"Fragility" Teaser

After months of insane work pace and incredible mental strain, Chad and I are finally in Berlin, resting up before the show. There is still work to do though, as I have to unpack  and set up the dolls and give some media interviews scheduled by the gallery. But it's a very pleasant and easy type of work compared to what's already been accomplished. This is what relief feels like.Above is a sneak crop of a one of a kind tattooed doll from the show. Her removable hair combs are Sterling Silver replicas of the kingfisher ornaments. You might have seen them before in my "Gemini" shot. I bought them in a second hand shop thinking they were authentic kingfisher, but they turned out to be fakes. I re-cast them in Sterling silver and painted them in with synthetic enamel in a pointalist style to mimic that rich texture and iridescence, characteristic to authentic kingfisher jewelry. I love how they turned out.Tomorrow I'll post something from the show set up.

The Case of Enchanted Dolls

I just received this beautiful, custom made case. Inside, are my two resin EDs: Kay and Clymenestra.One of the gifts I had received for my birthday was a shadow box. I loved it so much, that I commissioned the participant who made it for me to make me a smaller one. My obsession with coffins and containment is well documented and this is another manifestation of it. I remember when Chad and I were in Sicily, we went to the Catacombs of the Capuchins to see the mummies, there was an exceptionally well preserved mummy of a little girl "Bambina" in a coffin with a glass lid. That really made an impression on me. I'm not sure what the impression was, but the memory of the experience had certainly stuck with me. I think it just served to further reinforce my interest in human boxes/coffins and the idea of confinement and preservation.I really love this case. Thanks Jayne.

Vogue

I'm really excited about this, there is a small blurb about Enchanted Doll in the recent issue of German Vogue!  It's a mention about my upcoming show in Berlin (Reminder: Opens June 11th, Strychnin Gallery) and features a photo of the Deep Sea Diver doll.

Cathedral wax model

Remember that giant Gothic style pillar and its side wings I carved a couple of months ago? Do you recognize those shapes in the structure of the cathedral crown? Guess where they came from. Yep-the pillar.I rearranged the wax injections I had on hand to build them into this new structure. I butchered several pillars to harvest the elements I needed and spent about 70-80 hours tacking it all together for casting. It was much harder than I thought it would be because injection wax is not carving wax and has different properties. When cold, it's so brittle that delicate parts just flake off at the slightest contact, while its low melting point makes it so runny, that it's almost entirely unsuitable for this type of work. Basically, the way this project was made is a very unorthodox abomination and probably an insult to a proper jeweler.Taking it apart and molding it was absolutely unthinkable and frankly, impossible-so, it remains one of its kind. After I had made it, I had some serious doubts about it even being castable. Although I wouldn't have made it if I believed it impossible to cast, I was still very nervous that some parts may not come out because was is by far the craziest metal project I've ever done.I was overwhelemed with releif and joy when it cast perfectly, like a little miracle.

Cathedral

Inspired by bits and pieces of all kinds of things and experiences and without my full awareness, this project gestated in my thoughts for years, formulating and materializing into a coherent image, until one day the right piece of the puzzle fell just into the right place, crystallizing the idea into a strikingly clear form that quite literally, took my breath away. Startled and exhilarated by the suddenness of its coming, I studied the image burned into the backs of my eyelids with wonder, smiling at the beauty and completeness of it and thinking to my self that ah, yes, of course it had to look like this-it couldn't possibly have been anything else. It was always this,  even if I couldn't see it before: it was just a matter of circumstances and time until I did.Although i think about art and my future projects nearly every waking minute, it's not often that my inspiration takes a form of an intense, almost religious experience like this one. This was unique. It felt like, driven to the point of exhaustion from endless brainstorming and research my mind just snapped and transcended the boundaries of consciousness, crossing over into a creative abyss where everything is possible.For a few seconds absolutely everything is clear, all the knowledge is laid bare, every vision is there and even the meaning of life is obvious, but then the mental curtain to the abyss closes again, pulling you back from the precipice of madness and leaving only a vague memory of the profoundness of the experience, allowing to carry away only one thing with you intact- that perfect vision of what you sought. Like a gift. Everything else is swiftly forgotten.Cathedral was my gift. I hope it opens the flood gates for more beautiful pieces in this series.This piece was primarily inspired by my obsession with European Gothic architecture. But I'm sure there are a couple dozen other sources of inspiration mixed in here. I've yet to identify them all.

