Uncategorized

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

in
wulfing-xmas1

wulfing-xmas1

It's Christmas Eve, guys.

It's raining cats and dogs in Vancouver today, but somewhere else in the world it's a white and snowy winter wonderland. I miss white Christmases. I hear that Heathrow airport is so wondrous and magical right now, that it's shut down and holiday travelers are stranded. I imagine it must be horrible, but in Vancouver it's difficult to tell one season apart from another-it's always green. But at least it's colder, stormier and windier today than usual, and that is actually giving me the feeling of holiday cheer. Seriously, It's lovely.

One more year is almost at an end, and it's time to reflect on what's been accomplished in 2010 and make grand plans for 2011. It's been a very hectic, but also an extremely fantastic year for Enchanted Doll and for Chad and I. It was so prolific, that my head spins when I think back to it and it seems that I blinked, and a year was gone.

Despite all the projects that got done this year, there are still some things that didn't work out as I planned. I was hoping to unveil the resin line this year, but technical difficulties have delayed the release. The new year should bring a resolution to those problems and I'm looking forward to 2011 with a sense of great expectation and excitement.

This drawing by Sulamith Wulfing embodies the feeling of Christmas for me and gives me a sense of peace and warmth and happiness. Perhaps it will give you that warm feeling too.

My Dear Fans, I'd like express my gratitude for your support and your love for Enchanted Doll. You help me create every day. Thank you. Thank you.

So, from the bottom of my heart I'd like to wish you a very Merry, very Happy Christmas and an amazing New Year!

Back to the studio

in
 

Finally my autumn travels, otherwise known as Time Zone Hopping, are over. We went through 5 different time zones in less than three weeks, and by the time we got home, I was very confused as to where or when I was. It took me a week to sleep off the  the worst jet leg I've ever had, and when I finally woke up, I was very happy that it was not at yet another airport.

Highlights of the trip are: Louis Vuitton runway show in Paris, Doll Expo visit in Moscow and a meeting with Nick Knight at Show

Studio in London about a super exciting future collaboration project. It was a very exhausting, but prolific trip.

I won't bore you with my traveling photos here, though if you're interested, you can always check them out on flickr. I'm getting ready for the arrival of the first resin parts this week, as I can't wait to begin working on the first Christmas batch. I'm nervous with anticipation and hope that everything will go smoothly. I'll be announcing all the detail pertaining to the Christmas sale within 1-3 weeks.

Now that I'm back, I should be posting regularly again. There are some new doll pics you might like to see in a couple of days.

Enchanted Doll tins purchasing information

in
 

I'm pleased to announce that the Enchanted Doll tins have finally arrived and are now available for purchase!

It took four of us just over an hour to unload an entire container of these, but the next day I was sore all over and covered in bruises. A big thank you to our helpers- we would have there all day without you, and I would have been even more bruised.

Those of you who are interested in owning one or several of these beautiful tins can now place your order by emailing us at inquiries@enchanteddoll.com with the text "ED tin order" in the subject line.

Chad and I are leaving on October 2nd and will be gone most of month, so we only have two weeks to take and mail out your box orders before we go. We'll do as many as we can manage, but feel free to place your requests while we're away and we can process and ship them out once we return in late October/ early November.

Boxes are $49.00 CND each. Shipping will be quoted to your specific location and will depend on the number of boxes you want. If you are a Canadian resident in another province there is a 5% tax depending on which province you are in exactly. No taxes for international orders. Shipping is world wide.

Feel free to email us with any questions about the boxes.

New Enchanted Doll packaging is here!

in

I love containers. I love organizing, containing and compartmentalizing things, not just possessions, but the world. Everything has to be sorted, arranged, grouped, classified and put in its own little box or drawer somewhere in my mind and in my home. But there can't be too many things in the boxes, because then life gets cluttered. When I get something new, I always throw away two of something old, to keep things light and manageable in my drawers. Now, I'm not a psychiatrist, but I think this might indicate some subconscious control issues. But anyway.

I've always had a soft spot for apothecary chests and tin boxes. In my compulsive need to control and organize everything in my life, I'm always drawn to elegant organizing solutions, and ever since the inception of Enchanted Doll in 2004, I've been dreaming about creating very elegant, fancy packaging for the elegant Enchanted Dolls. For a long time, it was impossible, but with the impending release of my new resin line I realized that the time had come.

And finally, I have it! Introducing the new Enchanted Doll tin with 3 custom designs in a beautiful matte finish, and a form fitting foam insert. But the best part of it is, aside from being included with a doll order, you can buy as many as you want separately to store your other ED dolls and goodies in them, such as clothes, accessories, wigs and even things unrelated to dolls, such as cookies. Mmm...coooookies.

They are so beautiful, that I already appropriated several of them for storage of my selection of finest, custom mohair strands, my paints and my ongoing sewing and beading projects. I'm in compartmentalizing heaven!

I also like the fact that the padding can be easily pulled out and two dolls can fit in the box. That will help me a lot when I travel with them, as I'm always desperate for suitcase space. But ideally of course, every doll should have its own box for maximum protection during storage and transportation.

