My African dolls are created one at a time from a variety of new, recycles, and found materials. The majority of the dolls in my work are constructed from recycled bottles, sand, yarn, fabric, fiberfill and wire. They have soft fiber filled heads, without facial features, and are dressed in various hand-sewn or wrapped garments made from a variety of fabrics, both new and recycled. The dolls are then accented with beads, baskets, buttons, feathers, raffia, shells, and/or other found materials that have a natural feel. Most of these dolls are permanetley mounted on fabric covered wooden bases.
Included in my collection are dolls that are created from fiber stuffed bodies with heads that I form from either paper or polymers clays. The bodies of these dolls are completley hand-sewn.The heads are painted with acrylics and sealed before being attached to the fiber body. These dolls can be displayed on a stand or hung on a wall from a loop that is attached on the back.
Although I am a self-taught doll artist, I do not use any patterns in my work. It is not my goal to represent any particular African Nation in the design of the dolls, but rather to give honor and tribute to the beauty, strength, courage,and spirit of my cultural heritage.
It is my belief that when one person looks at another they are frequently distracted by physical features, and have little or no appreciation for the other's true spirit. It is for this reason that I choose not to give the majority of my pieces facial features, but rather ask the observer to look deeper and discover the inner spirit and beauty that resides in each figure.
The original inspiration for my work comes from memories of both my maternal and paternal grandmothers. These two strong and amazing women had both the creative vision and the unfailing ability to find beauty in common, everyday objects and create something from nothing. It is my hope that in creating dolls from humble objects such as bottles that I am honoring this strong ancestral tradition.