Girl's Can Can

 

 

Mike Sieving

CAN

 

Teach Girls

 

 

It’s my pleasure to introduce a few of the instructors from the April 23 – 26, 2015 Artistic Figures in Cloth & Clay convention.  The event is held every other year.  The 23rd of April is kicked off of the 3 day event.  This extravaganza is designed for art doll artist and enthusiast. The workshops are chosen with much care.  Each instructor has their own style and appeal.  One thing I am very particular about is to make sure there is something for everyone.  Each class is unique with plenty of techniques for students to add to their bag of tricks.

 

 This next class is no exception. It is not clay and it is not cloth.  It is something that we all need to learn the basics of.  How build, use tools and how to use a rotary tools. This one tool can drill, sand, slice and dice.  It can carve and burrow.  Mike is going to have his students build this stage.  After the project your world opens up to building platforms, alters, stages and arena to show case your art projects

 One day class at AFICC read all about it Click Here

 

Girls Can Can is all made from wood.  This workshop has a double meaning.   Las Vegas girls are doing the Can Can!  The true meaning is Girls Can Can use tools you only need to be shown how.  This is why we have invited Mike Sieving to AFICC to teach a one day class for those that want to become comfortable with simple rotary tools.  If you are like me you have to find something that fits your need in which can be adapted to a platform.  That is until I just bit the bullet and learned how to use my Dremel tools.  Mike is all about putting you at easy.  He grew up using tools.  By the time you finish cutting, sanding and shaping your project you will say Gee Whiz what was so intimidating about that.   

Natalie Hamade Just has a Flair

Natalie Hamade

Is mixing it up!

Multi Media workshop

 

Frolic - AFICC workshop

     I would like to open this post with the class Natalie is teaching at the convention.

 

Detail class information click here.

     Frolic paper clay, cloth and painting techniques. Sounds simple enough right?  This 3 day workshop is designed for intermediate and advanced students and will not disappoint.  The cloth is a basic do a little simple sewing at home.  Come to class and be ready to dive right in.  You will be up to your elbows in cloth, paper clay, paint, design and experimentation.  This is a wonder adventure in a mixed media progressive figurative art.  

 

     It all starts 9am on April 24^th. Natalie is a fireball and full of information which she has no problem sharing.  She will be teaching in a variety of paints, pencils and blending techniques, fabric and paper clay. Add costuming to the mix and you are enfolded in her world of color and design.

 

Rag doll by Natalie Hamade

 

     Now that I have introduced the class let me show you some of her other design work.  I had originally ask her to do this adorable rag doll as a 1 day class.....As you can see she can take the most basic of figurative forms and ad a twist of flair.  She embraces color into all her designs. She had no problem saying,  Let me give you something that will knock your socks off. She was right Frolic was a winner.....but I still love this!

 

 

Drawer pull by Natalie Hamade

 

    She has an Etsy site:  selling paintings, on canvas and paintings on rocks, paintings on pillows and paintings on draw pulls....if it is paintable Natalie applies her talent and color making     it come alive.  

 

Click here view her etsy site

 

 

Natalie loves mixed media, adding dimension to her paintings is one way to bring an interesting added touch to the art.

 

Art from the Heart: Trish Randal

          

Trish Randal puts the meaning in the saying

 

Art from the Heart!

      This is the Season we all take pause to reflect on how grateful we are for what we have.  Some years are good years, some are great and some we could do without, but know matter what type of year we have had there is always something or someone to be grateful for.  I am always grateful for my family, friends and my fury friends.

      While in my own world remembering who and what I was grateful for, I was in the process of choosing the next AFICC teacher to write about. 

     I like to reveal things in the blog that you may not know about the artist.  A surprise you might say! We all like to learn something new and it keeps things interesting. 

     Who should jump out at me?  Trish Randal!  It didn't take me but a minute to think of her for the holiday.