The designs featured on the boxes were commissioned from Nati and Lost fish and I'm grateful to them both for their beautiful contribution to Enchanted Doll. I did the ED logos for two of the designs and my dear Chadasaurus did digital layout and formatting of the prints. It was a joint effort that took nearly a year of work and I would like to thank everyone involved in this project.

I'll be posting more pictures shortly. These ones didn't turn out very well in the poor lighting.

Each box will retail at $49.00 CND+shipping. If you're in Canada, then there is also a 12% tax.

By the way, that doll in the middle box is the birthday 2010 prize doll, ready to be shipped out to the 1st place winner in its new beautiful box.

Beauty helmet work in progress

in
 
 

This is my little modeling head. I design and carve my wax models for metal casting on her. She was supposed to become a beautiful doll 2 years ago, but I dropped the head just as I was about to put the last spring through her, and it fell right on the steel hammer under my desk and shattered. Then I cried, because she was about 3 seconds away from being complete. This is the only time I've ever broken a doll during assembly. And now she lives on as my head prototype..

Back to the present. This helmet was inspired by an illustration of my beloved artist Sulamith Wulfing. I've been wanting to make it for a long time, but kept getting diverted away from it by other commitments. And now I feel a sort of creative pressure relief after having released something I've been suppressing for months. I was just about ready to explode there. Feels good.

The ivy tattoes on Beauty's arms and abdomen are directly inspired by another favorite artist of mine, who was a very influential figure in the birth of modern design, William Morris. Although his influence is always present in my work indirectly, it takes a very direct form on the body of Beauty. I'm usually not a big fan of sleeve tattoos, but I wanted to push the boundaries of my discomfort zone and experiment with the concept to create elegant and delicate wrap around designs that would look feminine and soft on her slender arms.

Engraving this tattoo has challenged all my previously established notions of intricacy when it comes to doll tattooing. The leafs especially, were driving me crazy.

Her veil is very soft French Bridal lace with tiny Swarowsky and cubic zirconium crystals attached to it for sparkle. I love overindulging in ornamentation and it was very difficult for me to resist draping the veil in beads and pearls from top to bottom. But I was trying to create the impression of lightness and mystique with this doll, and over-beading the veil was weighing her down visually and destroying its subtle elegance and grace. So, I limited myself to attaching the tiny crystals for a light, shimmering effect only. It was tough though.

Well, Beauty and the Beast should be in London on Monday. Unfortunatly I won't make it to the opening as I still have some things to do in the studio before I leave for Europe again, but I will be stopping by London sometime in mid October.

I have more pictures of her to show, but I'm pacing myself. More coming tomorrow.

Meeting Camilla d'Errico

in

camilla-and-iI met one of my favorite contemporary artists and fellow Vancouverite Camilla D'errico this week! I found out about her work when I was still in art school, and it's been inspiring me ever since.We've been planning to meet for some time, but our busy schedules kept getting in the way. We rarely seem to be in the same city at the same time. Finally, we went out for some gelato in Yale Town, Vancouver and talked for hours about art, dolls, Helmet Girls and True Blood. Apparently, she is also a fan of the show. I had a deadline to finish a wax model the next day, but I couldn't tear myself away-she is such an engaging and an easy-going girl. We seem to have a lot in common, her and I. And I was pleasantly surprised to find that she is my height! Well, a little bit taller, but it was so great to be the same eye level with somebody for once.I'm so happy to finally know the person behind the art.

Elizabeth Bathory (person) in True Blood!

in

eric-and-sookeSo, I'm a big fan of True Blood. It's a show about vampires and humans co-existing almost peacefully in modern society. It's a really interesting show and a good parallel to social equality movement such women's rights and gay rights.I'm not particularly into vampires, and I especially despise Twilight, having only seen previews for the movies. But True Blood is alright; it's original, because it gives human vs supernatural theme a somewhat new slant. Oh, and it's full of all kinds of entertaining things most cable channels would consider too vulgar to show. The narrative is very engaging too. And Alexander Skarsgard is in it. Needless to say, it's my favorite show right now.So, imagine how delighted I was to hear a brief mention of Elizabeth Bathory in the last episode! No, not my doll, but the actual person. I mean, whoa, I had just made a doll of her! And they bring her up in the show! I almost fell off the chair when I heard it.Anyway. The doll Elizabeth Bathory was just sold a couple of days ago. Amalgamation is gone too. Only three dolls remain available at this point: Virgin, Olga and Fortunatar.Man, I still can't get over the coincidence. It's like the universe knew!

Thank You

in ,

show1show2The show has finally opened, all the dolls are finished and on display, and I want to thank everyone that came to the opening, both in person and on the live webcast.The opening went really well, I feel like I didn't stop talking the entire time as I tried to answer everyone's questions.I had a really good time at the show, but I'm glad it's over and I can take a bit of a break.  The weeks leading up to it are all a blur as I worked to complete everything in time.The dolls will remain on display at the Strychnin Gallery until July 4th.For those that go to the show and take pictures, we've made a flickr group where you can share them with others.  We will be uploading our shots from the opening soon, but for now it's off to Switzerland to attend Art fair Scope Basel (June 15 - 19, 2010) where one of my dolls will be on display.

