Art&Ghosts Blog

Of Dolls & Dreams..........

..............and Dreams of Dolls.

    Doll: Akiyama Mahoko/image: Eyedia.

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Dolls delight me. They're forever on my mind.
It's so insanely obvious, i do suppose, that i hardly need to even mention it.
But i wanted to make this post a sort of little dedication to all things dollish. My very favourite things.........................along with the rabbits:)

I have always been drawn towards them, for a variety of reasons, and i am aware that many of you, and countless people the world over have a similar passion for these curious little representations of human beings, or creatures, anomalies, and so on and so on.....

Dolls are such precious, beautiful things, and at the same time, strange. Some folks will tell you that dolls actually scare them, that there is something inherently 'creepy' about their lifeless yet perfect little eyes, hands, and mouths.
Especially the teeth.
I have never quite understood this, but i do accept that it is a common reaction, and that many do not share the same fascination as i do for what is obviously the most frequently used motif in my body of works - and quite as likely, one of the primary forces that drive it !

This image is one of the very first photo manipulations that i ever made using a dolly:

Tragically, it is such a tiny file size that i cannot imagine it making a decent print, but i am secretly fond of it, regardless. I was quite unused to using the techniques that are so like second nature to me nowadays.

As a child i was almost as fascinated by dolls as i am today, but in a wholly different way. I wasn't so much interested in them as playthings or pretend babies; i was more inclined to perceive them as something akin to little 'models' that i could manipulate, dress, invent stories around, naming them, exploring my own world through them...sometimes playful, sometimes not so!

I sometimes wonder if we still have a sort of magical connection to dolls, which might be termed 'primitive' in the sense that they are symbolic of the human figure, the human being, yet not quite human at all. I'm thinking now of certain essays or stories i have read (at some time or another) that make use of the idea of dolls as objects that we somehow imbue with life via imagination, or focus (or love, especially in the case of a child).
This is apparent when you recall certain stories and films that have used dolls in much the same way, particularly ghost stories and horror films, like those about the 'possessed' doll (don't mention chucky to me!) or worse, the ventriloquists dummy *shudder* !!!
See Dead of Night for the quintessential example.

But on the lighter side of the fence, we have examples such as the Tapestries story (mentioned in a previous post) which utilises a similar yet refreshingly wholesome theme. Instead of the doll leading a reign of terror, we have the doll revealing a reign of terror (caused by humans), that will eventually bring revelation, truth and acceptance to the young, female protagonist.

This could go on forever, so i will shut up:)

Doll: Akiyama Mahoko/image: Eyedia.

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So what is it that intrigues us, that fascinates so many of us about dolls?
Well, my guess is that they allow us to express ourselves, encouraging the joys of imagination, make-believe, wonder. Aside from their obvious craftsmanship and beauty, they are so amazingly full of potential: we put something of ourselves into them, whether we are using them as works of art, sculpting them from scratch, writing about them, customising them, or simply collecting them.
In many ways, you might say that this is very much the same as what a child might do in play; exploring, inventing, acting-out, resolving, refining, and redesigning reality.

Perhaps those of us who love dolls have simply never lost the ability to play - or to explore our demons.

I have always thought this in relation to my art work. It is a continuation of my exploration of myself and the world around me. My toys are my tools and techniques, my flights of imagination are as powerful and convincing as those that engrossed me as a child.

These are some of the wonderful websites and artists that i have been mooching around over the past few days...

I love these with a passion!

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Porcelain, china paint. 20cm tall (doll sculpture) by Shary Boyle.
How delightfully, elegantly twisted! You have to check out her other works for more amazing examples:)

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And the awe inspiring doll sculpture of Rhonda Gushee:

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The marionettes of Scott Radke:

And these. They leave me speechless....Noriko Okamura dolls

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I want each and every one of them to come and live with us at the Artandghosts Circus!
Just imagine how perfect that would be.
But alas, i cannot work out if they are for sale or not. To anyone fluent in the language, please help me!!!!

