 Lois
BoncerLois has been designing and selling
original animals and their patterns and kits for 30 years. She’s a
veteran of all kinds of art and craft shows. She has self-published a
line of stuffed animal patterns and authored a book of animal patterns,
too. She is working on a desktop publishing business of developing many
of the more than 500 animals she’s designed over the years as published
patterns. Most were custom orders from clients who couldn’t find what
they wanted elsewhere. Lois also designs and sells cloth dolls and
doll/animal combinations and teaches soft sculpture classes. Trained as a biologist and chemist, Lois has also worked
in labs and science classrooms for the past 30 years while pursuing her
career as an artist, designer and publisher.
Website:
www.aardvarktozebra.com |
 Drusilla
EsslingerI was named Drusilla after my
great-grandmother and was raised in the Flint Hills of Kansas where all
my life has been spent on a farm - I was riding a horse almost before I
could walk! This has definitely influenced my dollmaking. My dolls are
character and fashion dolls made mainly of cloth and are soft
sculptured. These "little people" are 19, 10 and 6 inches tall and many
resemble people from my past. My house is my showcase and my "studio"
is part of our shrinking family room. I have received numerous awards
and honors, besides the magazine articles, I was featured, with my
family, in the film, "Art of the Dollmaker" and my dolls were featured
in the book of "Drusilla's." Dollmaking, Dollstreet, teaching,
conferences, shows, newspaper and magazine articles all keep me very
busy. |
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 Christi
Friesen
Christi Friesen was born at a very young age, kidnapped
and raised by lemmings. She is currently considering having a midlife
crisis, unless there’s something good on television. CF works in mixed
media, combining polymer clay with beads and other embellishments to
make her sculptural pieces and art jewelry. Her award-winning work has
been featured in magazine articles, books, galleries, exhibits and
juried shows.
Website:
http://www.cforiginals.com |
 Sherry
Goshon,
ODACA
Sherry started sewing on
her grandmother’s lap at age three, and even then found that the
best she could create with other people’s patterns was a disaster.
As the years passed, and she mastered the techniques of sewing from
patterns, the results still left her feeling empty and incomplete.
It was only when she began to create her own designs and make up her
own set of rules, that she found happiness. Sherry is truly a self
taught artist that chooses her fabrics as much by feel as by look
and allows each doll to create itself, knowing that each creation is
simply an expression of the inner self. To best understand Sherry,
look into the eyes of her dolls, for these are the windows of her soul.
Website:
www.sherrygoshon
.blogspot.com |
 Natalie
Hamade
Natalie is an artist who has dabbled in every medium
from fabric to frosting. Her interest in cloth dolls began in the
summer of 2000, when she attended a fine art show. Several of the
booths were exhibiting fantastic dolls all made from fabric and she
was totally smitten. When she arrived back home she immediately
started practicing some painting on fabric. Years later, after much
dedication, experimentation, trial and error she is now a celebrated
Doll Artist/Designer. It has been an honor for her to have had her
dolls win and/or place in international doll shows, magazine and
online challenges. Her work has been displayed and sold at fine art
shows, gift shops, eBay and exhibited in galleries. Born and raised
in Michigan, she now resides in the beautiful (warm) state of
Georgia with her loving husband and two wonderful children.
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 Li
Hertzi
Lisa-Li Hertzi is a professional illustrator, graphic
designer, and artist, and runs LiHertzi Design and the PIG! (Pet
Industry Graphics). She is known for her eclectic line of cloth doll
patterns, ranging from the Boulder Goddess which is based very roughly
on the Venus of Willendorf, to Lilly, a Feisty cowgirl, to the EarthSky
Man, who was inspired by a raft trip down the Colorado River. Li also
wrote, and illustrated “Art Doll Adventures”, a creative how-to book
that focuses on creating art dolls from cultural inspiration. She is a popular teacher, using both her patterns and
classes to explore art, science, history, the figure, color, and more.
Li has been teaching on Doll Street since the late 1990’s! Viva
DollStreet!
