In comparison to previous posts, I found this one the most difficult to write. In contrast however, this submission to the 100-art-dolls challenge was the most enjoyable to create.

Even though this character, called Neonlorn Badland is my favorite of all sculptures that I have created thus far for this project, the reflection that inspired his creation is very unattractive; namely the abuse of power and trust. Neonlorn has sparkling, blue eyes and a big, toothy smile. He is a tall, confident character with outstretched hands. However he has a hidden agenda. He is swathed in dark material behind which conceals his true self. He wears Rosary Beads that suggest his behaviors will go so far as to manipulate another’s values and beliefs in faith to accommodate his whims. He sees that his needs are met, regardless of the welfare of whom he chooses as prey.

Increasingly, my sculptural works have involved found objects and recycled materials. Neonlorn Badland was predominantly formed from papier mache and fabric. Even the paint used in his creation was donated and would otherwise have found its way dumped into landfill. I suspect that these reasons added to the gratification that I felt in making Neonlorn despite the unattractive theme that underpinned his creation.

(This post relates to Neonlorn Badland, Arrigo Dorissa art doll #10, March 2008)

I was walking the dog and found this broken plastic hook on the edge of the football oval. What in the heck was something like this doing here? Turned upside down, I thought it would make a good nose for an art doll. I put it in my pocket and kept walking, eyes to the ground. I found a red bottle cap that would make a good hat. I found a green one - that could be the head. Some frayed white cotton from a discarded bandage - hair. I did another round of the footy oval and back at home I assembled a face. It looked like a monkey with a hat. Cool.

 The next day, the dog and I took a different route and I collected good junk for my monkey body and limbs.

He’s a lovable tramp, just hanging around.

As I was making him I remembered a saying from my youth. My friend Elana Floyd liked to say it, something like, “I know I’m okay, ’cause God don’t make junk.”

I did an Internet search and found the original quote, attributed to the great jazz singer, Ethel Waters:

I know I’m somebody aCause God don’t make no junk.

Perhaps they were song lyrics.

Anyway, this monkey IS junk but he’s not the type of dude who really cares. He has a certain air of confidence and a rakish style, with his hat and tie. He has value to me because I enjoyed making him.

We use the resources that come to hand in order to create what we can in life. One man’s junk is another man’s treasure.

This post relates to Art Doll number 17, Junk Monkey, March 08, by Stacey Apeitos.)

Following on from my previous post, I have two more dolls from this series to share.

This is Ms. Rude Bitch. She is a sour-puss. When things don’t go her way, she does not hesitate in making a face and usually blurts out a catty remark designed to make you feel REALLY BAD.

Like my other dolls, wrapped up in this Rude Doll’s strip of clothing is a note stating “My name is _____ and I am imperfect and it doesn’t matter anymore.”

Interestingly, instead of just one person’s name replacing the blank in this statement, I wrote down four names and I could have kept going but I forced myself to leave it at that.

I know, I know, Dear Readers. It is hard for some of you to believe that anyone could possibly be rude to me. Right?

So as Ms Rude Bitch represents multiple women who have pushed my buttons on this point, let’s do the uncomfortable thing and ask, “Where in my life am I a rude bitch?”

Hmmm. Yes. I am quite capable of playing this role myself.

All four dolls in this series have stick bodies wrapped in burlap strips and string that I’ve dirtied with brown paint. Heads are modelled from air dry clay. Gaping mouths are painted brown because what these dolls have to say is unpleasant. At least that is the part of the conversation I remember.

These dolls are basic and ugly and represent the ugly side of people. They don’t represent the good side. And everyone has a good side. That is why I want to take a last look at the ugliness, learn from it, then ceremonially bury it. (more…)

Since embarking on the 100-art-dolls challenge, I’ve experienced a renewed, healthy attitude toward my work as an artist. I still enjoy painting, however this collaboration with Stacey provides me with an opportunity to explore and exercise my interest in sculpture. Repeated themes such as spirituality are an outcome of one of the underpinning purposes of the project: that the images and pieces created somehow reflect the artists’ values and, at times, autobiographical elements. No coincidence that the site is called, “myartself”. However, the reward that I have experienced through examination of intentions and reasons for creating certain pieces continues to surpass my expectations. This submission, the Happy-to-Help Hand, is probably the simplest and most spontaneous of my sculptures since beginning the challenge.