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And some more links to dolly delights:

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.  Mildred and her acorn friend by MarmeeCraft

. Torn and Tattered by garboodles

. Money Dolly Art Doll by TheDevilsWallpaper

. Dollseye

. Mahoko Artdoll

. Elizabeth McGrath

. Strange Dolls

. Dolls of Yore

. Gnarly Dolls

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I must go and attend to my work now, so i shall bid you goodnight and pleasant dreams:)

And a huge hug and kiss to my eternally angelic mother, who will most likely be mulling over this post in the morning:))

xxx

Musings, and more tea.

I have been doing what i do best: drinking too much tea, tossing thoughts around like confetti.... idle musings that will somehow, more often than not, eventually transform themselves into something quite magical and productive. We hope.

My Tuesday musings:

. The photography of Lewis Carroll (or The Rev. Charles L. Dodgson, whichever you prefer)

. Rabbits; the loss of, the art of, the love of all things bunny.

. The music that infiltrates my imaginary worlds.

. A book, of magic.

. And Tea.

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So, i will begin with the Carroll Photographs, and the book that i still need to buy.

My thoughts?
I love them, of course. And yet i am somewhat disturbed by the controversy that occasionally surrounds this mans work and his adoration of children.
Do i think that there is anything essentially wrong with these images?
Certainly not.
To me, they are extremely beautiful, innocent, precious, and insightful.
When viewing Dodgson's images of children, i get the feeling that i am truly looking into another world, regardless of the date they were taken, the distance in time between my perusal of them and the actual events and 'scenes' depicted.
I sense a quest, a search for what it truly means to be a child. No banal smiles adorn the faces of his subjects, nor do they appear to delight in the fact that they are being photographed (ie. playing up for the camera). They are quite unlike any other portraits of children that i have ever seen.

His subjects appear almost detached from the photographer : as if they are just a little too relaxed, disinterested, perhaps, or simply so used to his presence that they have almost forgotten he is there. Their poses are often dramatic, romantic, whimsical....surreal. The children seem to have secret understanding of what the photographer seeks to capture...the ethereal, fleeting, and above all - the mysterious nature of childhood itself.
The children are seemingly introspective. They appear to have secrets, a storehouse of knowledge that they do not intend to share. They allow us to take a peek into their curious, private little worlds, only to withdraw immediately, coinciding at that very point where our adult understanding has reached its own, paticular limits. For this reason, they fascinate me, endlessly, almost as much as his stories.

I may very well be wrong in my 'reading' of these pictures, but this is how they make me feel, just my own particular interpretation, so feel free to disagree, of course!

And thankyou, kindly, to the wonderful creator of the Curiosities for scanning and sending these images my way:)
And i know that i have surely mentioned it before, but you really must see this site, not least because Lord Ogglesworth (a rather dapper owl in a top hat) will personally answer all of your burning philosophical questions via email request. I tried him just last month, and i can proudly report that my life has taken a decidedly knowledgeable turn for the better:)

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The Rabbits.
They're everywhere. I didn't quite know just how everywhere they truly were until somebody mentioned it to me, like

"Hey, Louise, what's with all the rabbits, hoh?"

My answer could be taken like this -

My Rainy Day Rabbits

 

They just happen.
And i'm mighty glad they do!
I particularly love the little one at the back here. She seems to be the only one who has any concern for the absconding umbrellas.
A little secret - their eyes are all my own. Except ultra blue, because mine are merely a basic kinda blue. I keep doing this; putting images of my own eyes into my collages. Surely there is a psychobabble-able theory about this lying around somewhere, but if you find it, i don't wanna know!

The first and last time that i actually shared my life with a real rabbit was when i was eight years old. We lived on a farm, so there was a menagerie going on, much to the consternation of my poor mother, who complained eternally about us never having the free time to take proper holidays, like 'ordinary' people. Well, my rabbit, Misty she was called, came to a horrifyingly untimely end between the jaws of our semi-domesticated tom cat, kitty (originale!). I used to have an old Polaroid image of me holding her on my knee, which was very dear to me, but i lost it some time ago, sadly.
But no, i dare say my rabbit obsession does not spring from unresolved grief.
We had so many animal friends that i was quite accustomed to their lamentable short-gevity by the age of about four.