     You might be saying, "Oh she does ornaments and it is the holiday season that's why Cyndy choose her."  No not exactly but it does help in timing of this holiday season Teacher Feature.   So let me tell you a little about Trish before I reveal why I choose her for December blog report.

     Trish is a fantastic teacher but she is also a very giving artist.  I met her at an art show we both had a booth, her ornaments were selling like hot cakes.

  

Trish has a large fan club here in Ohio and people have been collecting her work for years.

     Her art work is just not for the Holiday season.  Most of her figures represent images of family and friends as a tribute to their love and kindness.  It is her intention as an artist to create pieces to celebrate the stories of our lives.  That can be at graduation, weddings, loving memories and yes Christmas too!



 

Holt International Adoption

    
   I was surfing her web site when I cam across her page of special items. A portion of proceeds from sales of her figures on this page go to charitable organizations which have touched her life click here to go directly to her site.

      These collectibles are truly Gifts from the Heart.  She has made special pieces for each of the charities Breast Cancer, Joubert Foundation, American Heart, and Holt International Adoption.



     

Boy's - Joubert Foundation Collectible
There is a Girls version too.

 I have admired artist that do special benefits, or use there art to help raise awareness, however Trish's page is up all the year around. She changes out the collectables with a new version from time to time to allow people to add to their private collection and help at the same time. Her Breast Cancer Awareness is now 10th in the series. 







 

 

This is 1of the 4 classes 

Trish is teaching at

 

Artistic Figures in

Cloth & Clay 

 

Trish has the step by step class designed so anyone can succeed!

Click here to see

this class and her

other classes

Teacher Creature Feature - Debra Klopp

Halloween & Debra Klopp

go together just like Salt and Pepper

 

 

One of my favorite times of the year is the fall.  I love the smell of the air and fireplaces.  I love the sound of rustling leafs under my feet as I shuffle along and the giggles of children running down the street Trick 'r Treating.  I treasure the memories I spent after school and on the weekends working on my Halloween costume with my sisters and brothers.  It is a magical season. You just know anything could happen.

     When I found Debra Klopp's  Etsy site I just had to contact her right away.  Her work is ghoulishly hilarious.  I couldn’t look at her Creatures or Dolls without giggling and then feeling a little bit guilty about it, especially if you read the quirky little side bars. 

     October gives me the perfect excuse to decorate my home with weird and wonderful things, dress up in crazy costumes, make pop popcorn balls and watch the old original movies, like The Mummy, Dracula, Frankenstein and the Wolf Man. 
 

It was love at first site when I saw her adorable Frankenstein dolls.

Igor, The Doctor, Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein
and Scrappy the dog. - Debra Klopp original Designs

If you have a love for the goofy macabre and Halloween you simply must visit her Etsy site and indulge yourself this October.   She has crazy creatures and Very Grim Fairytales of her own. 

 

Wicked Red Riding Hood heard that someone tried to get her Granny.  She is out for revenge.....someone is going to pay!

 

 

Artistic Figures in Cloth & Clay have many multi-talented instructors; Debra is no exception. 

She works in clay, cloth, paper, paint and writing. She will be teaching an All Creative Cloth painting workshops this April 2015

I am delighted that she will be here to teach. You can see more abut her Wicked Red Riding Hood and other workshop just

Click Here.

Gloria "Mimi" Winer Scholarship Fund for AFICC

Scholarships for 2015

Gloria and Robert

      

Gloria "Mimi" Winer had to down size when she moved to Florida.  She painfully parted with some of her prized art dolls from many renown artist.  She graciously donateded them to benefit Artist attending Artistic Figures in Cloth & Clay.  This scholarship is a Win for the person receiving the art doll and a Win for the person receiving the gift of financial help to attend the workshops at the convention.  The "Gloria Winger Scholarship fund is currently running from Sept 15, 2014 though March 15, 2015 with a new doll up for auction ever two weeks. 

