These sketches are from summer 2007 when I was road-tripping in Italy with Chad and his parents. We had an RV and we drove around the whole country from Milan to Sicily for almost two months. It was fantastic. I got to see everything I had studied in Art History 101 in my first year of art school.In the upper left corner and bottom right corner of the sketches you can read Venice 2007 and Florence 2007. That's where I was when I made these. You can see that I was heavily influenced by the religious iconography, which dominated Italian Renaissance art. Honestly, it was all about Jesus and the Virgin. Frankly, it kind of got a bit monotonous after about 300 paintings and four dozen cathedrals or so, but it was inspirational too. Throughout history people have produced some breathtakingly beautiful things in the name of the invisible man who lives in the sky and controls the world. I find it awe-inspiring and deeply disturbing at the same time. Religion makes no sense to me.So, obviously I've had the whole halo and religious reference project on my mind for quite some time. It's good to be finally working on it.
Enchanted Doll in Coilhouse magazine
in Press
About a year ago I was walking by a bookstore in this trendy, bohemian shopping district in Vancouver and I saw a really cool-looking magazine cover with a tittle COILHOUSE in the window. I thought to myself that I would really like to have my work featured in this magazine. Then, while I was in Paris a few months later I accidentally stumbled across this magazine's website again while searching for alternative art galleries in downtown Paris. As I browsed through the site, I became even more intrigued by the content of the magazine and wished again that I could be a part of it one day.That day came just a week later when Coilhouse magazine editor emailed me requesting an interview for an Enchanted Doll feature in their upcoming issue. The coincidence and the timing was so uncanny that it was as if I wished it into being. As if Coilhouse had received my telepathic message and contacted me. This is by far not the first time something like this has happened to me and I've come to believe that I have way more power over my destiny than it seems possible.It almost feels like magic sometimes you know; as if you can bend the universe to your own will with a mere thought. But I know that perception is false- it takes much more than a thought to make something happen. I believe in randomness and chaos: there is no such thing as fate. We make our own destiny and create our own opportunities.Like they say: When there is a will, there is a way.The full spread can be found in my press section. I love the layout. Check out COILHOUSE website and show your support by getting a subscription to the magazine. It's really cool. We need more publications like this one instead of stupid women's magazines such as Self (recent Kelly Clarkson photoshoped cover scandal) or Cosmopolitan that feed women nothing but relentless product advertising, celebrity worship, self doubt and false beauty ideals. It makes me so mad that I wish nothing but ruin and bankruptcy on them.Maybe if I wish really really hard again......
Sketch of the week 3-Pregnant Tattooed doll.
Concept sketches for a pregnant doll. I was imagining her with short hair and actually made her a very short Edie-like wig at first, but it didn't work with her face. I don't usually make such detailed sketches anymore as I consider it a little bit of a waste of time. It isn't really, but I figure why spend lots of time on a detailed sketch when I could spend it on actually making the thing. All I usually draw these days is a quick outline or a doodle just to remind me of the project while most of the sketch gets stored inside my head. The reason I made these is because a magazine asked me for them to go along with the article. I don't know if they will end up using either one.
Just a little something I made last week
A pregnant, tattooed doll.It's a work in progress: I'm still thinking about the head dress. I was so mentally fatigued from working on orders that I just had to make something else. A Tattoo Extreme magazine in Taipei is running a cover story on Enchanted Doll this month and I was hoping to finish this new doll in time for the August 10th deadline. But I don't think I'm going to make it even if I send it to the publisher right now, because the issue is probably going to print as I write.This piece, titled "State Property" is a part of the triptych composition of three dolls under a working tittle "The holy trinity of traditional womanhood". And I don't mean that in a good way. Well, this project is kind of loaded with gender politics symbolism, but I don't want to talk about it just yet. This is just a peek. Chad and I will be making a gallery for her very shortly.There you go, State Property-my first pregnant porcelain doll. I don't know how I feel about her yet. And no, I'm not pregnant and plan to never be.
Another cover for Enchanted Doll
in Press
A photograph of my very first all porcelain, ball jointed doll prototype has become the cover of this book by Marcia Bechara. I blogged about it last month just before the release party in Sao Paulo, Brazil. This morning I finally got a box of my own copies from the publisher and celebrated by taking a bunch of pictures with it. It's a collection of stories but I can't read it because it's in Portuguese. That's alright - having my work on the cover is enough. For now.