Website:
http://ww.artdolladventures.com |
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 Colleen
Babcock
Colleen has always enjoyed making
‘stuff’. First, constructing things made out of paper toilet rolls as a
kid in Canada. Then, making costumes and sets as a Theatre Design &
Production major at York University in Toronto, and now in every spare
moment as a doll maker in London, England. It was Colleen’s dad and
their mutual love of Christmas that inspired her to make a polymer clay
Santa as a gift. It wasn’t until seeing the dolls of Patti Culea,
Barbara Willis and Betts Vidal at an exhibition in London years ago that
cloth dolls figured into the equation. Colleen found cloth doll making
so magnetic because it never limits you to any one technique, material,
or style. An obsession was born. Colleen’s husband, John and parents,
Barry & Kitty are by now pros at fabric shopping, doll critiquing, and
stoking the creative fires. Colleen has recently contributed a doll to
Patti Medaris Culea’s latest book Creative Cloth Doll Beading, has had
dolls featured in Soft Dolls and Animals magazine and loves teaching
cloth doll making online. |
 Tanya
Martinovic
My name is Tanja Martinovic, I live in Belgrade,
Serbia.
Since I was a child I loved making 'things",and
sewing. Finally two years ago I discovered the world of cloth dolls. Everything I learned about dolls is with help of my friends
from all around the world. With help from Molly I learned to teach
here at Doll Street.
Website:
http://tamaraiivana.blogspot.com/ |
 Michelle MunzoneMichelle is a
self-taught artist, who has dabbled in all sorts of art & craft, from
mosaics to folk art to quilling. But through the years her passion has,
and will always be dolls. Michelle has been designing and teaching doll
making as well as other arts/crafts in local community centres, colleges
and stores for the last 11 years and has been teaching on-line for
approx. 3 years. “I love what I do and I hope to pass this pleasure on
to others, either by teaching how to or by letting them add a special
piece to their collection”. Her award winning limited and OOAK pieces
are held in collections around the world. She is a member of NODAAA
(Australian Original Doll Artists Assoc.) and CDAA (Canadian Doll
Artists Assoc). Michelle’s work has been featured many times in various
publications. Michelle was born in Sydney, Australia and still lives
there with her husband of almost 27 yrs, 3 children and 1 big ginger
cat.
Website:
http://www.mmunzonedesigns.com |
 Fran Parrigan-Meehan
Fran was born to make dolls. She
actually made her first doll when she was five. Her Mama taught her how
to draw a doll on cloth, cut her out, and stitch her together. A
self-taught artist, she's been going strong ever since. Fran works in
various mediums from cloth to clay, embellishing them with anything from
fancy fibers to pods and stems. She has been designing her own dolls
for years and recently, with the encouragement from two wonderful doll
making friends, began publishing her patterns, pressmolds, and
teaching. Fran says: "I love my adventures in doll making. Dolls ARE
my canvas within my soul."
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 Judy
Skeel
Judy lives in Ohio with her firefighter
husband and has two sons. Surrounded by testosterone she turned to cloth
doll making to find her feminine side about 15 years ago and has never
looked back. Initially focusing on lovely ladies, Judy advanced to
whimsical characters and thanks to having sons she turns out the
occasional mixed media beastly being and mentally twisted personality.
Altering fabric, manipulating ribbon and fabric, detailed face painting
and posing exquisite hands naturally are all aspects Judy loves in
creating figures. Teaching began in her home studio more than a dozen
years ago, and now travels to teach at doll and quilt conferences, quilt
shops, doll clubs and on line. She’ll go anywhere to play dolls! Website:
http://www.skeelhaven.com |
 Kathryn
Walmsley, NIADAMy
artistic philosophy might best be described as open source!
By that I mean that my intention is to be open to artistic
expression of all sorts in myself and others. I am a mixed
media artist to the core and love experimenting with new and
different materials in my figurative work. I love
most of all to imagine an idea, work out the technical
difficulties and enjoy the personal satisfaction of seeing my
ideas materialize and the pleasure they give to others.
After attending the Tyler School of Art and Boston Museum school
I began my career as a clothing designer and worked for years
making one of a kind leather clothing. Having made and
sold dolls and toys as a teenager I eventually decided to go
back to the beginning and work in figurative art. I create
a variety of one of a kind and edition work shown at juried
craft shows, exhibitions and museum shows around the country.
A number of books and publications have featured my work and I
am proud to be a member of The Ohio Designer Craftsmen Guild, a
yearly contributor to the Rural Alliance for the Arts and a
member of the National Institute of American Doll Artists.
Website:
www.KathrynWalmsley.com |
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 Judi
Wellnitz
Oh gosh - not only does Judi run
this website but she actually teaches here too. She plays at a bit
of everything - from dolls to mixed media art. Her work has been
published in books and magazines and has been seen in art galleries too.
A weather wimp, the long cold winters in Alaska have been a boon to her
creative spirit as she feels compelled to stay inside when it is 40
degrees below zero.
Website:
http://www.artdolls.info |
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