This Friday, Stranger Factory Gallery in Albuquerque New Mexico opened their doors,
as they host the third edition of their annual group show Toy Makers of Planet Earth
I am honored to be once again part of this amazing show,
and would like to share the pieces I made especially for this occasion with you.
As the title of the show already gives away,
this is all about art inspired by toys, new and old, story telling, characters and narrative.
I drew my inspiration for these pieces from my love of puppet theatres and doll houses.
Each piece has an exterior hiding an interior, telling small stories and holding secrets within.
Tuva and The Bird.
Tuva is a recurring character, a dreamy Harlequin, rosy cheeked, reaching for the sky with her pointy hat.
This doll is made with cloth and clay, her clothes are made with cuttings from an antique silk night gown and vintage fabric with bird pattern. I used soft dusty pink mohair for her wig.
She sits on an old wooden box, which when opened, reveals sparkly stars inside.
Night Sky Theatre
This is a theatre for the golden crescent moon face, held inside the chest of a mysterious Harlequin Doll.
The piece is made with cloth and clay, wood and antique silk.
As a child I often slept with my curtains opened, so I could see the moon shine softly over the roofs.
In a way, this theatre reminds me of that, my little bedroom window looking out onto the moon.
The Dream
This is a small story set inside a Diorama Box.
A girl dreams, afloat above her bed in which she fell asleep.
The box is a re-used vintage Coronation cigar box,
decorated with ‘William Morris’ design wallpaper, antique lace fabric and a wooden lollipop floor.
For the ‘dream-room’ I made a little bed, with beautiful silk cushion and crochet cover and a mini frame artwork for which I sacrificed a stamp from my childhood stamp collection.
The Dreamer itself is a tiny, tiny doll that I made with cloth, clay, lace, mohair, and of course… a few sparkly golden stars.
These pieces are now available through Stranger Factory Gallery,
please inquire with them would you be interested.
The show can be seen until June 30th and includes many great artists!
Many thanks for looking and I wish you a dreamy Sunday
x P x