Another book cover is coming soon. This next book came out a couple of months ago in Florence, Italy and it's a collection of poetry by Umberto Crocetti. It's called "The song of the dolls". Just waiting for my copies from the publisher. Should be any day now.Things are pretty exciting around here, at the Enchanted Doll headquarters.
Sketch of the week 2- Dorian Gray
I realized that I have so many sketches that it would take me years to post them all here at the rate of one per week. So, I decided to post a sketch twice a week instead- to speed this up a little. At this rate it will only take me 10 years! One sketch will be posted every Monday and the another one two days later-every Thursday.This is a concept sketch for a Dorian Gray doll. I made it quite a while ago and have yet to start working on the project. Although I love Oscar Wilde's style of character development, I am ambivalent about the book itself. Ultimately I enjoyed it, but I thought it was missing something and I can't quite put my finger on that elusive something. *SPOILER ALERT*Perhaps it was the fact that I could not fully comprehend why Dorian was condemned as a horrible human being. Yeah, sure he ends up murdering somebody, but that doesn't happen until the end of the book while he is regarded as an indecent and a corrupted man all throughout. His great sins seem to consist of being an ever-young and immortal, drop-dead-gorgeous, charming hedonist who enjoyed money, sex and recreational drugs. Oooooooo! Big deal! Who doesn't?!I think the meaning of the book lays in the times and the social context of its inception. Today, many of the puritan social attitudes of the Victorian era have become irrelevant and extinct. Dorian's behavior may have been considered scandalous then, but has since been normalized. He was made into a monster, for acting like a human. True, he was not the best human being around. He was a vein, arrogant, narcissistic, heartless and inconsiderate- but that describes the majority of young people. Many of us tend to grow out of it. Dorian was an immortal stuck in eternal youth: In constant pursuit of new sensations and pleasures with no fear of consequences, aging or death - how lucky for him. Frankly, I'm jealous.*END OF SPOILERS*The Picture of Dorian Gray is a multi layered book and perhaps the reason I thought that something was missing from it is because I felt like it approached these really heavy and complex philosophical questions of life, death and humanity in a very light, simplified almost playful tone. But now that I think about it: why not? They have no concrete answers, why not play with them? On the surface the book definitely felt more entertaining than insightful, but it did make me think a lot afterward. I'm still thinking about it. And that's what makes a good book in my opinion.The sketch in the lower left corner has nothing to do with Dorian Gray.It's quick drawing of a vivid scene from a terrifying, erotic nightmare I had one night, about being tortured with scissors by a attractive man, who kind of resembled a young Benicio del Toro. I swear I've never felt anything more painful in my life than when he cut my thigh with slow, deliberate strokes. The pain was so real. I actually woke up weeping and choking. The strange thing is that I'm not that into sadomasochism, maybe just a little, but that dream experience was very....exciting.I have pretty awesome dreams. I've been wanting to start a big project of painting scenes from my dreams, but i don't even have time to sketch them down daily. Oh, how I need more time!
Speaking of the collar..
Oh this thing gave me so much grief!
It turned out to be every bit as difficult to replicate as my tech had expected it to be, and more. I was a lot more optimistic about molding, injecting and casting this large, yet extremely thin filigree design than him, and boy, did I get a reality check. The collar was fighting us at every stage of the process! It didn't want to get made. After two months or so, of fiddling with the molds, altering wax injections, going back and forth, trying this and that and watching it fail again and again, I must confess-a week ago I almost gave up.It's not like me to drop an ambitious project, especially after investing hundreds of dollars and countless hours of my time to see it get to this stage. I believe there is a key to unlocking every problem, but that thing almost did me in. I was beginning to consider that my design was fundamentally flawed and un-castable and that finding a key to getting it made meant going back to square one and re-designing the structure. Yet, I was so mentally exhausted from trying to figure it all out that I knew if I abandoned this approach, it would be some time before I returned to it. So, we made a last ditch effort in trying to save it, adjusted one factor in the casting process and......it came out perfectly. The key was found.I haven't had a chance to get it cleaned and polished yet. Metals don't come out all bright and shiny after casting, and look very little like the precious things they really are. Just like unpolished gems. It often requires hours to clean and polish silver to a bright shine after it's been cast. I can't wait to see this piece finished. Meanwhile I'm going to try to cast a couple more and see if it was just blind luck they turned out this time or if the formula actually works.
