Art Dolls by Du Buh Du Designs

{ Shop Update }

Dolls wearing blue cyanotype dresses

Hello! Here are the eleven new dolls that will be available for sale in my Etsy Shop  on Friday evening (December 17th) at 6:30pm Pacific/9:30pm Eastern time. If you are new to my shop updates, please note that you will need to keep refreshing the Etsy Shop page until you see the dolls appear. Dolls are sold on a first come, first serve basis (see my shop policies section regarding pricing, shipping, etc.). Packages will be sent Priority mail (tracking + insurance)  on Saturday , this is the last day to ship USPS Priority in order for it to  arrive by Christmas..no guarantee though).. International orders will be sent via First class International /out insurance (unless requested) on Monday.

General Doll Description

 These handmade  dolls  are approx. 16" in length. Their outfits are made primarily from antique & vintage fabrics including an antique silk tulle veil, bobble lace,  silk organza, antique French ribbon, a cotton christening  gown, antique gold lace,  blue silk velvet from a 1920s dress,  etc.. I prefer using very old fabrics, so you will find that there is some discoloration, tears, holes and creases in the delicate materials like the silk tulle. I left some of those flaws in each of the dolls outfits as it lends to the 'dolls in the attic' look.

The blue floral dresses (made from cotton lawn, silk organza and antique organza) were created using the cyanotype method  of printing. The images of flowers and plants were created by placing pressed flowers (collected  from my garden this past spring and summer) onto  chemically treated fabric and exposing it to UV light. The images are permanent but must be kept  away from direct light and heat to prevent fading (this is something I recommend with all of my dolls).

 Their hair is made of wispy English viscose and is adorned with 1920s Diamante Glass Stones or vintage metal stars, antique metallic thread, etc. All of the flowers in their hair are antique and vintage stock Their gloves are painted on as are their shoes.
Each doll has a tiny hook embedded hook into her back in case you wish to display her on the wall or as a framed piece. Please note that the dolls do not stand on their own and must be propped up carefully when sitting. They should displayed away from heat and sunlight. The dolls are varnished but I do add on a bit of watercolor at the end  so it's best not to touch their faces. More info on doll construction is listed in my shop policies section).

 

No. 1~Thia

No. 2~Faustine

No. 3~Valeraine

No. 4~ Moira

No. 5~Thora

No. 6~ Niamh

No. 7 ~ Alisanne

No. 8~ Nola

 

No. 9~ Celena

No. 10~ Tilly

No. 11~ Cleo

 

★  Dolls have all sold~Thank you to all who bought one; for the kind words, notes

and water color painting (Thanks RD) !

Have a wonderful holiday season and a stellar New Year~  ★

 

Last bouquet of the season..Fall flowers from our garden

 

{ The Art of Communication~100 Artists Show }

"Paula's Tree",  mixed media art doll~Image Mixed media Art Doll

Last August, I was invited to participate in the Annual 100 Artists Show ( and auction)*at the Mary Lou Zeek Gallery in Salem ,Oregon. Each year a specific topic or idea is chosen and this year's theme is the Art of Communication. Each artist was paired up with another participant and given a piece of paper and envelope and asked to do two things: write a letter, word poem, whatever they wanted and send that to their partner and then use that letter as a starting off point for a new piece of artwork.

click images to enlarge

I was paired with artist Paula Joerling and received a letter that described, in great detail, a favorite memory of  hers when she was a girl; an estate nearby where she lived that included a stone mansion, a lake with a swan and a tree that she would spend hours underneath, often imagining that she lived beneath this tree. As I read her letter I could picture this straight-out-of-a-fairytale place. I could hear the leaves of this tree rustling, I imagined running my hands through the smooth cool grass, and napping with a book nearby.  What I tried to convey with my doll piece is how each of us has those experiences and special places that we can travel back to.. They are forever tied to our past and often our heart. But no matter how we describe them, no one can ever truly know what that was like for us. It's something that I find to be somewhat sad or melancholic and wonderful at the same time.

This year, all of the proceeds from the Auction will be going towards the Art of Communication Project that the Gallery will be putting together involving activity kits that reflect the exercise we just did in letterwriting and artwork. The kits will be available for teachers, after school clubs, senior citizen centers, and other various groups through out Oregon and beyond :) I already got ta sneak peek at some of the artwork and they are pretty amazing!

The doll's description is below and I will be back next week with another blog post and a link to the site's  Silent Auction* . The show will be up from February 1st~ March 3rd I will also send out an email to those on my mailing list.

{ D o l l   D e s c r i p t i o n }

Paula is made of polymer clay and is a 12" doll (all artwork in the show is 12" or less). She is painted with fine artists acrylics and coated with a matte finish that is UV protective. Her hair is made of black English Viscose, and she wears ivory silk cording in her hair. Her asymmetrical outfit is made up of vintage fabrics and lace andwas mostly stiched by hand in an intentionally patchwork shabby style with tattered edges. Though the fabric is aged, I also stained the back of her dress with coffee. Her stockings are made of an old linen like material and her shoes are made of black silk and, like the dress, both have been "treated" a little to give the look of the doll having been played with.

I printed Paula's letter, cut out parts of it and handstiched it throughout the muliple layers of skirt. On her bodice and back of her skirt are tiny handsewn glass beads.

