday is an online group blog challenge. There is a theme each week, and each week, each participant posts his/her tag inspired by the designated theme. For the first 26 weeks the alphabet was the theme and I stitched 26 tags depicting Australian plants A-Z. Then we changed back to weekly themes. For Tags 27-30, I used the underlying

Angels of Hope - Rotary Club Project #2

Angels of Hope packed ready to be distributed. Doll making is not usually associated with Rotary Clubs. I think my Rotary club ( Rotary Club of Wallsend-Maryland in District 9670) is very special. We have supported local women's refuges and domestic violence resource centres over the years in many different ways. Making and donating little dolls - angels of hope - is just one of the ways. It is also a wonderful project for us, as our members love coming together and creating, even though many of them have little experience with sewing or making dolls. While we may be doing something for our community, we are learning some new skills and having fun at the same time. On Sunday, 29 September, we had the annual Rotary  "doll making" day. And if you are thinking only the women get involved, certainly not the case!  The men provide the numerous cups of tea and coffee which are necessary for this project, and  always serve the most beautiful and delicious mo