About

Robert Keene McKinley

Robert Keene McKinley In the late 1970s he was a children's clothing designer, who had been making and preforming puppets after work.  He decided he wanted to just make figures for the fuf of it.  In the early 80's he created three sets of windows for Tiffany's in New York in 81, 82, and 83.  He was elected to NIADA in 1985, wrote two dollmaking books and made one video.  He became an international renowned for his dolls and teaching.

First bid in $25.00 from Oct 1 - Oct 15

Gloria was given this doll by Bob McKinley when visiting him in his New York apartment.  It is not signed, however there is a card attached to the artwork signed by Gloria Winer that the doll was made by Bob McKinley and was part of her private collection.  The purchaser of this doll will have to know in there heart they own one of his pieces and be content with the that thought.  To see more pictures click here

Gloria can be reached at. Gloria J. "Mimi" Winer <firebird-mimi@comcast.net>

What I did this summer.

Roxanne Maria

    

     I did a lot of things this summer but this story is not about me.  I want to share a story about Roxanne Maria and her huge summer project.  Roxanne Maria is one of the instructors at Artistic Figures in Cloth & Clay 2015. 

     When I first met her I was impressed with the detail and movement she put into her art work.  I had no idea just how impressed I would become.

     Roxanne was a young girl,  living off the Florida coast. She was told a story of Yemaya and a small prayer in Spanish to say before entering the ocean waters so that Yemaya would protect her . The folklore is a mixture to Cuban and Ancient African beliefs. Yemaya is believed to be the mother of the seas, a grand goddess and a mermaid by the Haitians. She has many names one is La Sirren and Timbre del Mar which means sounds of the ocean

 

 

 

      This summer Roxanne sent me pictures of her project in production.  Roxanne shaped a Mermaid from concrete and rebar!  You read correct concrete and rebar!  Not a small mermaid either this is a 6 foot tall mermaid.  I can’t even wrap my mind around this project.  Where would you start? How would you map this out?  How do you hand sculpt concrete with all these little details?  How would you move it after you are done?  I was so impressed with this project I decided to put her first on my list. 

     At the end of August she sent me the final pictures before it when on exhibit.  She made this wonderful sculpture for a San Diego Sculpture Exhibit fund raiser which focus was on the Preservation of Marine life around the world. 

 

 



Cover doll on Doll Collector Magazine

 

I am sure you have seen her work in magazines and on line Today Roxanna Maria resides in San Diego, California and continues her artistry in the creation of one of kind dolls. Roxanna’s work has been featured in national and international publications such as Art Doll Quarterly, Pretty Toys Magazine, Doll Reader, Contemporary Doll Magazine, Doll Making, Doll Collector and more. Roxanna Maria Sullivan is a member of The San Diego Sculptors Guild, located in Spanish Village at Balboa Park, San Diego, California.  

 

 

3 day workshop at AFICC
April 23-26, 2015
by Roxanne Maria

 

I am very excited to present Roxanne Maria as a teacher April 2015 AFICC.  She is teaching her adorable "A Rabbits Tail".  The art piece is Mixed Media for Intermediate to Advanced students in polymer and felting.  To see more details and close up pictures of her workshop.
 Click here.

  

 

Artistic Figures In Cloth & Clay 2015

 Art Dolls On Parade

After a lot of work and much anticipation the web site is up for Artistic Figures in Cloth & Clay 2015
What a Knock out line up this year.  We have something for everyone!  There are beginner classes and Advanced classes in both cloth and clay.  Check it out at http://www.Cyndysdolls.com

 

Barbara Schoenoff, - Workshops Media - Cloth

Christine Shively-Benjamin, Workshops Media - Cloth

Dawn Schiller, Workshops Media - Polymer Clay

Debbie Jackson, Workshops Media - Polymer Clay

Debra Klopp, Workshops Media - Cloth

Dot Lewallen, Workshops Media - Cloth

Jean Bernard, Workshops Media - Mixed Media

Jody Miller, Workshops Media - Cloth

Kathryn Walmsley, Workshops Media - Paper Clay

Mike Sieving, Workshops Media - Tools

Natalie Hamade, Workshops Media - Mixed Media Cloth and Paper Clay

Roxanna Maria, Workshops Media - Mixed Media Felting and Polymer

Sherry Goshon, Workshops Media - Cloth & Mixed Media

Trish Randal, Workshops Media - Clay 

Enjoy Your Sewing

 