Paula's legs are crossed and permanetly pinned together along with the suitcase to her hands (she also has a small pin from her left arm to the side of her torso. Her arms and legs are connected together  with sterling silver wire and findings.

The traveling case is made of heavy cloth, balsa wood, and resin. Everything inside was handmade (except the bird). A smaller version of Paula stands by the tree holding onto red thread which circles the tree, goes through the ground and suitcase, wraps around her arms several times and ties to an embroidered heart on her bodice.

This doll is a hanging wall piece with a hook permanetly inserted into her back (partially hidden by her hair). Like my other dolls, she is very fragile and should be kept away from direct or indirect sunlight and up away from tiny hands or paws:)

 

 

Hand sewn ribbon and a hidden swan appliqué

 

Front of skirt

 

Back of Skirt

 

Paula's Tree",  mixed media art doll~Image Mixed media Art Doll

 

{ Auction for Oaxaca Street Children Grassroots }{ La Calavera Catrina Art Doll & Shrine }

  Art Doll & Shrine for the Shrine to Hope Auction  (click images to enlarge)

I am delighted to be participating  for the third time in the annual Cigar box Shrine Auction benefitting the Oaxaca Street Children Grassroots Organization. Please join in us in supporting this wonderful organization , the children and families they help, by bidding on this piece and/or any of the other shrines created by the artists who have donated a piece to this years auction. Details and dates of the auction will be announced shortly! 

 
~Click here for link to Auction~

 

~La Calavera Catrina & the Shrine to Saint Marcella~

My auction piece this year is titled "La Calavera Catrina & the Shrine to Saint Marcella". La Calavera Catrina is very much a part of modern day Mexican iconography and I thought it fitting to create one holding a shrine to Saint Marcella of Rome. Marcella (325-410 AD) was born into a wealthy aristocratic family. Widowed after only a few months of marriage, she dismissed society's pressures to remarry and chose to devote her life to God , living piously, in prayer and in the spirit of giving and charity. She converted her palace on Aventine Hill into a monastery  where other noble women could study, worship and practice alms giving. She was known for her intellect and for not being afraid to question/debate matters of a spiritual nature. In 410 AD, the Visigoths invaded Rome and it was during this time that the elderly Marcella was violently beaten by those who wanted her to divulge where her great wealth was hidden. She succumbed to her injuries and died shortly thereafter but not before successfully pleading with her tormentors to not harm the other women in her company. They complied after learning that Marcella had in fact given all of her fortune away, "preferring to store her money in the stomachs of the needy rather than hide it in a purse."

Saint Marcella is said to have inspired many women to devote their lives to a higher calling, to live a life of simplicity and to help others in need in the spirit of kindness. Today, she is known as the Patron Saint of Noblewomen and her strength and humanity are the sources of inspiration for this shrine.

~Art Doll & Cigar Box Shrine Description~

This articulated La Calavera doll is approx 16" tall and 10" at the widest part her skirt   She is made of polymer clay, gessoed and painted in layers of fine artist acrylics, and acid free ink. A light coat of antiquing stain has been applied to give her a slightly aged look. Her eyes and nose are coated with a layer of ultra fine black glitter.

The crown is made of sterling silver wire and I made each of the flowers out of watercolor paper. They  are hand painted with acrylics,gouache, or watercolor and some are embellished with glass beads and ultra fine glitter. (The flowers on top of her shrine and on the back of her dress were created the same way). La Calavera Catrina's  hair is upswept and is made of English black viscose. Her necklace is made of tiny glass beads and a sterling silver plated cross.The wire and findings connecting her arms and legs to her torso are sterling silver.

The dress is made of various silks~ black satin, black embroidered, gold and ivory duipioni and her veil is made of black silk chiffon (please note that this material frays a bit on the sides). The delicate sleeves and the lace over her skirt are both antique. At the base of her dress is a small string of papel picados that have been lightly coated in ultra fine glitter. Tiny rhinestones adorn the lace of her skirt and tiny glass beads and sequins have been hand sewn onto the neckline, sleeves, waist and skirt of her dress, all of which add a nice subtle glisten to her, especially in very low lighting  :)

The ribbon/banner across her skirt reads in Spanish:  

"Porque dando es como recibimos.. de La oración de San Francisco de Asís "    ("For it is in giving that we receive.. from the prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi").

The vintage wooden cigar box with the label "Marcella" has been cut down from it's original size and reassembled into a new box ( approx. 2.75" x 3.5" when closed). It contains two glass domes, one with a small tree, symbolizing both hope and spiritual growth and a sacred heart (handmade along w/the tree) which symbolizes God's love for humanity. I painted a small banner that reads "Marcella, the Glory of the ladies of Rome". She was referred to as such by Saint Jerome who compared her to Mary Magdalene in her devotion to Christ. On each side of the doors are tiny ex votos (offerings), reminiscent of the ones I saw in churches while traveling in Mexico .

 

*Care & handling: A hook is inserted permanently into the doll's back so that she can be displayed on the wall or framed. The shrine is permanently fixed to her hand so even though her legs can move she cannot sit due to the positioning of the cigar box. Though she is coated with a protective varnish, she should be kept out of direct or harsh indirect sunlight to ensure that the materials (fabric and paper) last a long time.

Hope to see you at the auction, and again I will be posting details and links very soon~