Again, with reference to Stacey’s article in Astarte’s Mega-Zine (Issue 4), the Hamsa image for this piece specifically referred to, response to community. Many people made direct comments to me with regard to what they saw and read www.myartself.com. However I never expected to receive a subsequent series of generous gestures: people started to give me odds and ends with the intention of my somehow using them in my art work. The gift-giving often came with explicit explanations that what I received was no longer of value or use in addition to comments such as, “I’m happy to help.” Regardless of rationale, I always felt grateful and acknowledged. I even received a small (anonymous) package through the mail, some contents from which became the letters that spell out Happy (look at the finger-tips) on the Happy-to-Help Hand. Thank you who ever you are. The Happy-to-Help Hand was made from an armature of polystyrene and papeir mache. All other materials were found or unwanted objects. My aim was to create a representation of my thanks to those who helped me in this project.

(This post relates to Happy-to-Help Hand, Arrigo Dorissa art doll #9, February 2008)

No more “Ms. Nice Guy”. The time had come to make some angry, ugly art dolls for a cathartic, therapeutic experience.

From time to time, in my otherwise happy life, people appear and really piss me off.

I know, this must be a shock to some of you, Dear Readers. But it is true.

This first fellow here, to our left is Mr. Liar Liar. I had a phone conversation with him in late October last year during which he told me lies. Lots of lies. Whoppers, really. Then he went away and told his boss lies about me. And maybe he told other people lies about me, I don’t know. Why? Because his job was at risk. As I turned the situation over in my mind, I realized I could do him a lot of damage if I revealed what I know about him. And he surely realizes it. And this is why he initiated the lying process.

Oh what a tangled web we weave
When first we practice to deceive.

-Sir Walter Scott

I considered wrapping Mr. Liar Liar up in a “tangled web”. When a person starts lying, they often have to keep it up and spin lie upon lie to keep up the charade. I think it must drain one of a lot of psychic energy to do this. You’d be constantly worried about being found out.

Mr. Liar Liar is squinting because he is scared to look you in the eyes when he lies. His mouth is dirty. He has “LIAR LIAR” pasted on his forehead and he bears a sign that states “I tell you lies and I lie to others about you.” His clothing is a strip of burlap (hessian) and there is a dirty scrap of paper wrapped up inside that states “My name is _____ and I’m imperfect and it doesn’t matter anymore.” I put the real guy’s name in the blank, of course.

Why did I write “It doesn’t matter anymore”? Because the whole point of this exercise is to GET OVER IT. Mr Liar Liar is not an important person in my life and I don’t need to think about his lack of integrity or feel the anger that it causes in me. It doesn’t matter anymore. (more…)

The Latin phrase sanctum refers to a sacred place within a sacred building, such as a temple. The contemporary use of sanctum is typically applied to any private or much-valued place. Alternatively, a sanctum could be a space that represents a retreat from the day-to-day demands of life. A place to pause and reflect.  I still like to think of a sanctum as a room to which a spiritual meaning is applied for example, set aside for mediation, prayer and reflection. I consider the daily practice of meditation essential to my physical and psychological well being and (although I don’t currently have a sanctum per-se) perceive my home as a sanctuary in which I can achieve this practice.

Aside from the glue, varnish and paint, all materials used are found or discarded objects. I enjoy combining materials with different textures, in this case wood and felt. The walls are coated in black and flesh-pink felt while the floor-boards are recycled and varnished ice-cream sticks. The figures are melted, distorted and re-assembled plastic toy soldiers, coated in papier mache and paint. Why, Sanctum of the Little Miracle? There’s nothing wrong with occasionally praying for miracles, even though in my experience I seem to achieve them by less miraculous means: through hard work and persistence.

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(This post relates to Sanctum of the Little Miracle, Arrigo Dorissa art dolls #5,6,7 & 8, February 2008)

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If you saw my post last week you saw the first of three polymer clay art dolls I made. They are Nature Spirits. The one above features a relief image of a small leaf from my backyard.

The Nature Spirit dolls are all brooches with magnetic findings. There’s a metal plate that adheres to the back of the doll and a strong magnet to match. You place the magnet inside your shirt or jacket and it clings through the fabric to hold the brooch in place. I use these findings a lot with my polymer clay jewelry.

When the Nature Spirit doll isn’t being worn as a brooch, it has a little recycled tin shrine to live in. The magnet sits directly on the brooch back and then will stick to the metal of the tin.

At left is the third Nature Spirit. This one is female and her body comes from a mold I made using an imitation cinnabar bead from China.

Each Nature Spirit head is molded from a Buddha figurine.

I really loved making these dolls and shrines. I’m partial to the big one - the one inspired by the red leaf in my previous post and I’ve worn him a couple of times.

These three dolls are designed to remind the owner of the beauty and sacredness of nature.

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(This post relates to Art Dolls number 11 and 12, Nature Spirit Dolls 2 and 3, February 08, by Stacey Apeitos.)

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As a child, I felt sorry for Humpty who sat on a wall before having a fall. Specifically, I always wondered why all the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put him back together again. I figured that he must have seriously hurt himself which, for me, always evoked feelings of sadness.

