Hey folks! We’re one stop down on our roadshow, and five more to go. Tonight’s event at the Trifecta Gallery in Las Vegas was so much fun, that I hadn’t even noticed the time fly by. Upon arriving to the gallery, I was incredibly surprised to learn that someone had sent me two dozen roses. That just made my day. Thank you, B!!!

 

Only a few dolls were shown at this venue. I’ll be showing a different variety at each event. All of them will be shown together at Spectrum Fantastic Art Live in Kansas City (May 17-19)

We’ll be spending the night in Nevada, but first thing tomorrow morning we’ll be on our way again to the next venue at Night Flight Comics in Salt Lake City from 7-9pm. I’ll have a painted resin doll available for purchase, along with silver pendants.

 

You guys, you guys! I love road trips and I love dolls. This year I decided to combine the two and take my dolls on a road trip, stopping and showing them along the way at various art venues. I’m so excited! Other amazing artists Coop, Ragnar and Gris Grimly will be joining me on this road show, so our tour bus will be jam packed with talent.

This morning the dolls and I and Chad, left the soggy and chilly Vancouver for the sunny and hot Los Angeles, where I’ll be joining the Baby Tattoo Books road show to promote my upcoming new book (to be released this summer)! Instead of a book, I brought my traveling Porcelain Collection with me and six resin dolls to sell; one for each city we’ll be visiting. I also brought a few doll accessories, such as shoes and helmets, as well as a selection of pieces from the Enchanted Doll jewelry line, such as hand pendants, face pendants, lantern pendants, shoe pendants and key chains. Doll posters and cards will be available for sale too.

These are the cities where we will be stopping. Come and see us!

Monday, May 13 (7:00-9:00PM)
Las Vegas
Trifecta Gallery

http://www.trifectagallery.com

(Coop will not be appearing in Las Vegas)
Free

Tuesday, May 14 (7:00-9:00PM)
Salt Lake City
Night Flight Comics

http://www.night-flight.com

Free

Wednesday, May 15 (7:00-9:00PM)
Denver
INDYINK

http://www.indyink.com

Free

Friday, May 17 through Sunday, May 19 (see website for show hours)
Kansas City
Spectrum Fantastic Art Live

http://www.spectrumfantasticartlive.com

Convention Admission Required

Monday, May 20 (7:00-9:00PM)
Albuquerque
Stranger Factory

http://www.strangerfactory.com

Free

Tuesday, May 21
Phoenix
Lulubell Toy Bodega

http://www.lulubelltoys.com

Free

Friends! I’ve got some great news for you!

News number One: The 4th edition of the Enchanted Doll book is being released this summer! It’s being published by Baby Tattoo Books, in Los Angeles!

News number Two: I will be promoting the upcoming book in person and showing my traveling doll collection with the Baby Tattoo Books roadshow May 13-21st in 6 US cities; Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Denver, Kansas City, Albuquerque and Phoenix!

News number Three: In addition to showing my porcelain dolls, I will also be bringing 6 resin dolls with me to sell, one for each city, in case I have some collectors who live there!

Wow, I’m so excited! These are the dates for each city. Exact times, venues and other details will be announced soon. There will be other amazing artists too. Come and see us. On the Baby Tattoo Books roadshow!

Monday, May 13 – Las Vegas ( 7-9 pm at Trifecta Gallery)
Tuesday, May 14 – Salt Lake City (7:00 – 9:00 pm at Night Flight Comics)
Wednesday, May 15 – Denver
Friday-Sunday, May 17-19 – Kansas City (Spectrum Live)
Monday, May 20 – Albuquerque
Tuesday, May 21 – Phoenix

Dear Friends, I’m back from my travels and I’m very pleased to announce that the annual 2013 Enchanted Doll birthday contest, where I give away one doll on my birthday, is now open!

I was drawing a map of some of my recent travels when I came up with the submission criteria. To enter the contest, send me a beautiful, captivating and wander-lust-inspiring travel postcard depicting any thing or any place in the world you want. It can be contemporary or vintage, commercial or custom printed, store-bought or hand-made, from your home town or another country, color or black/ white, featuring a painted, drawn or photographed image of nature, cathedrals, cities, mountains, ocean floor or outer space -whatever. Anything is admissible as long as it’s in a standard post card format and it stirs your imagination, longing and compels you to visit that place.

Your Rules:

One Card per person. No envelopes-just the postcard. Cards arriving in envelopes will be disqualified. Submission Deadline February 28th, 2013. The winner will be picked from elimination stages starting on March 1st. All the entries will be posted online on March 1st. My top favorite Cards will be selected on march 2nd, and then eliminated randomly in daily draws, until one winner is announced on March 16th.

Your Prize:

In honor of the new Enchanted Doll resin line, the winner gets a painted, wigged and fully costumed resin Enchanted Doll.