New doll-Cathedral

I've been working on this doll for a while and I'm absolutely infatuated with it. I think she is the best doll I ever made. But then again, I think that about every doll I just completed. But I do feel that she is very unique and different from everything I've ever made before. To me, she seems to signal some sort of a renewal, a new direction,  new inspiration and fresh blood, like a shot of adrenaline to the heart.She is one of a kind. Her name is Cathedral and she is the first doll from the new, Architectural series, which presently exists only in the concept/research stage and it will be at least a year until I expect to complete the collection. Cathedral will take part in the Berlin show as a special preview for the next series, but she is the only doll that won't be for sale just yet.Fragility show at Strychnin will consist mostly of 15 one a kind-tattooed and nudes in new, metal head dresses. There will be an online preview for everyone on the Strychnin website.I haven't figured out how to photograph this doll yet. The cathedral head dress is very tricky to capture effectively an I'm still figuring out the best lighting that will show the piece best. More pictures to come.You may recognize the cape from a while ago. It has a lot of Sterling Silver and Amethysts attached to it. The Cathedral itself is a one of a kind wax carving, also cast in Sterling. It's quite heavy. In fact, this is the most silver I've ever used in a single doll. She is literally precious. I'll tell you  more about it in the next post and show the wax carving. I think you might be a bit surprised to find how I made it.

Bizarre Magazine

There's a piece on Enchanted Doll in the latest issue of Bizarre Magazine.The magazine is based out of the UK but I'm told it can be found across Europe and North America in larger newstands.For those not familiar with Bizarre, they claim that "Only Bizarre brings you monthly instalments of the weirdest and most extreme content our planet has to offer. It will make your eyes pop and your jaw drop."If anyone gets their hands on a copy let me know, I have receive mine yet and I'm curious to see the article.

Berlin Show

A couple quick notes on my upcoming show in Berlin, the opening will be June 11th, from 7-11pm, and both Chad and I will be in attendance.There will be a preview of the show for those interested in purchasing a doll, on June 10th, please contact the Strychnin gallery for more information regarding that.While this is the third poster featuring the deep sea diver, I assure you that there will be many other new and exciting dolls on display at the show.

Original source behind Lotus shoes

In response to my first post regarding these lotus shoes, there were some who questioned the authenticity of my shoe design on the grounds that the top part of the shoe is Han while the sole is Manchu-two different traditions and cultures. Although I have absolutely no problem with taking liberties with historical accuracy for the sake of achieving the highest expression of creativity possible, this particular project was actually entirely based on a real, authentic lotus shoe. And now I give you the source for my inspiration. Behold this antique beauty!This picture is from a book written by one of my favorite authors, Beverly Jackson. It's called "Splendid Slippers: A thousand years of an erotic tradition", and this photograph is from page 106. Here is an excerpt from the text:"Exceptionally rare silver couched, pink slipper, length 4 inches. Although made for a bound foot, the shoe sits on a Manchu-style mid-sole wooden pedestal painted white, height 1 1/2 inches. It probably belonged to the Han Chinese concubine of a Manchu gentleman, thus explaining the unusual fusion of styles." -Beverly JacksonIt's a wonderful book which is one of my prized possessions. I bought it a couple of years ago and as soon as I saw the picture of this little shoe, I knew I was going to make it. It's just so exquisite. I've actually recently had the honor of becoming personally acquainted with the author, which is an interesting story for another time.And here is more silver shoes. I had them gold plated and painted with synthetic-based enamel. I really enjoyed playing with colors, but it's actually really difficult to lay the paint on evenly on such a small surface and then get the shades of color to come out right after thermal stabilizing aka, baking. You may think that your blue is the blue you want, but the temperature changes and distorts the tones, which makes it difficult to guess what it's going to end up looking like in the end. Also, they are really tiny shoes and, well, let's just say I cursed a lot while painting them.But I'm more than pleased with the results. Which one is your favorite?

Enchanted Doll in Expensive Pleasures magazine

Another Russian magazine from the Russian city of Tomsk, not far from where I grew up, considering the size of Siberia. It's a little bit weird and very flattering being in local media of my home country and even region, despite having lived on the other side of the world for the last decade. It's surreal: even though I don't live there and my entire professional career has been built in a different country, Mother Russia still knows who I am and what I do. The world feels really small sometimes.Russia and Canada are the two best countries in the world and I love being a citizen of both -It's like having two families who both love you and take care of you. Two sets of moms and dads who have your best interests in mind and provide you with a  double sense of belonging. And sometimes a double sense of abandonment on rare occasions when you have a fight, but mostly belonging. It's quite wonderful.