As an older child, whilst sorting things I’d out-grown to give to charity, my donation included a handmade cloth Humpty Dumpty, dressed in meticulously designed felt, blue overalls and topped with a crop of shaggy, woolen hair. Around this time, I wondered why Humpty was portrayed as an egg. After all, the nursery rhyme didn’t describe him as such. Curious.

I hadn’t thought of Humpty for years. However while attending a psychopathology lecture, an academic began her presentation on mental illness with… “Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall…” In this adult context, the rhyme was presented as a metaphor for depression. That is, the point my lecturer made was that psychologists and other mental health professionals that assist individuals with debilitating illnesses such as clinical depression, at times faced difficultly figuring out (like a riddle), appropriate intervention to allow for recovery; like trying to put Humpty together again. Suddenly, I recalled my feelings of sadness for the character of Humpty and reappraised his story: confidently sitting on a wall only to have a great fall into depression or some other form of mental illness. Family, friends, doctors and therapists tried to put him together again with support and therapy but unfortunately, in Humpty’s case, to no avail. Some distressed individuals have found themselves unable to think rationally or change their behaviour to help themselves. At least Humpty had the King’s horses and men who tried to help him. With typical optimism, I hoped that somehow they eventually found a remedy.

I often reflect upon the combination of internal resilience and external support from family and friends: invaluable resources to help me through times of difficulty. Occasionally I’ve sought professional help. I practice what I preach and believe counselling is (in my personal and professional opinion) one commonsense approach toward understanding how to manage or sort out issues. This submission to the 100-art-dolls challenge is based on that reflection.

Humpty 2008 is made from papier mache with a polystyrene armature. His face, a papier mache mask, is a separate object and is fitted onto his spinal column. In the hollow of Humpty’s face, cut-out letters have been pasted to spell, Help Me: a reminder, for this Humpty sculpture, that he has the ability to always seek help to allow for healing and being put back together again, should he ever experience another fall.

(This post relates to Humpty 2008, Arrigo Dorissa art doll #4, February 2008)

Postscript: Currently, various internet pages offer historic explanations of the rhyme’s origins. More than one site makes reference to Humpty Dumpty as a powerful cannon mounted on top of the St. Mary’s Church in Colchester. During the English Civil War, it defended the city until the church tower was hit by the enemy, sending Humpty crashing into the ground.

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I was walking my dog through the park and spotted this beautiful red leaf on the ground. So I picked it up to bring home and display on my desk, as I sometimes do with lovely bits of flora I find on my walks. As I walked home I realized the veins on the leaf were quite pronounced and it occurred to me I could make a lovely texture plate from it, then use that to create raised leaf veins in clay pieces. I actually went straight to my clay work desk and made the plate right away.

This nature spirit doll bears the mark of the red leaf. The leaf has since faded and I released it back to nature, yet its mark lives on in this doll and other polymer clay items I’ll make in the future.

I grew up in the Indiana countryside and spent a lot of time outdoors. Now I live in the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia and am quite out of touch with nature, really. This doll reminds me that we must stay in touch with, and respect, nature.

I plan to share more about this doll in my next post … I just need to take some more photos first!

(This post relates to Art Doll number 10, Nature Spirit Doll, February 08, by Stacey Apeitos.)

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Like life, walking through a labyrinth or maze can lead to the unexpected at any given turn. My description of this symbolism is far from original. The labyrinth symbol referred to as an allegory for the unpredictable or surprising events in the journey through life, is long established. To walk a labyrinth is often (historically) associated with a journey toward a goal, whether literally or metaphorically. The spirituality of the symbolism lends itself to much of my art. I’ll further describe the classical labyrinth symbol (unchanged for thousands of years) and its influence on my art in another post.

Today however, my submission to the 100-art-dolls challenge is a figure that is wandering through a labyrinth. He’s made entirely from papier mache and coated with a few layers of opaque acrylic. The final result is a sturdy and very hardy sculpture that stands at approximately 32 centimeters tall. I thought that he looked a little lost and vulnerable. He’s looking upward as if the environment at eye-level is not providing him with any clues of how to proceed. My reflection of personal decisions from my past (good, not so good, or decisions that were the best at the time) prompted me to create this piece and facetiously entitled him with an apt symbol: ?. I’m unsure at this stage if ? is a religious figure, a child, an adult, someone who is lost or is searching, or being lead by something or someone. I have attached an eye to ?’s right hand as a metaphor for protection and to help facilitate clarity (please refer to a previous post regarding Hamsa symbolism).

I wish ? all the very best in his continuing journey, similarly to everybody venturing through their own labyrinth.

(This post relates to “?” 2008, Arrigo Dorissa art doll #3, February 2008)

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