First some history: I first heard about the Art Doll Adventure thru the newsletter put out by the Kentucky Guild of Artist & Craftsmen, of which I am a member. I read the blurb, and was intrigued. Finally an art project that I could actually participate in…so many are for two dimensional artists, or they want a finished project about a particular theme (due next week!!!) or the requirements won't work, or I can't fit it into my overbooked schedule… the list goes on & on!

But I wasn't intrigued enough to reply right away. I saved the newsletter and thought about it for a couple of days. Of course the longer I thought about it, the more excited I became. So I called Candi and talked to her about the project, and it was actually something I could participate in…so I became a little bit more excited and allowed myself to start to dream about the possibilities. Getting the required materials together, I sent off my photos and documentation and waited. And waited.
And waited.
And waited.

I found out that waiting is not one of my strong suits. By the time the deadline rolled around, I was a mess. I had talked myself into being really excited about this project, and the more I decided I wanted it, the more certain I was that I would not be selected. I called my best friend and bemoaned my fate, telling her I wasn't an artist after all and that I would just go away and become a monk somewhere and just eat worms. Staunch supporter that she was, Jennifer assured me that if they didn't select me, they were foolish to begin with and couldn't I just do a doll all by myself? She also assured me that I would hate having a monk hairstyle and while worms were full of protein, she was equally certain I wouldn't relish a steady diet of them.

So I continued to wait, but without much hope. So little hope in fact that the day of notification I found myself at school working on a project and feeling that I was a worthwhile human being after all. The money I would have spent on the doll project was being donated to the school for paper & toner for the copy machine, I spent the better part of the afternoon listening to the problems of little children, who have an amazing way of putting things into perspective and otherwise getting on with my life.

Of course, don't you know, that fate has a way of playing great tricks on you. I called my gal pal and told her I was over my funk, feeling great once again and was looking forward to seeing who actually might be chosen, but I would be looking into other projects instead, because everything happens for a reason, and obviously I was destined for something else. I just needed to find out what the something else was. I logged onto the Internet to check my email when I got home and there was that little message that I had been looking for daily for over a month!

Oh my Gosh!!! They picked me!!! My short essay didn't make me look like and idiot after all!! (I had been truly worried about this…) My artwork was acceptable…I was IN!!! Yay!!!!!!

Of course, I called everybody I knew to share my good fortune. Guess how many answering machines I spoke to before I found someone at home!!! (Way to many to admit to!!) I really wanted to participate in this project and now I am in. Ahhh, peace reigns at my home one more. But of course, that is only the beginning of the tale.

The Start of the Adventure: Did you ever get everything you ever wished for? I don't recommend it. It's like trying to catch a tiger by the tail…now that you've got it, snarling & snapping, what ever are you going to do with it! I'm in, now what? Suddenly my mind is overwhelmed with possibilities. What are we going to be doing? What are the rules? I wait again for the answers to these questions with breathless anticipation and lots of ideas whirling around in my mind. Just so you know, for Candi - a week can be eleven days long. She writes congratulations, you're in & I'll be sending more info out next week about the project. Eleven grueling days later, I finally get the missive I've been waiting for. I got a lot of work done in those eleven days; believe me!

And then the rules arrive…there are no rules! The sky's the limit! Okay, I'm still game, but would have preferred a little guidance. I understand the concept of freedom, but to actually have it is a little bit overwhelming. Each of the lead artists will create an essence doll. Whatever we want! Then each contributing doll artist, in rotation, will contribute something to the doll's final design. Sounds simple, right? Not really. I found out exactly how hard it is to start a project on purpose and not finish it. This is not my strong suit.

I discovered that I work backwards. I see the finished project in my head and design from the end to the beginning. There are many artists who covet this ability, but at this point I didn't see it as a plus in this game. I had many wonderful dolls jump out of my imagination; one of them even woke me up at 5:00 a.m. wanting to be considered for development. She was a rather cheeky mermaid; and since she's swimming around in my brain right now the only way to get rid of her is to make her, which I will, soon! Since she isn't the project to share with the group, I had to keep going on with the design process.