Sketch of the week #21: Deep sea diver

Deep sea diver helmet rough sketch.I noticed that a lot of my projects seem to be born from my own fears and apprehensions. For example: I am quite frightened by the idea of deep water diving and I experience a strong discomfort while swimming in the open water, lakes, rivers or ponds, or any natural body of water for that matter. In fact, I only enjoy swimming and diving in the safe, blue swimming pools with a pleasant, tiled bottom. It's not so much the water itself that bothers me, as it is the depth, the darkness and the unknowns of its mysterious vastness.I can't even be on a blow up toy or a mattress, because I can't relax and it seems to me that I'm floating high in the sky, but instead of air beneath me, there is only dark water that hides all the visible and exposed things from sight. Swallows them. I can't dangle my feet in the water if I can't see the bottom near and clear. And even then I'd rather not. It's like a reverse fear of heights, in a way. I can't see what's under me, and it frightens me. Oh, and the sea weed. That stuff's just plain terrifying.So, I tend to avoid even getting in the water when it's not encased in concrete and tiles. This phobia definitely interferes with my enjoyment of summer at times. But oh, well. I've got other things going.This is the Diver's helmet modeled in wax. It took  me two weeks of full time work to construct this thing. It was so difficult, I almost lost my mind in the process.I find water is both beautiful and dangerous and tried to convey this through the Deep Sea Diver project. Somebody cleverly suggested that it was Captain Nemo's daughter. That is a very good idea. Like I said, my inspiration for this particular head dress was very instinctive and emotional in nature, stemming from my water anxiety, and thus I did not give much thought to the character wearing this helmet. And so now, she shall be Captain Nemo's daughter. I think it fits the theme of the project very well. Thank you for the suggestion.

Real Henna

My hand holding little, tattooed feet of my doll Lavanya.My hand and feet in henna.Me, having my feet done by Kree.Ok, let me explain. Recently, I had a meeting with two curators of the Artful Henna group exhibition which I am taking part in this August in Seattle, USA. I will make one tattooed, porcelain doll for sale, and will provide more details later down the road. Anyway, they came down to Vancouver to meet up for lunch and discuss the details of the show, and it turned out that both of these ladies were traditional henna artists themselves, and offered to put some henna on me! Naturally, I agreed.It was so interesting. I've never seen henna done in real time, and I couldn't believe how quick the design materializes in the quick minds and fingers of the artists. I felt very pampered, like I was in a spa. And even though I had a tonne of work planned  for that afternoon, I cleared my schedule and took the rest of the day off to curl up on the couch with some fruit tea, watch a movie and take a nap while henna dried on my skin. What a pleasant day it was. For the next week wherever I went, everyone was complimenting me and asking me if I had gone to an Indian wedding. I loved the designs on my hand and arm so much, that I even briefly considered having that tattooed. But I don't think I can go through with it. I'll just make another tattooed doll instead.I'm getting it done again this summer when I go up to Seattle for the show. I'll be able to wear sandals when it's warm and show off my feet too.

Another look at Fragility

Here's another look at the Deep Sea diver helmet, including the a peek at the diver herself.More pictures will be posted soon.

Berlin Show Announcement

Displayed in the poster is one of the dolls that will be at the show, with the working title of "Deep Sea Diver".  More information regarding the show, and more pictures, will be posted in the near future.Show details:FragilityMarina Bychkovawith work by Wendy Froud and Virginie RoparsJune 11th, 2010Strychnin Gallery in Berlin.

New shots of The Bride

Here are a few photos of The Bride that never made it to the site.  We played around with some different treatments to give them different feels.  These, along with a couple others, will likely find their way to The Bride's gallery soon.  In the first shot I was going for a typical "Bridal magazine" shot, including the soft focus and glow that they always use.

Sketch of the week #20: Mask of Marduk

As a little girl, I was enchanted by the idea of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. I still am. They seem almost magical because they are so utterly shrouded in mystery and myth. They are considered a wonder of the world, and yet their existence has not even been proven. The legendary ancient city of Babylon has the same, entrancing effect on me and for several years I've been thinking of a way to translate that into an Enchanted Doll project.This is how, around a year ago, the Mask Project was born. These are the concept sketches. The mask is just a work in progress tittle for a doll named Amytis of Media, the wife of a Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar the 2nd. The legend has it that Nebuchadnezzar built the Hanging Gardens around 600 BC for his wife, who was home sick for her luscious, mountainous  homeland of Persia.The mask head ornament worn by Amytis is a representation of God Marduk, the head deity of Babylon. Like I mentioned before, this mask was inspired partially by ancient Aztec art, as well as early Mesopotamian artifacts. Marduk was a god of judgment and magic and had a water element associated with him. His origins are somewhat unclear, and the information about his physical appearance is pretty much limited to a couple of images of him. My interpretation of Marduk was mainly driven by the sound of his name and the images it stirred in my mind. It sounded aggressive and strong, and when I found that he was a god of judgment, I had decided to give him a somewhat malevolent look, because gods generally possess  both benevolence and cruelty in their personalities and acts.I imagined Amytis wearing this elaborate headpiece in the image of Marduk, as well as other splendid, richly ornamented clothing and jewelry as she strolls through the green, shadowed alleys of the Hanging Gardens, enjoying the relative coolness and listening to the sounds of birds in this artificially created paradise- her husband's gift to her.