What a difference 65 years makes

 

Sewing is my passion.  I started sewing as a child by hand in the 60's and had my own sewing machine in the 70's thank goodness this was not anything for me to be concerned with.  I would never had made the first stitch

 

 

 

It says nothing about laundry.  Does the laundry have to be done too?  Oh My

Frankenstein Art Dolls

Frankenstein Art Dolls

The head is a upper arm, body
is a head attached to some leftover legs!

What to do with all

 those body parts?

Just when I thought I had used up all my creative juices after getting ready for several art exhibits,  I turned around and surprised myself.  I had been working for months on One of a Kind pieces.  Pouring everything I had it to my art work.  When I was done I felt, empty.  Not empty like I had nothing left empty. More sad and lonely because my work was done.  I had nothing left to work on unless I wanted to start new pieces. 

The head is a body are bodies. 

Ideal Hands!

To fill the void and to keep my hands busy I pulled out the box. All soft sculpture artist have this box.  The box with left over bits and pieces.  In the box are dozens of heads, hands, feet and ears. discarded bodies, shoes, arms, legs.  When every I make anything I always make extra parts.  It is easier to exchange extra long arms with short ones, bird feet with human feet and such when the parts and pieces are already made.  It gives me the ability to work on the fly without going back to the drawing board.  When I am done with my creation the extra pieces to in the box.  Why?  I just can't seem to throw good sculpture pieces out.

Left over head on a left over head
with feet attached.

 

Are the Devils Play Things.

I set the challenge,  I was going to make as many creatures from all these excess body parts as time allowed.  I had a blast.  Thighs became heads, Crowns became hands, heads were used as bodies.  I called these my Frankenstein Dolls because they were made out of so many body parts. 
 
  ( I made a story up about this one....I decided she was a School teacher with a Hatchet.  She never talked about her hatchet, she never mentioned her hatchet to the children.  She never used the hatchet, she would only walk around the room while teaching with the hatchet in her hands. When she told the children to sit down they sat down, When she said turn your book to page 36, they all did so.  Know one punched there neighbor, talked out of turn or kicked the child in front of them. Know one in the classroom bullied another and the story goes.)  

Ideal hands are the Devils Play things. That is why my Frankenstein Dolls were invented.....and the stories that go with them.

I had a blast making them, not thought process, no planning no puzzlement.  I just put body parts together and ran with it......I see more Frankenstein Dolls in my future.

I plan on making a One Eye Purple People Eater next.

To the right is a creature from I do not know, but the hat is an ear, the head is made from two heads the body is a head and the crazy long claw was once part of a crown.  Pretty in paint now is a purple something that is adorably funny.

Beyond the Stars

Beyond the Stars

Cyndy Sieving

 

I'm

Back!

Since April 2013 you may have thought I have been sleeping!  No not hardly. I took a brief absents from my blog, however the brief absents extended much longer than I had planned.  After the Artistic Figures in Cloth and Clay convention my thought was to keep up on Face book, my Blog, and to stay in touch with the world out side my home town.   Intentions were good but my heart wandered off to my garden in the spring, and a studio in the summer then into the fall.  The next thing I knew the holidays were here.

Mostly I feature other artist on this blog. but this time I am going to share with you my talents and what I am up to when I slither away into the abyss.


  I don't take my work far from home. I really do not have the time or ability to travel or to keep up with mass production in sculpting.  I work a full time job.  Then there is the convention So I keep my work close to home and rarely sell my work out side of the city.    I do one art show and one gallery  show a year in November and sell out with an exception of a few pieces. 


