More Opinion on the "Magazine Art Doll Quarterly"

This is a long rant, just to get it out of my system. I don't expect anyone to read it all, but I have to vent.

Last January, after I wrote my opinion here about being disappointed in certain aspects of the magazine "Art Doll Quarterly" I decided to write a letter to the editor of the magazine, also expressing my disappointment. As a matter of fact, this is what I wrote:

Today I was rewarded for bundling up against the weather and walking to the mailbox – the Feb/Mar/Apr issue of Art Doll Quarterly was snug inside! I made myself a cup of coffee, snuggled down in front of the fireplace, and prepared for a delicious afternoon. I couldn’t help but reflect on what doll making has done for me – I came to it as a means of self-expression, a healing tool, after a difficult spot in my life. I couldn’t help but think of all the late-blooming artists who may be approaching dolls for the very first time right now, and thinking of this publication’s past Show & Tell galleries of dolls from “regular” doll makers; so encouraging to one just starting out.

There was just a bit of concern when I saw the number of big names contained within, especially when I read the paragraph in the Letter From the Editor announcing Adele Sciortino’s “The Business of Art Dolls” column. If I were just beginning doll making, seeking inspiration, I would wonder if this magazine would meet my needs.

Thus, elinor peace bailey’s wonderful article on “The Doll As a Tool” was even more significant. Her premise, that society does not value an item as art unless it can be assigned a monetary value rings true. And, when I read her last paragraph that states “I make art for myself. If you want to buy it, or award it a ribbon, that is your choice, but what I make is art that contains an abundance of myself in it,” well… I wanted to stand up and cheer. (Actually, I did holler a bit, and managed a small fist pump, despite being home alone.)

So about that column on the Business of Dolls? I won’t be reading it. I think it’s best suited to a different publication.

As you can see, I didn't state flat out that I don't think artists like Marilyn Radzat belong in the Show & Tell Section, but I believe that quite firmly. The new issue arrived over the weekend, and all letters to the editor but one were complimentary. There was one letter that stated more succinctly what I was trying to say, that she wished the Show & Tell section could be saved "for the rest of us who are not professional. Professionals have the rest of the magazine and advertising opportunities to market themselves."

The editorial response made sense in one aspect, stating "The fact that a non-professional artist could be published next to a more well-know doll artist means that, in our opinion, the caliber of both the dolls is top-notch!" I have to admit, if one of my dolls were published next to someone very well known, I'd be pretty proud. HOWEVER, the statement "...when we meet as a committee to select dolls for the Show & Tell gallery, the name of the artist is hidden. In fairness to all submissions, we look objectively at each doll and base our decisions on the quality, workmanship, details, techniques used... "

I find that statement incredible, if not an outright lie. Most of the nationally known artists' work is so distinctive, so much their very own look, that whether the name is hidden or not, if those editors don't know whose work they are viewing, they don't belong on the staff of the magazine. Again, not to pick on Marilyn Radzat, but in the winter issue there was an article in the magazine about her work, and one of her pieces in Show & Tell. Come on.

Perhaps it's all explained in this issue's (dull again) Letter FROM the Editor. There's a picture of the editor with the triple divas of dollmaking - elinor peace bailey, Barbara Willis, and Patti Culea. The editor states that she finally met these three for the first time in January. Again I say, come on! I'm sitting here in suburban CLEVELAND for heaven's sake, and I've met these three...and she's the editor of the magazine?

I guess I'm just ticked off. I realize all magazines have staff changes, peaks and valleys, and so on. However, this just is not the magazine it used to be, and I'm thinking a lot has to do with an editor who writes dull columns and hasn't met the best know teachers and pattern designers in the business prior to taking the job.

Every issue from the very first one is on my shelf. However, I may not be renewing this expensive publication, unless things improve soon.

Spirit Dolls

We made little wrapped spirit dolls at Cloth Souls this past Thursday evening (fetish dolls?). I wrapped three (over painted driftwood) during our meeting, then brought them home to finish. Now I need a source on small pieces of driftwood! They are:

Spirit of Joy:

New Spirit:

Spirit of Spring:

Here are the three of them together... the tallest is only about 4" or so.

