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Joyce's artist's jots about Jean/Gene
When doll #3 arrived, I was delighted & dismayed. So I sat the doll on my worktable & debated what to do……
I loved the doll that Leeann created, and could see the many directions that the fabric doll could be driven toward. I didn't care for the paper mache that Arlene had applied, because it encumbers the natural movement & grace that the doll came with originally. So I wrestled with my conscience and talked with Candi about changing the doll radically. I didn't want to slight another artist or downplay their work, but so early in the game with this particular piece I also didn't want to cheat the creative forces that the rest of the ensemble would be using. So, out on a limb I went and removed the paper mache, hat & all. I painted over the face on the back of the doll and tried to recreate a character and yet leave the core personality that Arlene & Leeann had passed on to me.
I was delighted with the result of the face, in that it's simplicity now adds to the character instead of its looking like just an after thought. When I painted the head & left just a tiny portion of the original it brought the features into focus and gave the character depth that was lacking before. I would love to see the artists behind me design a mask, or several interchangeable masks that could give the doll different expressions and still leave Arlene's simplistic personality at the core of the doll. I think that is what I have learned from this chapter of the doll adventure…
the essence must shine through and the personality should be pure.
This is why I gave the doll the dramatic redo. We all, as artists and people, hide behind masks, facades and the day to day flotsam of our entire lives, and very seldom do we let more than a very close few see who we really are. This is the layer that I am adding to the doll's character. Leeann gave it a shape, Arlene added a face and I am giving it a public personality. Hopefully the other artists will see the private personality and let it shine through all the glitz and glamour. This is the part where true collaboration will start, I think. We have been passing a torch, and now we are starting to see where it will burn the brightest.
I look forward to seeing the dolls in their final form. With each new layer that is added, we learn a bit more about their characters as well as our own. As we add and subtract from each others work, the dolls grow & develop as do each of us.
Technical Notes
I took the doll apart, and painted the individual pieces with general craft paint. There's nothing more exciting than watching paint dry, let me tell you! While the paint was drying, I fashioned a clothes tree for the old suit that she would no longer wear. Doesn't every woman have a dress in the back of her closet that she can't get into any more? This chick is no exception!
Next, I reworked the joints. I loved the fact that they were designed to give the doll movement, but I wanted them to be a bit more exotic, so I replaced the mismatched beads with sterling silver, hand carved beads from Bali. This made me think of a harem girl or a circus performer…hence the chains & tassels.
I wanted the opportunity to do hair on at least one of the dolls, and fabric lends itself better than the dolls I will be getting in the future. This was my chance, so I went for it! However, after I got started, I realized how long it would take me to do the entire head…. that's when I made the hat! I still get the look I wanted, and sleep to boot. Yay me!
I could cheerfully add stuff to this doll till the cows come home…I made myself stop working on this one before I felt like I was done. My sister said "Leave something for somebody else to do."
Sometimes she's right!
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