Sketch of the week- Corset.
Introducing a new, weekly blog feature: sketch of the week. Every Monday I will choose a page from my sketchbook and post it here. The sketch can be a recent or an old one and will not necessarily be doll-related.This corset sketch have been shown at the Villa Terrace museum during my solo show. I made these concept sketches a couple of years ago when I took a lost wax casting, jewelry class. I've been dreaming of creating metal clothes for my dolls for several years and when I began familiarizing myself with wax carving I knew right away that this method would allow me to do it. So, after my first class I came up with this very ambitious design for a 1:6 scale, silver corset. I've yet to make it, though I have a feeling that it won't be long now. However, now that I have some experience with carving jeweler's wax, I'm not sure that this design can be replicated by hand. I will most definitely give it my best shot, but this might be better suited for a machine carving. I really want one. One day I'll get it.Anyway, my first attempt at carving a functional, silver corset for a doll turned out like this. It's not bad, but I can and will do better next time.
You can find this corset in the Cinderella gallery. I'm thinking about making it available for orders at one point, only without the breast cups. I don't know exactly yet.
Little Thing
in Press
I was featured in the May issue (#06) of the Little Thing Magazine from Hong Kong. I finally got my copy in the mail today and I'm so happy. The magazine looks really interesting and covers a wide spectrum of art (from fashion photography to tiny crochet work), I just wish I could read it.I always get excited when my dolls are featured in a magazine, especially when it's in a different part of the world. My goal is to be featured in a magazine from each continent, I wonder if anyone publishes a doll magazine in Antarctica...You can see scans of the pages here, and more published work here.
The Zodiac Enchanted Doll series.
in New Doll
So, I was shooting two tattooed nudes the other day, playing around with their poses, camera angles and lighting when i arrived at this pretty composition. Inspired by their similarity in hair color, tattoos and hair ornaments, I was brainstorming with words while trying to come up with a title: "girls...sisters...lovers....twins....sisters...twins ..twinsisters... .....gemini...gemini?.....Gemini!!!", which led to a realization that I had to make a full zodiac of Enchanted dolls.I was so excited that instead of working on an order which was due the next day, I sat at my desk for 2.7 hours and stared unseeing into the wall imagining what my zodiac dolls would look like, while the endless possibilities for their appearances spun in front of my eyes like an invisible circus.When I calmed down the next morning, It had occurred to me that perhaps this topic was way too cliche for me to bother with, but then again the execution may make a difference with this old and tired idea.And don't expect to see my zodiac dolls holding Libra scales, Saggitarius bows and Aquarius water jugs either, as I believe in a minimal use of doll props and only for photoshoots. I'll have to find a different way to convey that they are zodiac signs.So, what I'm trying to say is that I really hate doll dioramas. Or dressed up doll-figurines that don't move. But you know that.This is Edie with a cage tattoo and Noire with a Dragon fly tattoo on their backs. Yup, my little Noire has had a tattoo on her back this whole time and you had no idea. Here it is.
And the open bird cage tattoo.
Go to tattooed dolls gallery to see close ups of these.
Peacock tattoo on Enchanted Doll
This is something new I had made recently for a custom order. I really like this one. Next time i'm trying a full color, bigger peacock on the front of the doll. Although it was very challenging, it was still easier than I expected it would be. I must be getting better at this.Now that I think about it, I might be ready for human skin. Who wants one? I'm sure I can figure it out as I go. Can't be that hard.Another angle at this tattoo can be found in the new Tattooed Dolls gallery, by the way.
