"Leaves of Change" exhibit, Grove Gallery, East Lansing

In March of 2012 I had a truly wonderful experience in having a show of my dolls at Grove Gallery in East Lansing, Michigan.  It's an artists' co-op that also features non-members.  Many of the members I know through Michigan League of Handweavers and the gallery has many textile/fiber artists, so I felt right at home.  Deb Cholewicki is the gallery manager.  I have enjoyed working with her especially.  She is charming, fun, enthusiastic, flexible, and a dynamic fiber artist who works with very large natural wood/branch pieces to create huge woven works (the ones I've seen are wall hung).  She also now has a large collection of my dolls!

As I have mentioned in previous posts, the Square Headed Women series has taken up much of my creative work in the past couple of years and, because I love leaves and organic forms, I decided to develop it more using the title "Leaves of Change" to illustrate the organic forms but to show how each doll moves me in a new direction.  I was very proud of this show and what it encompassed.

I used a brown paper grocery bag that I had crumpled and then unfolded and rubbed with shoe polish to recreate bark, leaves that stand out on long pointed shells and can be twirled around, monoprinted oak leaves, looped straw dyed in indigo.  I had such a really fun and inventive time working on these dolls.