Madre de los Muertos

Second Art Doll

This is my second Art Doll … she'd fit more in the "Wild Art Doll" category. She was created when the pain and loss of Hurricane Katrina were quite new. I also had a "Voodoo Wild Art Doll" doll swap coming up, my first. (This doll did not go for that.) The result of these two things on my mind came out in this doll. She just happened. Not counting drying time, she was made in five hours work time, being started on a Thursday night and finished by the next afternoon (when she was submitted to be juried). Fans helped speed up the drying times!

Background

I had created only a few works (10?) of art since I was about 12 or thirteen. Suddenly, at 43, I started making art again. At 44, I stocked my basement art studio and started on the art dolls in earnest. My first two (Wild) Art Dolls helped get me in a co-op art gallery. I'd like to do this for a living!

Construction

Madre's head was started with half a Styrofoam ball that was covered with Model Magic (air-drying clay). The blue polymer face was added (it was originally going to go into making a Kali doll). The eyes were left white and were accentuated with a white acrylic “stained glass” paint that mimicked glistening whites of the eyes. This made it look as if her eyes were rolled up during an ecstatic dance. Upholstery trim was then pinned and glued in place around the face. A black glass bead crown was put in place. The mane-like headdress gives her a more powerful and spiritual presence. Part of a black feather boa, black upholstery fringe, and a tassel were artfully arranged to give the look of long black hair.

Her neck is a spool of thread. It was painted and then attached to the solid body by first coating the dried joining surfaces of the head and neck with Gorilla glue. One long strong nail was then quickly driven through the entire head, the spool, and then down into the body. The glue dried, thus preventing her head from spinning around. Gorilla glue is great!

Her solid body was decorated with fabric, fringe, and several trims. A faux coral bead bracelet was added as a dancing belt (I belly dance and somehow she ended up with a dancing belt, go figure). Over that, another belt was added -- it's made of light and dark wood beads with two carved bone beads (from India) dangling from it.

The arms started out as curtain cord that was cut to size and wired. The polymer clay hands were then added and fringe cuffs gave an extra flare. The arms are posable.

The dolls trunk was glued to a wooden candlestick at a slight tilt (with gorilla glue). The candlestick was painted to match and finished with a matte varnish.

I found a resin base/stand, knocked out its top, filled this stand with Plaster of Paris (which sets rather quickly!) up to the former top's level, let it set (until cool to the touch), painted this new top with gesso, let dry, and then acrylic paint gave it a finished look. I then drilled a hole into the stand's top and another one into the doll's bottom (the underside of her candlestick). Meeting surfaces were coated with glue, as was the dowel that was then driven down into the base/stand and up into the doll. Madre was finally lowered onto the base. Now she has a dowel running through her and the base. She won't tip over or detach from her base too easily (one would have to be entirely too rough to do this).

Since the base was also touched up with matching paints, it was then sealed with fast drying matte sealant.

The tilt to the head, the slight tilt of the hips, and the way the arms were posed added up to a "mid dance" look. That turned out to be part of her charm. That helped really make this piece, the gallery said.

Afterthought

After making this doll, I discovered there had been Mexican Goddess by the same name. She was an archetype/Goddess that represented life's journey – since birth, we journey closer to our death with every passing hour. She was perhaps portrayed as voluptuous, with skills decorating her scant outfit (nearly nude, wearing a skull belt and I forget what on top but it was little). I think her message is to live life to its fullest and live it well.