Silver Lotus slippers

The idea of making a pair of Lotus slippers for my doll in precious metal has been on my mind for years,  ever since I made the doll Lotus with bound feet and beaded Lotus shoes in 2006. Even though I am appalled by the barbaric practice of mutilating women's feet for aesthetic purposes in ancient China, I am simultaneously enchanted by the decorative aspect of the exquisitely beautiful lotus shoes that were made to be worn by those mutilated feet- or as they were called in China, Golden Lilies.Such a pretty name to describe a pair of horrendous-looking, broken feet. Yet, even as I condemn the practice, inexplicably I seem to be drawn to the beauty of  the shoes and the surreal aesthetic of tiny feet. Cinderella wore glass slippers on her allegedly natural, little feet, and that was considered sexy in Europe. I mean, the entire fairly tale seems to be about those magnificent shoes and the virtue of having small feet. So, it appears that the Chinese were not the only ones to fetishize the size of women's feet, they were just the ones to do something about it.Anyway. I've dreamt about making these for months, if not years, and I'm so happy to see them finally finished! I had to make a pair of bound feet of course, so that my dolls could wear these pretty slippers. In this picture you can see Echo's normal feet next to her bound feet. The beauty here is that my dolls' feet can be interchanged back and forth from small to normal just like a pair of shoes, while the real women didn't have that opportunity.This particular pair was inspired by a real shoe, which in fact is very unique. It's a lotus-style shoe for a bound foot, that sits on a Manchu-style platform. And the Manchu women did not bind their feet. I'll post a picture of it soon and tell you more about my source once I experiment some more with these. I'll post the pictures of the feet once I make another pair and work out the painting style for them.I am considering making a pair of interchangeable lotus feet and shoes available for resin dolls. In fact, Echo will be the first costumed edition to be released. I don't have a price point for this costumed doll yet, as the project is still in the early stages. She will have to undergo some changes to address the incredible complexity of her present hair style, but the costume will remain the same. This is one of the things I'm working out now. And I'm very excited about it.

Seven more runners up in the contest

Here are seven more runners up in no particular order. Including the winner and the second and third entries, there are 10 favorite gifts all together. I really didn't know when to stop choosing favorite entries, I wanted to include them all on this list, but I realize that editing was really necessary. There are so many more that I love for different reasons, but here are some of the reasons I love these entries.Enchanted Doll Rag Doll, inspired by Lily.I made dozens of little rag dolls when I was a kid, but never one as big as this one. It's so playable. Perhaps I'll make a costume for Raglily one day. Thanks, Andrew!Concubine inspired, human scale costume. What can I say aside for pretty awesome? This was clearly a lot of work. And I can really appreciate time consuming, attention to detail oriented projects. The jewelry is mine, by everything was made by the contestant. Thank you, Eva!Little BearThis petite, articulated bear stole my heart. I have never particularly liked stuffed toys, but I've grown really fond of this one, so much so, that I sleep with it on my pillow. I named him David Bowie, for some reason. I think it has a soul.  Thank you, Sandra!Shadow box for Enchanted DollThe craftsmanship is very pro. I love containers of all kinds, and this one is museum quality. Interchangeable inserts were provided, which allows me to keep my own, precious collection of Enchanted Dolls in there, under the glass. Four dolls can easily fit in side by side. Right now, I keep my first 4 resin prototypes in there. It looks, oh so nice. Thank you, Jayne!Almost edible, miniature cakeThis little cake is so delicious and realistic-looking, that I almost ate it. Explaining this to the paramedics would have been awkward. It is embellished with Enchanted Doll imagery and decorative elements: logo, tattoo, bows, bead embroidery and a Lotita fan that says happy birthday Marina! Very, very intricate work. Thank you, Kelly!Little Rubber StampsI like this project because carving is not easy, and this contestant has managed to carve very small, soft rubber blocks with a surprising amount of detail. The application of the idea is interesting and creative. These inspired me to create a secondary Enchanted Doll logo. And now Chad is going a little crazy and stamping them on everything in sight. sigh..So, thank you for that, Trish. No, seriously, thank you.A poem about being an Enchanted Doll collectorThis poem provides an interesting insight into the emotions of an Enchanted Doll admirer/fan/owner. I get so wrapped up in the demands of the creative aspect of Enchanted Doll, that sometimes I loose touch with the feelings of those who end up owning my work. At times of prolonged detachment, this poem will remind me to work even harder to make even more beautiful dolls for you, Enchanted Doll lovers. Thank you, Els!Thank you all: those who made it in the top 10 and those who didn't. I love it that you took the time to make things. Thank you!