Mail your cards to:

Marina Bychkova. #105-2061 Beach avenue. Vancouver, BC. V6G 1Z3. Canada

Good luck and Let the games Begin!

After a brief stint at home upon our return from Europe three weeks ago, Chad and I are on the road again. This time in South East Asia. I’ve hardly been home since September and I’m really starting to miss staying put for more than a few days at a time.

I’m looking forward to working on the resin line in the studio next month. Notices for the first batch of pre-orders from the wait list will be sent out just before Christmas along with a news letter and an opening announcement for the 2013 Annual Birthday contest!

I’ll “see” you guys soon.

Over the last 9 days I’ve been making my way North to Estonia from the sunny Italy, stopping over in Croatia, Hungary, Poland and Finland on the way. Tomorrow I will finally arrive in Tallinn to take part in the Shocking Art of Dolls exhibition at the Estonian Doll Art house. It is a month long show, but Enchanted Doll is making a special appearance there only for the 1st opening week, and then we’re heading home.

I will be there in person from the preview opening on Nov 9th, also 10th, 11th and evenings on the 12th and 13th. While there, I will be signing 100 copies of the Russian language Enchanted Doll book. (Волшебные Куклы Марины Бычковой). So, if you are in Tallinn, come and see me, pick up a copy and get a personalized signature.

See you there!

Wow… what a show! The Piceno fashion doll convention had wrapped last night, and I can honestly say that I’ve never  been to an event like this before – I thought it was a bit atypical for a doll convention, as it was jam packed full of entertainment, dinners, performances and celebrations every night. We even had a private audience with the mayor of the city, who welcomed us in the ancient town hall, and fireworks at the end of the show. It was simply fantastic to see people from different parts of the world and life, all united by Dolls.

And Italians seem like such warm and jolly people! At one point during lunch at a large table, full of laughing, talking and gesturing people, who passed plates full of food to one another, I had a very surreal feeling that I was in a movie. It was lovely and I shall never forget it. Italy, you were so good to me!

More shots can be found on flickr

A big, huge thanks to all the organizers of this event, especially to Rosalie, Nikis, Pamela and Martina.

I painted some more dolls. Experimenting with different tones and styles of painting. Finding my own style. Some of these dolls will be for sale the the upcoming Piceno Fashion doll Convention, in Italy, this weekend. The prices in Euros for painted and blank dolls are as follows:

Painted Dolls € 1,600

Blank Dolls € 1,050

We’re in Rome for a few more hours and then we’re heading to the coast with these beauties. I’ll see you there.

Hey guys! Remember this doll when it was still unfinished? She is coming as a part of my traveling porcelain collection to my upcoming shows in Italy and Estonia this fall. Oh, and by the way, I have a show in Tallinn, Estonia one week after Italy. Surprise! Totally forgot to tell you, but it’s going to be awesome. It’s called Shocking Art of Dolls, and it will take place at Estonian Doll Art house, in the oldest building in Tallinn! I’ll post more info about it soon.

If I have any resin dolls left over from Italy, then they will be made available to buy at the Shocking Art of Dolls in Tallinn. Also, I’ve been putting the resin wait list together going back to 2010. Those of you who are on it, will be getting an email within 24 hours to inquire if you wish to remain or get taken off. This wait list will go in effect in December and production will begin in January 2013.

My production capacity is very small, only about 10-20 resin dolls a month max. I want to avoid mass-production and keep the quality and rarity of these dolls. At this point I have plans to produce resin for 1 year, and then either stop or keep going for another year or two, or many, depending on how I feel. I will evaluate the situation every 6 months.

Unfortunately, the rainy season in Vancouver had started this week and prevented me from completing as many resin dolls as I originally wanted to bring to the Pieceno Fashion doll convention. It’s new and strange for me to have to rely on external factors, such as good weather, to be able to make dolls. There is no such a thing with the porcelain doll-making process. Vancouver is a pretty rainy city, so, I don’t know how many more resin dolls I’ll be able to make this winter. I’ll have to paint then and put them away until sunny breaks, or something. I’m sure I will figure something out.

Stay tuned for pictures of the new resin dolls.

Hey guys! Just a little update from Russia, while I have a spare minute during breakfast.

I’m in Moscow right now, promoting my book and the new resin line of dolls, with Chad and my dad helping me at the show. All 20 resin dolls I was premiering at this event were gone in a flurry of activity within hours of the opening, leaving me bewildered and wide-eyed in a booth at a doll show, without any dolls.

So, for the last three days I’ve been doing a lot of book signing, taking pictures with doll fans and chatting to them about my new resin line, giving TV and paper interviews and networking with other artists and event organizers. I finally met the Popovy twins, and even bought my first artist teddy (who is actually an elephant)! With so much going on, I hardly had any time to breathe.

It’s been really busy and exciting, and I want to thank the organizer Svetlana Pchelnikova for putting on this event, and of course everyone who came to the show. And a big, huge thanks for all the flowers, you guys! It means more to me than you know.