The Case of Enchanted Dolls

in

dsc09128I just received this beautiful, custom made case. Inside, are my two resin EDs: Kay and Clymenestra.One of the gifts I had received for my birthday was a shadow box. I loved it so much, that I commissioned the participant who made it for me to make me a smaller one. My obsession with coffins and containment is well documented and this is another manifestation of it. I remember when Chad and I were in Sicily, we went to the Catacombs of the Capuchins to see the mummies, there was an exceptionally well preserved mummy of a little girl "Bambina" in a coffin with a glass lid. That really made an impression on me. I'm not sure what the impression was, but the memory of the experience had certainly stuck with me. I think it just served to further reinforce my interest in human boxes/coffins and the idea of confinement and preservation.iseedeadpeoplemosaicI really love this case. Thanks Jayne.dsc09126-1

Cathedral wax model

in

cathedralwaxRemember that giant Gothic style pillar and its side wings I carved a couple of months ago? Do you recognize those shapes in the structure of the cathedral crown? Guess where they came from. Yep-the pillar.I rearranged the wax injections I had on hand to build them into this new structure. I butchered several pillars to harvest the elements I needed and spent about 70-80 hours tacking it all together for casting. It was much harder than I thought it would be because injection wax is not carving wax and has different properties. When cold, it's so brittle that delicate parts just flake off at the slightest contact, while its low melting point makes it so runny, that it's almost entirely unsuitable for this type of work. Basically, the way this project was made is a very unorthodox abomination and probably an insult to a proper jeweler.Taking it apart and molding it was absolutely unthinkable and frankly, impossible-so, it remains one of its kind. After I had made it, I had some serious doubts about it even being castable. Although I wouldn't have made it if I believed it impossible to cast, I was still very nervous that some parts may not come out because was is by far the craziest metal project I've ever done.I was overwhelemed with releif and joy when it cast perfectly, like a little miracle.

Real Henna

in

lavanya-422My hand holding little, tattooed feet of my doll Lavanya.img_7121My hand and feet in henna.dsc08988Me, having my feet done by Kree.Ok, let me explain. Recently, I had a meeting with two curators of the Artful Henna group exhibition which I am taking part in this August in Seattle, USA. I will make one tattooed, porcelain doll for sale, and will provide more details later down the road. Anyway, they came down to Vancouver to meet up for lunch and discuss the details of the show, and it turned out that both of these ladies were traditional henna artists themselves, and offered to put some henna on me! Naturally, I agreed.img_7119It was so interesting. I've never seen henna done in real time, and I couldn't believe how quick the design materializes in the quick minds and fingers of the artists. I felt very pampered, like I was in a spa. And even though I had a tonne of work planned  for that afternoon, I cleared my schedule and took the rest of the day off to curl up on the couch with some fruit tea, watch a movie and take a nap while henna dried on my skin. What a pleasant day it was. For the next week wherever I went, everyone was complimenting me and asking me if I had gone to an Indian wedding. I loved the designs on my hand and arm so much, that I even briefly considered having that tattooed. But I don't think I can go through with it. I'll just make another tattooed doll instead.I'm getting it done again this summer when I go up to Seattle for the show. I'll be able to wear sandals when it's warm and show off my feet too.

Contest winner announcement selection

in

Chad and I are working really hard at putting up the gallery of all contest entries, but we are running a little behind schedule. I've narrowed down 5 runner ups and now deciding on the winner. Despite the delay, we should still have everything finalized, organized, displayed and announced tonight. We're not going to sleep until then.Thanks for your patience. The 2010 contest is almost over! Results coming shortly.

Cixi's Dress in progress

in

cixi-fullCixi has been a work in progress for several months now. Although the embroidery on her dress is not finished, she is participating in her second show. I thought that I might as well have a picture of her dress here. I should have her finished in the next 2 months, I think. I can't wait. I love how she is coming along. She is not available for sale yet, but I will announce her availability once she is finished.

Finishing touch for State Property

in

state-prop-halo2I've decided to show State Property doll at the Art Fair 21, in Cologne, Germany this year. I originally conceived her as a part of the triptych, but since she generated so much emotional response from people, I realized that she is a very strong piece on her own and decided to break up the triptych for this show. She will be for sale and if she gets bought during this show, well, the other two dolls will get sold as separate pieces as well.I made her a halo with 24k gold lined, seed beads, four 13 karat Kyanite cabochons, four 3 karat Ruby cabochons, four Pink Tourmaline cabochons, 3 Tourmaline briolettes, 8 Sapphires, six Lapis Lazuli, four large, Check glass crystals, fresh water pearls, glass beads and Austrian crystals.Come and see her at the show in Cologne on October 29-November 1st!