Weaving Words into ArtIt's been about two years since I've been making healing dolls.....and the writer part of me is craving involvement lately. The above image is from my 2010 participation in a project called the "Traveling Artist Guild" which in a way was what got me on this whole doll-making journey. As part of this journey, I made a doll, a book, a map and a box to put them all into. Here are the words that go with the above image, which was a description of the doll beginning her journey with the Traveling Artist Guild. Kalili answers the call The soft voices of the chanters begin. I close my eyes and my mind is still. As I attune my senses to the Chanters, individual threads of language unravel themselves from what at first is a diffuse tapestry of sound. Layer upon layer of chanted words, some clear and new, some indistinct, as if roused from ages of slumber. I recognize the ancient Mexican language that is in my blood, the Greek words, the Druidic, the Norse and lightly interwoven with these darker languages, the words in English. Each language stimulates all of my senses, each carries with it a corresponding aroma, taste, physical sensation and color. The older the words, the darker the color and muskier the smell. My body is afire, no longer under my control, something stronger and higher is in power here. I absorb the words into my being, knowing that with the words comes the knowledge and wisdom that will carry me through my journey. Weaving words into art... As I've been working on the large doll I had hinted at in my last post here, the healer doll, I was looking for healing stories and images to put on his cloak. Another hint. I had forgotten somewhat about the Traveling Artist Guild story. But this week I was rereading this story and I saw that it is all there. The protagonist, Kalili comes up from her underworld to heal the overworld of an unspecified sickness. The entire story is about healing of the land, healing of the people in it and the healing that Kalili herself undergoes. It's like discovering an old diary, rereading this story and seeing how it fits with the work I am doing now with my dolls. The creative process What that story describes is the power that words have on the protagonist of my story, Kalili. I've been wondering, as I said, how I can integrate words and stories into my work with the dolls. Now it is as if I have found a map for the way forward. I don't know exactly where this will take me. It's a bit scary not knowing what's coming. But this is the nature of the creative process-sometimes you get a glimpse of the lay of the land from on high and sometimes you are laboring one step at a time, seeing only what your headlights illuminate in the road just of you, out of the dark. What are you working on? What are the threads of your life that you are seeking to integrate? I'd be curious to know. To reply, depending on where you are reading this, answer on the FB thread, on the website blog or send me an e-mail by responding to this newsletter. I will keep you posted on my progress as well. Several doll making workshops that are coming up in the month of April at the Smith Center for Healing and Arts, at Arlington Parks and Recreation and another workshop for creative arts professionals, also in Arlington. For a preview about these workshops, check out my workshop webpage. Where to find Erika and her dolls over the next months:
February 1-March 1 in the Associate's Gallery (TAG) at the Torpedo Factory, now moved to Studio 319. First week of March in Studio 32, short! I will be submitting my work to several shows in the area and will let you know about those. The Potomac Fiber Arts Gallery is another place where you can find me throughout the year.
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 Here's a peek into my studio, what's happening right now....His eyes are important. He is wise beyond his years and his third eye can see beyond the present world. A big doll is in the works, bigger than any I ever made before. I will be sharing glimpses of him as he progresses. Several doll making workshops that are coming up in the month of April at the Smith Center for Healing and Arts, at Arlington Parks and Recreation and another workshop for creative arts professionals, also in Arlington. For a preview about these workshops, check out my workshop webpage. Where to find Erika and her dolls over the next months:  Two of my dolls, "Shedding the Old"and "Shedding the Old II" are in this show at the Target Gallery, in Alexandria, VA. There will be a reception and juror talk on Thursday, February 12th from 6 to 8 PM. The talk is at 7. It's ironic that these dolls in particular are about vulnerability, because they mirror my own feelings of vulnerability of being in the public eye. And yet I am so honored to be among a wonderful and gifted group of artists. If you're local, I'd love to see you there. Here's what the juror, Jeff Huntington, says about the show: “Before expression, there is nothing but a vague fever, and only the work itself, completed and understood, will prove that there was something rather than nothing to be found there.” – Maurice Merleau-Ponty "... My goal in selecting work for In the Flesh 5 was to assemble a cohesive, thought-provoking body of work demonstrating a broad range of mediums, approaches and conceptual ideas. ... Out of 161 entries, 22 final selections were made. "As I took to the task of whittling down, I considered the initial visual impact of the work without knowledge of its title, medium, dimensions, and creator. Certain pieces elicited in me an instant visceral reaction, or a “vague fever”: curiosity, discomfort, and/or enjoyment.... "During this process, a thread began to emerge. The selected works, through varied mediums and interpretations, whether overt or figurative in meaning, evoke a sense of flesh, physicality, or different ideas about human presence. The final decisions were what I considered to be successful interpretations of the theme and a body of work that collectively invites curiosity." You can read his entire statement on theTarget Gallery webpage.  If you're a very close reader because this page is a bit hard to find, you may remember an earlier image of the first of four dolls in my Medicine Doll series. Back then, I didn't know if I would ever finish it. Well, this doll is in the works. It's at least four feet tall now and looking very different. Here is another sneak peek, of his hand, very over-sized.
Children often exaggerate the parts of the body that they are becoming aware of in their life at the time-heads, hands and feet are often hugely out of proportion to the rest of the body. And parts of bodies are used to artistic and practical effect in the art of regions such as Mexico, where "milagros" (meaning "miracle") or metal reproductions of body parts are placed onto altars for healing. This doll has special powers in his hands. I wish I had a picture to share with you what one little girl did when she came into the studio as I was working on him. She climbed right in between his arms, responding to the welcome he extends to all. I worked on him most recently in Studio 27 at the Torpedo Factory. |
ErikaI've been making dolls for about ten years now. I believe that dolls serve as representations and reminders of the best part of ourselves. I am excited to share with you here my learnings about new methods and techniques for doll making and healing. So glad you are here! Categories |
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