Signs of Spring

First blooms of the year!
Lone crocus:
Forsythia buds:

A few of the fish at the warm, shallow end of the pond:
Spring. Hope.

Projects

Recently I joined a second "cloth doll club," and both clubs are currently in the early stages of round robins. I went to one meeting and learned about metal shank button joints, and have decided that the learning/experimental doll should also be the round robin doll for the other club. She truly is an experimental doll, because I rarely work with doe skin (haven't in years, and prefer not to), and she has my first wonky attempt at the jointing technique I mentioned. The journal that travels with her is made of experimental techniques, as well.

She isn't really as ET-esque as she appears - I took the photo at an odd angle.

In the online group, Cloth Paper Studio, we are doing a swap of journal covers made from items we would normally trash - thus "Trash to Treasure" book covers. These are my offerings:

I have three other dolls in progress on my work table, and I need to make some little 3 inch dolls for a swap I'm hosting. Crazy woman. Gotta get this all out of my system before it's time to garden!

"What Fresh Hell is This?"

...says Cosmo. He is so NOT impressed, especially considering all this stuff was gone yesterday.



The look of resignation:

Surrounded

Blogger just will not let me drag photos around to move them anymore. If I copy, delete, and re-paste in a different order, the photos are no longer clickable. I give up. I guess I have to continue to put a great deal of thought into what order I upload, or you get them in random order. Today, it's random.

I've had lots of dolls on the brain lately, and have been inspired to sew, sew, sew other things as well. Currently, I have five new dolls in the works (including two round robins) and I've been making myself some clothing, as well.

Last night, I told my Oldtimer that I just wanted to go upstairs and sit amongst the fabrics and think for a while. Cosmo decided to help. That is one stubborn cat. He knows that I'll try to chase him off the work table, so he jumps up, and dives under the things I have clipped up to view, or else tries to get behind the window blind. I thought I could ignore him last night, but he was having none of it. And then Molly gets wounded looking because she can't get on the table too. She either torments the cat, or climbs onto my bed pillows and pouts. Here are last night's photos - both of the things I like to look at while I'm thinking and making, and my difficult pets.

Icy Monday

Mini (and many) frozen drips everywhere today.



And just 24 hours ago, this is what the yard looked like - complete with young deer!

Birthday Wish

Shameless, I know. Tomorrow is a milestone birthday for me, and since I don't need a thing, lucky me, I'm asking for donations via "Causes" for my favorite charity.

Sure would love it if you could help out - or spread the word!

Many thanks.

A Look at Winter

Just a brief look, really. Poor Molly.

We were fortunate - we didn't get hit like many other Midwestern cities, and our road crews do an admirable job. Still, we're all feeling a little hedged in. (Luckily, this house has *two* sheltered front doors, access via the garage, two doors to the deck, and a slider, so we aren't trapped! We just can't go out and sit on the deck.)

Our snow has only been in the range of 3 to 6 inches at a time, nice and steady, and on a regular basis; not a horrible blast, and then a huge dump of snow. It makes it all so much more manageable. Still, we've grown some dandy icicles, and we can't get out the back door.

I'm curious about these icicles on the northwest corner of the house. Do you suppose the wind was blowing that much when they formed that they leaned out sideways?

This is our current "dandy" icicle. It's not as huge as the one from son Chris' house, but my guestimate (judging by the width of the siding) is that it's a hair over 5 feet long.

I'm hosting a "puffy hearts swap" in the Cloth Paper Studio Yahoo group. The swap is three for three, and I've made four - though I think I may have to make several more so they don't look quite this Valentine-y. I'm thinking of putting them on bases to make a heart forest...

In order to ship them flat, and let the recipients stuff them and use them as they wish, one side has a small opening - thus the strings hanging out to enable the recipient to close them.

Pin Doll Name Tags

I mentioned a couple posts back that I'd joined a new-to-me doll club, and needed a pin doll name tag. They even provided the pattern, face and a bit of fabric. Actually, there were two possible patterns, and I was so inspired, I had to make both, though I used my own fabrics, and one face that I had "on file."

One is serene, the other more joyful, but I love them both. Perhaps my mood will dictate which one I wear to what meeting??

