Clarisse and Charles 2

Clarisse and Charles

Back in my undergraduate days, as film major, I started taking filmmaking courses. Since I didn't want to have to beg my friends to be in my film projects, I decided to make my characters... I suppose that's when my doll-making days began. After that I just couldn't stop. My first project was called 'A Mild Infatuation', featuring Clarisse and Charles. The assignment was to make a film that had characters and a plot (mine ended up a bit thin on plot, but not worse than those of my classmates), and had to be about obsession and/or revenge. The idea behind my little film was that Clarisse is obsessed with hands, so she kills her boyfriend, Charles, cuts off his hand and preserves it. Then she hangs herself because she can't stand the guilt. The large backdrop painting posted earlier was used in the scene were Clarisse hangs herself. I also used to have a tree made from a tree branch, it cost me a tetanus shot, and had real tiny crab apples glued to its branches. Pretty nifty. It didn't make one of my many dorm-to-dorm moves. I also had a whole room set up for Clarisse, with a window and fake fruit and all that (they're in one of the pictures)... Here we go...

More poppies

And this is my bouquet of beaded poppies... They still need some touch-ups, as do.es the paper-mache vase they're in

Field of Poppies

At some point in time, I developed and obsession with red poppies, probably because they're red. At the time I was not aware of the symbolism of poppies: remembrance, sacrifice, sudden violent death. I still think they're beautiful. I started this painting in the fall 2006 and, as you see, it's still incomplete.

My first acrylic painting - on a canvas that came with the cheapo Costco easel I got a few years ago. 

The Transylvanian Shepherd and his sheep (Miorit,a)

The shepherd is one of the main symbols of Romanian/Moldovan folklore as is the magical sheep that helps him commune with nature. I was intending to make a stop-motion animation film about Moldovanness, but that never really materialized. Instead I have the shepherd and the sheep. The shepherd is made of crushed aluminum foil, batting and taffeta with ball joints. The sheep is made from styrofoam, polyester batting, fabric, brushed silk twine... Their faces are from paper clay.

It is high time I posted some new stuff, the problem is, I wanted to post the old stuff first so the new stuff got ignored and left behind and the old stuff wasn't posted. I will also be posting pictures of work in progress since it takes me so darn long to actually finish things. After all, I do have a serious day job... kind of...

So, in non-chronological order: Anna, a doll I made during spring break my junior year of college (that would make it 2004). I got the idea from the piece of fabric I used to make the dress. I thought of the dress, then I thought of something to wear the dress. She is made mainly of super sculpey, with a soft fabric body. I have to admit, I am exceptionally proud of her hands.  She now lives with my sister.