Illumination cape
in New Doll
So it came to my attention that people have been asking questions about this doll. Sorry, Enchanted Doll fans-I didn't mean to hold out on you. I made this a few months ago, but didn't get around to posting any pictures. Here, let me tell you all about it.This is Edie modeling the Illumination cape. My favorite dye sublimation project. So far.The Illumination is a dye sublimation print of the image taken from my watercolor painting. It's covered with organic/celtic designs and flowers all the way around and it's really long. It features four fabulous Sterling Silver box clasps with set gemstones which make this cape so much fun to take on and off, on and off, on and off....obviously I can't stop playing with it. The clasps are quite heavy and this weight effectively counterbalances the weight of this enormous cape. Because it's printed on polyester it's actually quite light for what it is, but there's got to be a balance between the front and the back, otherwise it starts sliding around the body, that's why I used heavy clasps as counterweights, which works fantastic.This cape hides most of the doll's skin with the exception of bare neck, lower arms and sometimes a foot slides free of the folds through the slit down the middle. I really like that effect because it creates such a strong contrast between skin and heavy ornament, making the doll's limbs appear even more sensual and delicate. I just love this outfit and my own Edie always wears it. I think her short hair really offsets the length of the cape and accentuates her neck and her frailness underneath all that fabric.My plan was to make it into a one of a kind project with bead embroidery all over the designs and gold, or at least gold plated clasps, but when I put together this rough try out, it turned out so splendidly that I decided to keep one as it is and possibly make more of it as a doll accessory/outfit available for order. I might give it a red or a blue lining on the inside too.I still plan to make a fancy version of it with gemstones strewn all over it and beads covering the surface, but for now that project is on hold as I'm still working out the best method for attaching faceted gems and cabochons to the fabric and merging them with bead work. I can't wait to get started on it though. Perhaps in August I will.The reason I don't have it up on the site anywhere is because this was an experimental project which doesn't have its own doll yet. It's just a cape for now. I should put more pictures of it up... I will soon, so stay tuned. And let me know if you still have questions about it.Oh and the reason I called it the illumination cape is beause I was partially inspired by the medieval, Celtic illuminated manuscripts. The other part of inspiration obviously came from my favorite artist, Sulamith Wulfing:
New magazine
in Press
Oh yeah, I almost forgot: another magazine in Russia has come out with a long Enchanted Doll interview. You can check out the spread in the published work gallery, and if you happen to speak Russian, you can even read it.It's a business magazine called Practice and it's a kind of strange to see my work in there as it seems just a little bit out of place. But hey, I ain't complaining. If the editor of this magazine decided that it belongs there, well, then who am I to argue. I mean, clearly editors in chief know what they are doing when they decide that a spring issue of a business magazine can not possibly go to print without an article about my dolls in it. I think it's this latest publication in Russia that's been bringing a flood of Russian emails to my inbox in the last two weeks. I've definitely been getting to know Russian keyboard configuration a lot better than before.Seeing all my media spreads together makes me long to show more new work. Which I haven't made yet.You might also notice that my published work gallery has been slightly enhanced with larger thumbnails of most of my printed editorials in various international publications, directly below the principal picture. They are all live links just like the little thumbnails on the right side and you can click them too.
Such a pretty doll
This is an experiment with make up and tonal combinations. The goal was to create a face resembling Cinderella without facial resculping of mouth and chin. I believe the resulting expression is very sweet but not as haunting as Cinderella's.This particular snowflake crown is an example of sterling silver finished to a bright shine before the application of patina. Patina is a type of acid which brings out fine details, accentuates recesses and raised areas and gives silver an antiqued, contrasty look playing down the bright shine. I always prefer treated surface to a shiny one because of the contrast it creates. Pretty as the shiny finish is, I find it reflects so much light from all the surface planes and a lot of detail gets lost in the glare. Although, as can be seen from this fine example, sometimes the untreated, bright finish silver is just the right thing to have.
Dolls are back!
I've got my doll collection back from the museum! This means that the owners of costumed Enchanted Dolls and the lucky Enchanted Doll contest winner will finally be getting their dolls!My house is crawling with dolls again. Figuratively speaking, of course. We unpacked the boxes and took strapped dolls out, but I haven't got them all sorted out yet. The curator of Villa Terrace exhibitions who packed up my dolls did an amazingly thorough job to make sure they all got home in one piece. I'm afraid she even went a little overboard by painstakingly removing ALL of doll's costumes with the exception of a few that were just way too complex and multi-layered. All their clothes came neatly folded and wrapped in tissues down to the last little pieces such as hair pins!!!. I really appreciate her efforts in ensuring the safety of the dolls, although most of the costumes were safe to keep on during shipping with the exception of heavy, metal head dresses. I hate to think that I had to put her through hours of extra work because of a mis-communication. Oh well. What's done is done and the doll's are home. Thank you Villa Terrace for a wonderful exhibition venue for my work and for keeping it safe for me!Now....Anybody wanna play dress up?!
