It has taken me some time to get into my new studio and manifest that creative energy...and it is here!
With that I am finally getting to my commission pieces that have been waiting patiently (as well as my clients!).
Part of my year to follow is be more patient- thoughtful with myself, to give myself the chance to be mindful when creating...and with that I would like to share my process of creating the commission piece Alma Benita- Love-Marriage.
I have created Alma before so have my pattern already drafted, but how did I get to this point?? read more here
Alma was many years in the making- gathering...gathering information from many areas of life to come into one form of a doll.
I believe that these two image are the ones that inspired me the most to be able feel what I wanted to create. The serenity and peace...
I would like to emphasize that my goal here was not to copy these master pieces, but to be inspired by them...to gently catch their genius...their heart with which these pieces speak.
I always like to start with the head. It determines the size and the complexity of the rest of the body. The more complex the head, the rest of the body must follow suit and be as complex or as simple. It is wonderful to keep your pieces compatible all the way through.
For this piece, the head is sculpted in clay with the head open so it can be jointed onto the neck. Fabric is overlaid covering the head. I use a silk crepe. I love the texture and matte finish of this fabric. It is hard to find, so when I do, I put out the expense and buy at least 5-6 yards to hold me a couple of years.
Next comes sewing the body which I line using a cotton batiste, it a very light weight cotton- lovely. I believe that when you sew-create- using the finest materials you can afford, it does a couple of things for you #1- it is much easier to work with fabric that is of high quality, it will just flow as you sew and #2- you put in so many hours and heart in creating- make it count by using something that is of consistent value as your time. You will find that you gather a sense of wanting to do the best you of your ability when you use nice products.
This piece is wall mounted so no need to have the legs bend at the knee. I made straight legs with a upper leg that inserts into a knee cap. Since the head is jointed I wanted to create a continuity and so jointed the elbows with a ball joint.
At this point, I usually add a bit of coloring in the face to give her a bit of a voice...identity.
