Today is Easter Monday and this is the day I finish the drawing up of a large picture to decorate a doll museum.
The interesting thing about commissions like this one is that I get to look at, and learn a little about, all sorts of things. In this case the world of doll aficionados is opening up to me.
I have long been aware of collectors of antique dolls but was not aware that there are people who make high quality porcelain dolls with hand made shoes and clothes, the collectable antiques of the future. Like barbie dolls but bigger and way more expensive.
The picture I am drawing is an enlargement of another artists work; a doll makers logo that is a group portrait of nine dolls faces set in a frame of rose leaves and flowers, very nineteenth century looking and my job is to enlarge this four times the size and hand draw it on a prepared board.
Sign makers could enlarge this by mechanical means for a few hundred dollars but would lose clarity and detail on the way and as money is no object I am commissioned to do the job by hand.
Pays the bills this sort of work and is a real challenge as I did say "sure I can do that for you, I can do anything!"
I've no interest in ornate frames of rose leaves and flowers, thats just work but portraiture does interest me and getting each of the nine dolls likeness's and expressions just so is the satisfying part for me. Portraiture, capturing a likeness, expression, emotion and character is all in the drawing of the eyes and mouth, where all expression lies.
Gotta go now and finish the hats and hair of three porcelain dolls.. hope your Easter Monday is a good one.
The week before Easter began with continuing the mural I am finishing for my dentist, Mark Smith. Mark is fixing my teeth in exchange for me decorating one wall of his son Zachary's room with a medieval scene.
Zachary is 9 and his mural is based on an original drawing of his showing a knight in armour astride a rearing horse holding his sword up in a bravura gesture and viewed from a castle interior through the stone arch. The mural is painted on canvas and stapled to the wall and the stone arch is made of polystyrene and ply and is screwed to the wall so it is removable. I tried to make it interesting enough that Zachary will still like it when he is older and his tastes may have changed.
It's been a fun job to do because there is no money involved and Doctor Smith is a fun guy, manic, creative and interested in everything and he and his wife Diana have three boys and their house is always filled with energy. I come out of their house smiling, good people, excellent job to have
Finished and photographed Zachary's mural Tuesday and you can see it on this blog, at the bottom of the page.
Wednesday I was continuing to draw up the doll museum painting and Wednesday evening was Life drawing class and Thursday was to be an early start driving to Paeroa to pick up my pal Barbie and on to Hamilton, an hours drive away, to attend our etching class.
I am very keen on printmaking and have all the gear in my recently finished studio but felt I needed a refresher course to get up to speed on etching and to organize the etching part of the studio in shipshape and Bristol fashion.
As I had Mary the doll museum owner coming on Thursday afternoon to check on my progress with her job I decided to miss the etching class for that week as I felt a bit overwhelmed.
Yes, stress... I am thin and nervous and capable of doing six things at once but then I can lose it and get shot down and have to work desperately hard to avoid crashing and burning...
Depression is my nemesis and ally and the adult monster I have to keep tucked up and safe from.
Thursday evening Barbie and Sandra came to visit and they drank a little wine and I drank more than a little brandy and coffee and Sandra helped Barbie and myself with our blogs.
Sandra is a good friend a great artist and computer whiz and the three of us have fun playing with and planning blog ideas.
We are just kids having fun, I think that's one of life's meanings; play, have fun - I hope you have fun in your life dear reader..
Good Friday I spent in the garden keeping ahead of the jungle and getting stress release and all the rest of the weekend was spent working on Mary's doll portraits, a difficult and intense job but very satisfying because so challenging.