All the contest entries can be seen here

ED 2010 Birthday contes winner

Well, I am happy to announce that the 2010 Enchanted Doll birthday contest has finally come to a close!Thank you so much to all the participants for your hard work. I've received many thoughtful and artful gifts-entries and many touching birthday wishes. Thank you all.Choosing a winner has proven to be much more challenging that I ever thought it would be, especially since my decision was complicated by the fact the the entries were not limited by any specific theme or medium, but rather an assortment of all kinds of creativity. They could not be judged by a clear cut, unified criteria or a grading scale, because they were all beautiful and unique each in its own way.The reason I specifically did not impose a general theme to follow for the participants, was because I wanted to keep this competition open to all kinds of talent. I wanted to give everybody an opportunity to win by doing what they are good at. This, however, severely complicated my task of choosing a winner, to the point where I began to panic that I could not make a decision.I judged the entries based not only on technical ability, originality, composition, complexity and beauty, but also on the wholeness of artistic presentation and the concept behind the work and most of all- the intensity of my emotional response to each piece. After all, provoking an emotional response is the essence of art. In the end, I thought my head would explode. I first chose 10 of the best entries based on the quality and execution, then narrowed those down to 3 favorites and then let my senses decide which one  spoke to my heart the most. Still, it was one of the hardest decisions I ever had to make.And this is what it chose:Ladies and gentlemen, presenting 3rd place entry by Paula F. from PolandI chose this entry for the 3rd place because the work and the concepts of this very young artist deeply resonated with my own, and even though they are inspired by Enchanted Dolls, they are not directly borrowing from them. Despite of appealing to my language of expression through her use of textile and embroidery art, her own voice is very present in this work. Congratulations Paula, you've won a pair of sterling silver shoes. Thank you for participating.The 2nd place goes to Monika V, from Australia. For her entry she painted me a series of 9 stunning paintings of Enchanted Dolls. The sheer volume and intricacy of work blew me away and one can see what a commitment of time and energy this was. The technique and skill are very advanced, while  the decorative aspect is very well articulated. These paintings must have have been a joy to paint and they are certainly a joy to look at. Congratulations Monika, you've won a bronze crown. Thank you for taking  part in this contest.And now, finally, the 1st place entry and the winner of porcelain nude doll Pearl......goes to Amarilli A, from Italy!I love the stylistic reference to the religious art of the late middle ages in this oil painting. The combination of slight inconsistencies in linear perspective in the composition, the color palette, gold leafing and even the greenish undertones of the skin are very characteristic of the painting methods of that time period, and yet there is a contemporary air to it. The presentation of the painting on the piece of ornate brocade fabric to resemble a tapestry is the final touch that ties it all together. This artist has painted her daughter as an Enchanted Doll and included many elements that I am fond of, such as historical references, bejeweled metal head dress, Gothic architecture, rich textiles and lampwork beads, all without directly borrowing from any Enchanted Dolls. Congratulations Amarilli, you've won an Enchanted Doll.Thank you all for taking  part in this year's birthday contest. I encourage everyone to try again next year. Once you see the rest of the gifts displayed on my website tomorrow, it will give you a good idea of your competition and hopefully inspire you to practice and create all year round in your 'training' runs for the next year's contest.Finally, I would like to thank my dad for managing the incoming gift packages and putting up with being constantly woken up by early morning delivery couriers, and of course my dear Chadasaurus for taking care of the logistical aspect of the contest like handling, organizing, documenting and displaying the entries and recycling loads and loads of cardboard. This wouldn't be possibly without you.The winning participants should receive their prizes in the mail in the second half of April. The rest of the entries will be announced tomorrow. Seven more runners up will be announced and will also receive a small gift from me for entering.This concludes the 2010 Enchanted Doll birthday contest. I look forward to next year.

Contest winner announcement selection

Chad and I are working really hard at putting up the gallery of all contest entries, but we are running a little behind schedule. I've narrowed down 5 runner ups and now deciding on the winner. Despite the delay, we should still have everything finalized, organized, displayed and announced tonight. We're not going to sleep until then.Thanks for your patience. The 2010 contest is almost over! Results coming shortly.