Saturday, April 20, 2013

Another Blast from the Past: Star Woman

Star Woman
April 15, 1993
Twenty years ago in 1993 I was working on some of  my first one-of-a-kind dolls, trying different face making and drawing techniques, body shapes, and fabric manipulation.  Star Woman was in my annual show that year, I think, at Black River Gallery, the artists' co-op in which I was a long-time member in downtown Holland, Michigan, on River Ave. & 9th Street.  

Some how I lost track of her---I have no record of her being sold and I am very, very good at keeping records.  So who knows whether she was "lifted" or was one of those that I just misplaced....  Well, I was surprised last year to get an email from a woman here in the Grand Rapids area saying that she had the doll and wanted to know about it.  Finally when I met her, she told me that she had just bought it at a Goodwill store.  (I HAVE been doing dolls now for almost 30 some years and have heard this already; even getting emails from estate sales in Florida selling my dolls from the '80s and '90s.  Gives me a very strange feeling---like I'm really really old....)

One of this woman's questions was why I made the doll with naked breasts showing through her dress.  Mmmm, what can say?  It's a, sexy?  Now I have clothed breasts with bead nipples.  Is that any better?

So she let me borrow Star Woman so that I was able to photograph her.  (Before getting a digital camera in 2003, I only photographed a few of my dolls with my SLR Nikomat; now I photograph EVERYTHING.)  It was nice to see her again and be reacquainted with freeform stars, a quilt piecing technique that is so much fun.  Another post on that seems appropriate.

For one thing, I won't and don't do any more of those funny arms and legs, although I might go back to the naked breasts through sheer fabric!!

And last summer when I "found" Star Woman, my Heavenly Blue morning glories were blooming away so I have to show you those, too.




Freeform pieced
stars are the featured
part of her dress.
Star Woman from 1993.

Okay, another one of my all time favorite flowers are
Heavenly Blue morning glories. They take a long time
to germinate and to grow (these didn't bloom until
almost Sept. 1) and the first leaves look like bird wings
so they're very identifiable from ordinary morning glories
and they continue until frost... but well worth the wait.

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