Getting To Know You, Getting to Know All About You – Part III.B

Dear Friends,

This latest blog entry is a continuation of our previous discussion which provided useful information for folks interested in different type of folk art. In continuing with this them I’d like to dedicate this blog to discuss folk art dolls.

As I mentioned on my 06/13/2009 blog post my mother Sheila began designing and making doll patterns at an early age. Her mother, Jewell used to draw paper dolls for her when she was a child. These drawing would have a great influence on Sheila’s artwork as an adult. Her introduction to paper doll making, via her mother’s influence, would eventually become the impetus for the Green Street Company’s line of Ethnic and African American folk art dolls that you see today! The image below is a great illustration of how our folk art girl designs translate into a number of artistic medium, ranging from doll, to decorative arts, to paintings.

Doll making is an important genre of artistic creation that is often over looked. “Deemed by most as toys or playthings, dolls have for thousands of years represented so much more to humans than mere objects of amusement. Religious objects dedicated to gods in ancient temples, collectibles, worry dolls that carry the weight of our worries before we go to sleep, sometimes made of wood, clay, stone, to eventually fabric, porcelain, plastic and more; dolls have in their evolution become a medium of artistic expression for many (Read more at: http://news.deviantart.com/browse/deviantart_inc/deviantart_blog/ )

For those of you that are interested in learning more about folk art dolls or viewing them on display, the links provided throughout this blog will help you get started. As always the photo images that are contained in this blog also has direct links to other pertinent websites

Enjoy!


Michelle Edwards
Green Street Company Artist and Blogger

Relevant Information & Related Topics (Cont.)

Paper Doll Making

Obviously Sheila’s mother was not the inventor of the paper doll! If fact, paper doll making has been around since the Victorian era. To learn more about paper dolls or to view examples of paper dolls we suggest the following resources:

* Victoriana Magazine, http://www.victoriana.com/, is a free online publication, is a vibrant and inspiring e-zine that cuts through the complexities of modern life to illustrate what was beautiful in the past. Victoriana captures the pleasures and traditions of an earlier period and transforms them to be relevant to today’s living. They have a wonderful article on paper dolls. Click on the image below to go directory to that link.

* The Original Paper Doll Artists Guild, http://www.opdag.com/History.html is an organization of people who exchange ideas to encourage the art and hobby of paper dolls in the world today.
* The Arabella Grayson Collection, http://www.arabellagrayson.com/, is a Black paper doll collection that was displayed at the Smithsonian Institute’s Anacostia Community Museum. The Smithsonian News Desk issued a press release about the Grayson’s exhibition entitled, “200 Years of Black Paper Dolls: The Collection of Arabella Grayson.”
- Below is an example of one of Grayson’s dolls. It is a "Black Baby Articulated Paper Doll" (Littauer and Bauer, publisher, circa 1885, Germany). If you click on the image you will be taken directly to the press release.

Art Dolls & Collectibles
An excellent resource for people interested in antiques and collectibles is the online magazine Collector’s Weekly, http://www.collectorsweekly.com/. The magazine has a section that is features wonderful examples of antique dolls, folk art dolls, and doll articles! If you are doll collector the site also includes links to purchase dolls on the web. Below is a short article that I found on their website, which discussed a range of dolls. I’ve included images of some of the dolls that are discussed in the article.

People have made dolls for thousands of years for use as religious objects, toys, and holiday displays. Many traditional dolls, like the Japanese Kokeshi, are still highly desirable today. Many early American dolls were made of rags, or cloth, and are a reminder of the simple life in the 18th and 19th centuries.

You are looking at a set of Japanese wooden kokeshi nesting dolls that range in size from 3 3/4" tall by 3" wide (largest) to 1 1/8" tall by 6/8" wide (smallest). Four of the dolls open up at the middle to allow each one to be placed within each other.

Antique Emma Adams 1800's Folk Art Cloth Columbian Doll .

In the 19th century, French and German dolls were the most popular and innovative dolls in the western world. In the early 1850s, the Bebe doll appeared in France, starting the custom of making dolls in the form of infants and young children (as opposed to adults). The Germans caught on, and soon both countries were producing porcelain-headed dolls.

This is a silk face boudoir doll that was made in around the 1930's and is a French type doll with molded arms and legs with gold painted high heel shoes. This doll measures 24" tall.

30" German Bisque Head Catterfelder Puppen-Fabrik Doll.

Late in the 1800s, the French started making dolls with unglazed heads, and the unglazed colored clay more accurately represented a human skin tone. These dolls became known as bisque dolls, and they remain a staple of doll-making.

Mid 1800's Bisque doll with c.1800's American dress.

Shortly thereafter, German doll makers started experimenting with celluloid, a lighter-weight and less breakable material. Celluloid dolls were popular for a number of years, despite the fact that the material was flammable. Dolls in Europe, Japan, and America made of celluloid, such as the famous Kewpie doll, were eventually replaced by dolls made of plastic, or composition dolls, made of a mix of materials including glue and sawdust.

Kewpie Composition 12 inches Original Clothes.

The early 20th century saw the launch of a number of famous doll-making companies, such as Ideal, which became known among other things for its best-selling Shirley Temple dolls. Another was Vogue, which produced the Ginny doll, and of course Mattel, which launched its blockbuster Barbie line in the late 1950s.

Ideal Collectible Shirley Temple Doll 15 1/2"tall "HEIDI."

1955 Merry Moppet Vogue COWGIRL - Ginny.

1958 Brunette Pony Tail Barbie Doll w/ Box #52.

Though most antique dolls started out as toys, some dolls have been sought by collectors from the beginning. A good example is the Simpich Doll Company, which produced small numbers of limited edition Christmas and Americana-themed dolls for over 50 years.”