So perhaps it came from elsewhere.....the great elsewhere that i use to explain pretty much most of my strange art. But as long as it keeps me happy......

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The music that illustrates my imaginary worlds?

Try this, and im rather partial to a bit of Saint Saens too, especially his Danse Macabre.

And speaking of the musically inspired....

Twilight Symphony 1 & 2

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And finally, the book of magic!
This, poorly translated, involves my collaboration with the beautiful Marinkel (Maren), a sweet (yet darkly) illustrated book of fiction, Tapestries.

A painfully haunting yet perfectly beautiful story about a young girl called Aurelie, and her curious relationship with Chione, a forgotten, antique doll that Aurelie accidentally discovers whilst sneaking around inside of her mothers old armoire.
Why should you read it?
Well, Chione is actually conscious, endowed with perfectly tuned vocal chords, and has something to reveal to Aurelie that will change her life forever.
And also you should read it because it is a damn fine work of art!

Oh, and i am 'Estrella' by the way:)

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And now, the aforementioned Tea.
I must go and make some!

This post turned out to be ever-so-slightly longer than anticipated. 
I apologise to each and every one of your eyeballs in advance.
When i start to waffle, i really do waffle.

Enjoy your evening!   

xxx

My favourite work by Julie Morstad.

Newness !!!

Welcome to my brand new blog!

I am still flying around and obsessing over the knowledge base, but something tells me i quite like it here and will soon be something close to organised and settled.
I would say that i am about 60% established, with only a few categories and links to bring over from my old blogger pages, which i intend to keep running (without posting) for the sake of posterity, and also to have access to previous posts and comments.
I spent many hours designing and printing new business cards a few nights back, so you can imagine i'm none to joyous about having to redo them all with my new blog address, bah!
But slowly, slowly, it will happen....

Lots of postal joys too, today! (and yesterday)
My new Amazon order arrived, which contained 4 wonderful books that will be joining the steadily growing queue of other wonderful books that are teetering in a tall pile beside my bed, awaiting long, overdue attention.
Two of them were by Neil Gaiman: I'm new to this writer, but i expect good things!

The other Gaiman book is Coraline, a book that i have been meaning to purchase for a very long time.  Well now i have it, at last!
I also ordered two good old fashioned compilations of ghost stories (im an addict, particularly for the Victorian/Edwardian variety) by Sheridan Le Fanu and E.Nesbit. Le Fanu is one of my all time favourites.

And yet another delight : the arrival of two exquisite art prints from Marjorie (marmee craft).
The Good Lace Collar and The Red Balloon -  
And oh dear, i find myself drawn towards this now...........

I like it when a postman can make me smile.

I would also like to share this little picture of my cutie Mirlo before i sign off.

The little black prince and his ultimate favourite toy - the mechanical white rat (which dashes about the room like a maniac when fully wound;)
Also pictured are a few sheets of giftwrap that i bought today, which of course he likes to covet, simply because it is new, and mine, and he knows how good he looks sat posing beside it like a perfect little statuette. He is quite the neatest little soul i have ever known.
Right this moment, he lies curled in a little C-shape beside me, uttering occasional kittenish squeaks to let me know just how adorable he really is. As if i didn't know. The thing about cats is, they like you to know it just a little bit more than you did just a moment before.

And finally, for today, i must thank every last one of my blogger contacts and friends for supporting my work and endless ramblings over at my blogger pages for the duration of my short stay there, and i hope to see you over here very soon!

(especial thankyou's to Emily of the blackapple and Marjorie of marmee craft for typepad advice and guidance!)

And fiiiiiiinally, thankyou eternally to Brandon, for so gently guiding me through the underworld (blogger template) almost all of yesterday, and also for introducing me to this........

Until later,
Enjoy!

Lou xxx