Menagerie 2023
I wanted to start out by saying what a crazy year this has been because I feel half crazy this year, but then I looked back on the past...
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Andrea Durnell is a multi-media folk artist who creates one-of-a-kind, hand-carved dolls using vintage and antique materials and tools. Much of her work is inspired by 17-19th century art and literature, her own extensive travels, a love of anything artisan-made, and a desire to preserve methods and materials that might otherwise fade from use. Outside the studio, the creative fun continues in the kitchen and the garden. Andrea’s photos tell a great deal about her life, her story, and her work. If you are interested in learning more, check out her blog, follow her on Facebook, attend an art fair where she exhibits, or contact her directly.
Doll Season
I begin gathering wood during the winter and get acquainted with the soon-to-be-carved characters. I scour flea markets and antique shops for antique and vintage leathers and fabrics and the beginning thread of each doll's story commences. The heads are carved, then painted in oil paint and attached to sawdust-stuffed muslin bodies, which come to life as they pass through each stage: Underpants Day, Tail Day, Bag Day, Hat Day, and Shoe Day. Finally they are outfitted with a full complement of garb are ready to take to the road!
Show Season
After spending nine months in my studio, I am ready to show everyone what I have been doing. I love watching people come into my booth, enjoy telling the stories about the dolls and fitting their stories to the people who collect them, who often have a bit of a story of their own. In between shows, I enjoy baking bread of all kinds, I wind down the garden activity and wind up for the holidays. The quest for "old stuff" to use in my creations never really ends and I take the time to travel a little further than usual.
Off-Season
Throughout the year, my husband and I like to create a visual and virtual feast using as many herbs as we can grow and celebrating whatever else we can coax out of the ground. We like a good farm market for the many things we don't grow and I seize any day I can to bake some bread or make a pie. Townsend the Goldendoodle has wormed his way into every part of our world and he assists me in both my workshop and in my studio.
Thank you to Larry Berman of BermanGraphics.com for the following photos
I'd love to hear from you
Have a look at my blog join my Facebook group Andrea Durnell Folk Art. I share photos and a little more about my progress and process and the shows I participate in each fall. And, feel free to message me right here
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