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I’m afraid I’ve been keeping a secret from you guys, but I can finally tell you!

There was some big news the other day, and a little Enchanted Doll played a role in a grand announcement. This was a top secret doll that I made last year and was finally unveiled (not literally, the doll’s veil remained intact).

I was asked to create an Enchanted Doll of the beautiful Chinese actress Fan Bingbing, as an engagement gift by her partner Li Chen

One of the conditions I had for taking on this commission, was that I would have a complete creative freedom to design her Enchanted wedding gown. I used vintage French lace, Victorian millinery, parts of antique Kinfisher pin, dazzling Swarowsky crystals and of course, hundreds of Pearls to create a tiny wedding dress fit for a queen!

Enchanted Fan sits on a Napoleon III era French Globe de Marriee, which was traditionally used to display wedding momentos, such as the wedding tiara, corsage and shoes.

Because Fan is an actress, I wanted the doll to channel The Golden Age of Hollywood. I fell in love with photos of Vivien Leigh and Veronica Lake and tried to create a similar atmosphere in the photographs.

Now that I am no longer bound by the vow of silence, I am free to share photos of not only the finished doll, but the work-in-progress shots we took along the way.

I hope this doll brings good luck to the happy couple! Best wishes to the two of you and I’m glad I could play a part in this grand union!

[Full Gallery]

“People once believed that when someone dies, a crow carries their soul to the land of the dead. But sometimes, something so bad happens that a terrible sadness is carried with it and the soul can’t rest. Then sometimes, just sometimes, the crow can bring that soul back to put the wrong things right.”
― James O’Barr, The Crow

Both of my kilns broke down last month, and to procrastinate the repairs I took up a shelved project that I’ve struggled with for a couple of years.

It’s like, when you need to study for a chemistry midterm tomorrow, but suddenly the bedroom is so messy that it needs an emergency spring cleaning. Can’t study in a messy bedroom! That’s how I feel about kiln repairs.

Anyway, this doll inspired me again. Now, after a long time away from it I finally know what it needs and how to finish it! I’ve been reworking the composition of her head dress and her veil, but now I find that I’m not satisfied with her face painting and probably need to take her apart and add a few more layers. Which means… I have to do those kiln repairs… Damn it.

She’ll be available for sale in Fall 2017.

I just got my copy of the “Boobs Art” exhibit catalogue! My piece “Surviving” was part of the show (in print form) alongside many other works of art on the topic of the female breast.

Boobs Art opened on March 23rd and runs until September 9th, in Brussels, Belgium. (http://seedfactory.be/boobs-art/)

A couple more shots from the Catalogue:

Hey doll people! You’ve probably noticed that I’ve been missing from the internet lately. It’s because I’ve been stuck in home renovations purgatory for the last year. But, with my art studio renos nearing completion, I’ve been really enjoying working in my newly improved, open, bright and green workspace. See if you can spot a difference so far.

And I’m not returning to the blog empty handed, as I have a new doll in-the-works to share. I decided to up the challenge a little by working more detail into the hands and feet than I’ve ever done before.

Up to this point I chose not to carve my dolls’ fingernails or toenails, but paint them on instead because in greenware state the porcelain is still as soft and crumbly as a shortbread cookie; It’s prone to breaking at the lightest pressure of a needle point….or a gentle breath of a pixie…or even just from looking at it a little too hard.

In fact, most hands and feet almost never survive high detailing intact, and I end up having to reattach at least 2 or more fingers with raw porcelain slip and then fuse them together during high-temp firing. Index fingers are most vulnerable for some reason. Somehow, I managed not to break a single finger on this hand, while the other one needed 3 finger reattachment surgeries.

I must have looked at it a little too hard.

I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

– Marina

Dot Your Eyes.

The Madame de Pompadour auction is ending today! http://www.ebay.com/itm/-/332049437633?

The third video of Madame de Pompadour being created. After seeing the doll be engraved, and the tattoos filled with ink, it is time for Madame P to open her eyes.

Music: Blues for Slick McWolf by SLIKK TIM

Part 1: vimeo.com/192203045
Part 2: vimeo.com/192716389
Part 3: vimeo.com/194407308

The auction is live: http://www.ebay.com/itm/-/332049437633

It will run for 5 days as 4 days was not an option. The ending will be Monday, 4:50PM PST (GMT -8)

The Madame de Pompadour Ebay auction is almost here (Nov 30-Dec 3) and if you are planning on bidding it’s a good idea to make sure your account is ready. In previous auctions we have heard from bidders that Ebay limited the amount they could bid, causing them to not win the auction. This could be because the account is new and making large bids right away, or a sudden change in an accounts bid pattern, or something else that could trigger an automatic limit from Ebay.

Ebay has some steps that can help, like verifying the account and/or adding a credit card to the account.

Best to get this stuff out of the way now rather than when the clock is ticking down.

If you have any questions about the auction, you can email us at inquiries@enchanteddoll.com