Down the memory lane
I can't believe how much time has passed since the first picture was taken. It makes me sad thinking about it, though I don't think I would want to go back to being 14, fun as that was. I'm pretty happy with myself, and where I am right now. When that photo was taken, I was already making dolls for 8 years.
My sister's names are Irina and Alina. Marina, Irina and Alina. I don't know what my mom was thinking. I guess she thought it was cute that all our names sounded the same. My middle sister, Irina (pink top) is studying to be a dental hygienist on the East Coast and this is the first time I got to see her this year. She flew in as a surprise for Alina's high school graduation ceremony, who is going to study medicine at the University of British Columbia.
Yup, we've changed some since the first picture was taken. The little one is now too big to sit on my parents' lap. We all still call the "The little one", though she is taller than both of her older sisters...and I think our parents too.It was good to be together again with my parents, like when we were little girls.
Berlin Show summer 2009
in show
I almost forgot:I have two dolls in a group show 'Mid Summers Night Madness', at Strychnin gallery in Berlin this summer. The show opened last Friday, but it will be on for a few weeks and those of you who live in Germany can go and see Shapeshifter and Aphrodite in person.Thank you Strychnin. Elizabeth- you're awesome.
Enchanted Doll in mass media.
in Press
These are some of the magazines and newspapers that have featured my work over the last 3 years. I thought I'd document myself with my accomplishments.The very first printed publication to feature an article about my work was a local, French language newspaper 'L'express du Pacificue', three weeks after I had graduated from Emily Carr Institute (now University) of Art and Design. I remember the day I was asked for an interview:It was my last studio hour before the graduation show at Emily Carr and I was building a plywood stand to support my grad project 'Necrophilia' which included a composition of two ball-jointed, porcelain dolls- Snow White and Prince as well as a glass coffin. After spending most of the day in the wood working shop I went out to buy some more plywood sheets at a nearby carpentry store. The return trip turned out to be a real struggle because the plywood proved to be way too heavy for me to carry. Luckily, five minutes into my trip, a young man caught up to me and offered his help, to which I happily accepted. As we walked back to my school, the man asked me about what I was going to do with all that plywood and I told him about my graduating project 'Necrophilia'. He listened to me talk about my work with great interest, which was strange to me, because I at that point I was not used to talking about it outside of class critiques or with any body other than my professors or classmates.As we parted ways, the man gave me his business card and asked me call him. He said he was a journalist, working for a French newspaper and that after hearing about it, he wants to write an article about my work. Next week he assigned a writer to work on the story and two weeks later my interview appeared in the art and culture section of L'Express du Pacificue.And that's how an accidental encounter with a stranger turned into a significant event of my emerging career as an artist. The timing couldn't have been any more perfect. It almost felt like a sign.
More publications are on the way this summer and fall.
New magazine interviews with Enchanted Doll.
in Press
This Avenue illustrated just came out in Madrid, Spain. I have a six page spread in it.There are more publications on the way all over the world this summer and I get excited every morning in anticipation of packages from publishers. When i get them, I flip though, find my spread, admire my dolls on the glossy pages for a few moments and then put the magazine on the shelf along with the rest of my collection, just to begin waiting for the next one.
New Silver Casting project
So, this is that ambitious project I mentioned on Twitter a few of days ago.It’s a wax carving of a collar for Enchanted Doll. It’s impossible to carve something like this by hand, so I designed it and handed it over to another artist/technician, who rendered it as a 3D model and had it carved by a computerized carving machine. When my casting technician Ryan saw this, he said: “This is by far the craziest thing you’re ever done, and if I can cast this piece for you, it will be the height of my casting careerâ€, because apparently, this thing is un-castable. But then again, a lot of jewelers would consider many of my wax carvings impossible to cast because they are unconventional jewelry pieces, while Ryan was somehow able to make them work.I made some adjustments to the collar after I took this picture. I spent 8 hours, painstaikingly overlaying the carving with tiny wax granules by hand. It looks just exquisite. I love it and can’t wait to see it on a doll.