Hardware stores are a wonderful place for me. I love the odds & ends that are around every corner. Of course I usually don't have any idea what the gizmos are actually for; I just see what they could be! So this is where I found the inspiration for my essence doll, in the plumbing department.

I love the color of copper. It has more natural warmth for me that other metals, and lends itself to more color combinations that I like to work with, earth tones, water, sky and air. It seemed the natural compliment to wood (Steve) or metal (Jeanette) and I could see a place for clay (Jana) in the area where the face could be. After I considered what the other artists might contribute, it was easier to plan a skeleton or framework that they could build from. I hope they are not offended that I presume what they will do, I had to start somewhere and going with what they know seemed like a safe place to start.

I decided to start with copper pipe. It's round, has a hole and I can string it, right? It's the closest thing to a "Bead" that I can find that will be substantial enough for a framework that the others can build on. So armed with 30 feet of copper pipe, a bag of elbows, tees and various other interesting copper "body parts", I grab a pipe cutter and adhesive and make my way home to start the doll design!

I can't draw. I just want that understood up front. So when you look at my doodle of the doll design, be aware that it was for counting the number of joints I would need. Not anything artistic, just practical. That being said, there is a second design that I liked, and I may do the tall skinny guy as a partner to this doll after the adventure is over. I found out I like working with copper, and there may be some garden statuary in my future!!

You will see by the photos enclosed that I laid the parts out on my graph board and figured where the joints would be, then started cutting the pipe to proper length. As he started to develop, I wrestled with the idea that his arms & legs should be position able, and how exactly was I going to pull that off? I had talked with the very helpful fellow at Lowes who gave me a pipe adhesive (I wasn't ready for welding yet) but the glue would be permanent; i.e. no movement.

Well, after cutting out all the parts and making sure they fit, I started gluing pipe to pipe. Head, torso and legs. By working with the three parts, I had stability and movement. His head is removable; it fits into its socket and turns in place. His legs are position able; the torso is glued except the two tee joints that form his hip joints. They work because all the other body joints are glued into place. Now the arms are a bit trickier and I had to think about them for quite a while before the answer came to me. Rubber bands. His arm joints are strung together with rubber bands. They are now totally flexible and the other artists have an opportunity to make hands if they choose. Yay!! I gave him a staff for stability. If the artists want him to stand, they can use that piece for balance. If he is to sit then the staff is an accessory.

I gave him remove able caps in certain places. The hands, ends of his feet and the top of his staff are all open ended. This gives the others opportunity to add hands or objects, a decorative topknot to his staff (or shepherds crook, or wizard's wand…) or possibly extensions of some sort to the back of his feet. (I'm thinking Winged Mercury here.)

So now the boy grows up. I decided it was a he early on in the design. He just seems masculine to me. However, like my other child what I see in him and what he is destined to become are probably two different things. I will love him, no matter who he becomes, but it's hard at this point letting him go out into the world to seek his future. But a final polish and off he goes! I'm a good mother; I'll send him out with clean underwear and lots of good advice. I know he won't listen, but perhaps he will hear.

The first place I took him was to the Danville "Artful Raffle". This is a fundraiser held by the Arts Commission where artists donate a piece of their work and tickets are sold to raise money for the Art Scholarship Fund. I donated a set of jewelry and took two of my friends out for the evening to have a little fun and take lots of pictures. The doll was photographed with the art, with the patrons and in various scenic places around the studio where the event was held. Many people asked questions about the project and all wanted to see the dolls as they were completed. We are a hit and we're just getting started!

While setting around discussing the project and explaining how the process worked, my two friends Elizabeth and Pamela came up with the name for the doll.

His name, for the time being, is Jett. Jett Setter to be exact. They were excited that he would have the opportunity to travel extensively and see the world, so Jett Setter he became. I hesitated to tell this part of the story, because I don't want it to color how the other artists perceive his personality. I hope it's like children, he will become who he hangs out with, and I can only hope that they are good people…isn't that just like a mother?