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Thursday, August 13, 2009

More Art Unraveled and Studio Update

My Frozen Charlotte Collection


One of the great treats at Art Unraveled was the Vendor Event. I kept a fairly tight rein on my purse but couldn't resist adding to my small collection of Frozen Charlotte dolls. These dolls are mostly dug up outside old doll factories in Thuringia, Germany by dedicated souls who get down and dirty to find these relics of the past.

I believe these dolls were made between the 1860's and the 1920's. They get their name from an American ballad about a girl who froze to death because she didn't take a coat, or sneaked out to meet her boyfriend, or some such cautionary tale. I imagine the name also refers to the fact that the dolls don't have any moving parts. In addition to the Frozen Charlottes, I also have a Frozen Charlie and an Ari doll. They are perfect for mixed media art, but I don't know how I'll ever part with any of them.








I spent some delightful time at the retreat with a few people I met last May at Art and Soul in Hampton. I had a lot of fun with a kick-ass mother/daughter team from Texas, Pattie and Dana. Pattie was in my "Wabi-Sabi Wonder" class and really went to town with the wabi-sabi style. Monday night we shared show and tell time with what we'd all made in our classes.



Pattie and Dana. Would you ever believe they are a great-grandmother and grandmother?



Dana made this figure in one of her classes




Dana made this map in the same class, of a beloved childhood lake area



Pattie's unfinished floor cloth. It's beautiful and luminous.



Look at this amazing doll made in class!


I look forward to seeing these artists (yes you are, girls,) and other friends here in Portland in September!

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GASP Alert: Okay, these pictures aren't very exciting, but I'm excited that the bathroom is finished in the new studio. An inspector came out earlier in the week, but of course he wants a few minor changes...it's so hard to be patient!



The Sink



The Toilet


The Vanity

I'm still hoping for a completion date of mid-September so I can get to the fun stuff of decorating and organizing!

2 comments:

Karen D said...

The dolls really pop against the purple/gold background.. very cool visual

Dayna Collins said...

I certainly understand your excitement over getting plumbed and a working toilet . . . the studio becomes reality.