After two days of workshops at Random Arts with Katie Kendrick, my husband asked how many times I'd drawn faces in the past. If you don't count adding a smiley face to a stick figure, the answer to that would be never! Needless to say, this was a weekend that pushed me completely out of my comfort zone.
When I first saw Katie's whimsical dolls in the Winter 2006 issue of Cloth Paper Scissors, I was intrigued. The dolls just smacked of personality, a factor that I would learn came straight from the heart of their maker. And now, Katie was coming to Random Arts to teach.
The first workshop was listed as a mixed media wall hanging. I've done some quilting in the past, so a "no experience necessary" project to reflect on the my "quirky side" sounded like fun. (More on this later after I finish my quilt.)
The second workshop was described as "freestyle intuitive doll making" without fussy cutting or fussy seaming. I couldn't wait to find out how to use simple pattern pieces to design a doll body and completely ignored the mention of learning to "paint an original face on my creation." After all, Katie was going to provide a face for us to use if we wanted to. Although I'd packed paints and other supplies, I never thought about this again until after class began.
Katie is a self-taught artist unspoiled by the rules of a formal education. As she described her journey into art and her path to creativity, we were inspired to see where our hearts would lead our paint brushes. (The group included several professionally trained artists with others who like me had never attempted more than stick figure art.) We drew faces with our non-dominant hand, laughed, and followed her instructions for transferring our work to muslin. After learning how to create flesh tones, the work began in earnest. Katie was there to encourage and guide, seeking to provide input and assistance. Here are pictures of Katie, one of her dolls, and the face that she painted while we watched.
You would never have believed that this was a group of novices. Each doll had a distinctive personality; many were intricately pieced. Although I had brought along a box crammed full of fabric, after framing my doll's face with Turquoise Phthalo, I knew that the beaded trim and appliquéd heart were all that needed to be added to this beautiful fabric from my mother's quilting stash. Whether or not my doll appeals to anyone else, I now have a sentimental treasure. Beyond that, I enjoyed a challenging weekend. If only I lived closer to Saluda!
