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 As an artist, some of my goals are to keep an almost childlike connection to my work, and to use it as an escape from reality. This mindset is why I have chosen to create a fantasy type world with the characters being my favorite childhood toy, dolls.   I have always been drawn to bright colors and busy patterns. I consider myself a maximalist in terms of style, and like to fill my work with detail.

 

My background is in acrylic painting, but the expansion into sculpture has allowed me to move into the realm of texture as well as pattern and color. I use a variety of materials for my dolls, including wire, clay, felt, paper, and recycled plastic. As my dolls are in essence toys, and meant to appeal to all ages but especially children, I use materials that are familiar and relatively commonplace. This allows them to feel relatable and more approachable to a young audience, and nostalgic to an older audience.

 I have chosen to create dolls because of what they have the power to represent. Dolls are given to children as reflections of themselves, and play a role in forming their self image.  The dolls that I make take that reflection and use it to encourage creativity and imagination. I use inspiration from older antique dolls, but in such a bold and exciting way that they are extremely expressive and exaggerated. They represent what I think children should be encouraged to be, and what my childhood self always wanted to create.