My Gallery Work is currently showing in a local Arts & Crafts Museum here in Grandview Ohio.  Beyond the Stars is a perfect example of me pushing the boundaries as to what is possible in fabric sculpting.  The art piece looks like a wood carving but in truth it is fabric, stuffing and wire armatures.  Beyond the Stars not only pushes the boundaries in fabric manipulation it challenges conventional thinking. 

Beyond the starts is 26 inches tall - Fabric sculpture

Here are some other Gallery Art works that I have completed in 201.  Alien King was completely built around a Deer Antler (Deer's shed there antlers every year)  the antler became the spine and tail of the Alien.  The coloring was to mimic the antler.

 

 

 

 

Working with fabric and taking it beyond what people expect just thrills me to know end.  I was able to complete several larger gallery art works.  These pieces take a long time so I worked on them over a stretch of time

 

 I guess you might say I have a very serious side when working on the art work like the Alien King, and Beyond the Stars.  Taking my skills beyond what I think is possible is a challenge for me.  The gratifications comes in seeing a complex piece of work completed. 

Monkey Business

Then something happens, Girls just want to have fun I guess because my funny bone gets turned on. I just can not wait to get started on some truly light hearted ideas I think up. I is time fro Monkey Business!

Knight Hawk

 

 Knight Hawk is complete with his own Night Light head gear, fight scarf and compass. 

 

***********

In the evening, after work I would create smaller pieces.  I love play on works for example. Night Hawk became Knight Hawk and a funny Knight Hawk at that.  He has a lamp-hat complete with pull chain. 


I began writing this and I found myself saying my favorite is Crocodile Tears, I could hardly wait to finish Mice-Tro, One of my favorite was the Eggplant into adulthood.  I soon found out all of these were my favorites when I was working on them.  They gave me a great amount of joy working on them. . So I am going to allow you to view them without my input instead I will tell you the method to my madness.

 

Crocodile Tears

When I was young and didn't get my way I would pretend to cry.  My father would say....boohoo let me cry a bucket of Crocodile Tears.  I am sure you have heard the phrase at one time or another....this is my funny on that old saying.. The only non-fabric items are the crystal tear drop beads and bucket.

 

 

 

 

Mice-Tro

  Complete with Singing Mice and of course the rat in the hat.

********

 

I love sculpting, fabric and painting.  I love it so much I can't stop myself from creating One of a Kind pieces.  I don't want to own them personally, I enjoy the creative process.  I take pictures and send them on their way to new homes.  If I kept every piece I loved I would stop creating.  My home would be full and my heart would be empty.  So many years ago I realized in order to create I needed to learn how to release my work.  With that being said I evolved and created not only hundreds of One of a Kind art works, I developed a method of fabrication I have called Face and Body building.

Eggplant into adulthood

I am a master at pattern maker.  I can see about any image in my head and realize what the flat design need to be before it can become 3-dementional.  I am not sure if this is a gift or a learned art.  I have been able to do this from a young age, however my grandmother worked for a tailor and I was always in her sewing room.  My thought is I picked it up from watching her. Regardless learned or natural it became my base which I took a craft into art.

Loukatan (Loo- ka-tan)

 

I made this creature up.  It wanders through the night recovering Broken Dreams and lost wishes.  Repairs, replaces and restructures them.  Returns them to their owners sparking a new flame in the owners soul.

 

******

My method of work is by build my fabric sculptures with a combination of tailoring, fabric sculpture, fabric manipulation then building the existing form with more fabric shapes and sculpting. Gesso and painting, sanding and painting some more.  Depending on the piece I polish it off with details or distress it with more sanding.  In the end all my work is durable, non-breakable, water resistant.  It really does not matter if I am working on something foolish or serious.  I work with the same zest and desire.  I love fabric, I love creating and I love making something that makes people think

Next week I would like to share with you my Frankenstein Art.  All made from different parts and pieces of disregarded body parts!