500 Handmade Dolls

BOOK REVIEW: LarkBooks has a wonderful “500 series” presenting gallery images, one item per page . I like their book on polymer clay, which is several years old, now. There’s a new book being released on Handmade Books this July that I am anxious to see, too. The “500″ books make a real contribution by raising awareness of artisans working in innovative ways, often applying non-traditional materials and points of view.

The book 500 Handmade Dolls - Modern Explorations of the Human Form was published in 2007 and it does not disappoint. These are ART dolls and the range of styles and materials used is vast. There are some traditional dolls, to be sure, and lots of wild and “out there” dolls, too. Each has its own character and exquisitely demands your attention to the wordless story it has to tell. Some are beautiful, some humorous and some are hard to look at but you must; you must. Whether a doll maker or an art doll admirer, you will find the book inspiring.

The artists’ work I particularly liked include my old favorites: Akira Blount, Debra Dembowski, Charla Khanna. And I discovered some artists in the book that could become new favorites: Annie Wahl, Renne Whitaker Ensley, Dima, Mar Gorman, Sylvia Wanke.

Many of the artists have mulitple works scattered throughout the book and the index made it helpful to visit all their different pages so you could get a real sense for their personal style. As someone who is not yet working strictly in one style, this was a delicious exercise.

The whole area of handmade dolls or art dolls designed for people to look at (as opposed to dolls made for children to play with) is a pretty small niche, still. There are still more exhibitions of traditional handmade dolls - the beautifully dressed bisque reproductions, if you know what I mean - than dolls made in experimental or non-traditional forms. Maybe that trend is changing. Lark’s 500 Handmade Dolls is an important book honoring the work of hundreds of talented artists. I love it.