Art Doll Quarterly magazine - an opinion

I love the magazine Art Doll Quarterly. I have every issue, right back to the very first one, published in the Summer of 2003. Recently, it's been a little less inspiring for me, primarily because I felt the submissions for the Show & Tell section were a little less abundant, a little less exploratory and joyful. There also seemed to be a hint of staging for the "professional" dollmakers. (Does anyone else think Marilyn Radzat does NOT belong in the Show & Tell section?)

Don't misunderstand me - I can appreciate those who make and sell dolls; those who make glorious confections; those who move me with the spirit of their creations. I don't particularly understand those, however, who churn them out with dollar signs in their eyes.

I also appreciate those who teach and are willing to share techniques. Though my exposure to those who teach is somewhat limited, I've found teachers often fall into one of two camps - those who are teaching to make money and self promote, and those who are sharing the joy. Some teachers want you to make a doll that looks exactly like their class sample; others are thrilled when you spring off in your own direction, inspired by what they have shared. For my money, those who share the joy are the classes I desire.

I came to make cloth dolls, or art dolls, or soft sculpture (whatever you want to call it, as long as it differentiates from making Raggedy Ann for your grandkids) as a kind of therapy. When I was going through an especially difficult point in my life, entailing a nasty divorce and teenage children, I felt an internal desire to express what I was feeling through a cloth doll. I didn't know such things were being done - it was, I thought, all internal to me. Though it took several years, and the beauty of online friendships, I ultimately found what I needed. (An online course with Barb Kobe on healing dolls broke the log jam for me.)

But back to the magazine known as ADQ. I was thrilled to find it in my mailbox yesterday - another cold and dreary day. I was intrigued to see that elinor peace bailey had written an article on The Doll as a Tool. Then I read the letter from the editor, and was disappointed to see that there's a new, regular column on marketing your dolls. I experienced an instinctive sinking in the gut as I remembered myself a few short years ago, paging through and finding far more inspiration in the submissions for the "Bendy Doll Challenge" than I did with the perfect pieces, loaded with rare materials, and owned by the rich and famous. If I were to pick up my first issue of ADQ today, would I put it down, thinking "I'm not worthy"? (Hopefully not, if one gets far enough in to see articles like "Ladies in Waiting," "My Peeps," and "Misfit Art Dolls.")

Me? I don't want to create marketable dolls; I want to express myself. Thank goodness for the last paragraph of epb's article that read "I make art for myself. If you want to buy it, or award it a ribbon, that is your choice, but what I make is art that contains an abundance of myself in it."

Joy, soul, exploration, creativity - for me, that's what it's all about. Put the marketing articles elsewhere.

Cabin Fever

Cosmo is restless. When he's not peering through the doggy door looking mournful, he paces from place to place in house, looking for new snoozing opportunities. Gerry's desk... (note the decimated catnip)

Behind the to-be-folded laundry...
Molly is destroying toys. Poor Gumby.

I made a fabric collage, but making the hanger for the back requires a trip to the garage, so it waits.
I'm hosting a "puffy hearts" swap over on the Cloth Paper Studio yahoo group. Perhaps working with some red and pink felt and lacy trims will move this cold front on through. First, however, I'm going to jam some rolled up rugs around the base of the exterior doors. Brrr!

Better Day

What a difference one day of sunshine can make! Though I'm still not winter's biggest fan, I'm feeling much better. I think the primary reason was the vision of sunshine outside my workroom window. After weeks of gray skies, this was a welcome sight.

On Sunday, I met with a new-to-me doll club, and was so impressed and uplifted by the friendly, happy members. I came away newly inspired, and spent a good day sorting fabric, sewing, cutting, and stuffing. In fact, this group wears pin doll name tags, and even the two patterns for the pin doll are such joyful shapes, I had to make one of each!

My work table is once again littered with body parts, I have other projects in the wings - but the other end of my sewing room is back to being a disorganized mess. It feels good!

Winter Blues

Actually, blue would be a welcome addition to my world right now. Can't remember the last time we had sunshine, or saw a blue sky. Another three months or so, and things should perk up - I'll just keep downing the Vitamin D!