Old Original Simpich Goose Lady Doll Rare 50s Vintage.

African American Folk Art Dolls

* Ruby Lane, http://www.rubylane.com/, is an excellent resources to view and purchase black folk art dolls.
* Painted heart designs, http://paintedheartdesigns.blogspot.com/, is a blog that features primitive and one of a kind dolls and paintings. You can also view and purchase cloth and sculptured creations there.
* Folk Art Galleries, http://www.folkartgalleries.com/, periodically features black folk art dolls.

* The Green Street Company’s, http://www.greenstreetcompanyfolkart.com/african-american-folk-art-dolls.html also has a line of ethnic and African American folk art dolls

Below are some examples of black folk art dolls!

Hope is a black folk art doll produced by Woodland Junction Primitives.

This doll has porcelain head, arms and legs w/ over-glaze black enameling; painted eyes; blue and white gingham dress w/ MOP buttons, upright spinning wheel has working treadle; seat and back of chair are upholstered in paisley fabric.

19th century folk art black doll made in Marchinthro Georgia. This black doll retains all its original cloths and leather shoes. The doll is in excellent condition for its age. The doll measures 9 inches long. It has a nut for a face that has detail that takes on the look of a face, eyes, nose, mouth.

Black folk art doll made out of paper and clay by Little Glimpses Art Studio.

Below are several examples of the Green Street Company’s African American and Ethnic folk art dolls. What distinguishes the Green Street Company folk art dolls from all the others is their hand-made one-of-a-kind quality. Each doll is signed and undergoes a series of steps, e.g. cutting and pattern-making, sculpting and molding, sewing, painting, and antiquing. As you can imagine, each of our dolls takes a considerable amount of time to complete. Therefore, we are only able to make a limited number each year.

Examples of The Green Street Company’s African American and Ethnic Folk Art Dolls.
© Sheila Ann Originals

Thanks for reading Green Street Company Folk Art Talk! The next blog (Part III.C) is a continuation of this blog. It is intended to discuss and provide more useful resources for our readers.

Until then, keep craftin!

Getting To Know You, Getting to Know All About You – Part III.A

III.A Relevant Information

& Related Topics

Dear Friends,

One of the first questions people as us when they met us at our arts and crafts shows is, “What kind of painting is this?” While most people recognize our work as folk art they are not sure whether or not to classify it as toll painting, painting in the Grandma Moses tradition, American/Americana folk art, contemporary folk art, or outsider art. We’ve always indentified our work as Americana folk art. But, of course, “art is in the eye of the beholder!” Many people that see our art, especially our early work from the 1980’s, called it toll painting.

An example of a Green Street Company’s early folk art piece c1988. © Sheila Ann Originals

Over the years our art has changed. Even though our current artwork continues to maintain the same simplistic quality of the 1980s there are certain aspects of our work (e.g. our folk people’s facial features, color pallet choice, and design elements) that have become more sophisticated. Today, people more readily indentify our work as American folk art or southern folk art.

An example of a Green Street Company’s Folk Art folk art piece, c 2009. © Sheila Ann Originals

Of course, when talking with our customers or other artisans whether or not they can categorize our artwork is not something we would ever split hairs over! But it is important to note that talking about your style of artwork and knowing more about your craft is a great way to interact with people that are interested in your work. For those of you that are interested in learning more about Americana folk art traditions or viewing folk art that is on display the following links will help you get started. As always the images that are contained in this blog also have direct links to other pertinent websites.

Enjoy!

Michelle Edwards


Green Street Company Artist and Blogger

Americana Folk Art Traditions
Online resources

1. At ArtLex, http://www.artlex.com/, you'll find definitions for more than 3,600 terms used in discussing art / visual culture, along with thousands of supporting images, pronunciation notes, great quotations and cross-references. I provided a few useful definitions on their website.

* Folk art - Art made by people who have had little or no formal schooling in art. Folk artists usually made works of art with traditional techniques and content, in styles handed down through many generations, and often of a particular region. Paintings, sculptures, ceramics, metal work, costume, tools, and other everyday objects all may be folk art.
* Outsider art or outsider art and Outsiders or outsiders - Strictly interpreted, outsider art refers to works by those outside of mainstream society. In the United States, outsider art broadly includes folk art and ethnic art as well as by prisoners, the mentally ill and others neither trained in art nor making their works to sell them. In Europe, outsider art is more narrowly interpreted as art by the mentally disturbed. The term naive was once applied to this work, but is no longer considered current. Because fewer and fewer people are sufficiently isolated to be truly outsiders, most are either mentally ill or working far from urban art scenes.
* Tole Painting - Decorative painting on tin objects, traditional in several cultures, including American. Toleware is tinware. Although similar painting is also done on wooden, glass, and plastic objects, it is more appropriate to describe such work simply as decorative painting. Tole is typically a folk craft, with images derived from pattern books. Most tole is done with oil paints, but some is also done with acrylic paints. There are brushes designed specifically for tole, but round and flat red sable brushes of many types are generally recommended.

2. The New York Times has a list of articles about folk art exhibitions at the Museum of American folk Art at: http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/organizations/m/museum_of_american_folk_art/index.html.

3. To discover the rich and colorful Pennsylvania Dutch Folk art traditions that are still vibrant in Lancaster County visit: http://www.welcome-to-lancaster-county.com/pennsylvania-dutch-folk-art.html

Books and References

1. Encyclopedia of American folk art. GC Wertkin and L. Kogan -2004- American Folk Art Museum.

* This book is the first comprehensive, scholarly study of a most fascinating aspect of American history and culture. Generously illustrated with both black and white and full-color photos, this A-Z encyclopedia covers every aspect of American folk art, encompassing not only painting, but also sculpture, basketry, ceramics, quilts, furniture, toys, beadwork, and more, including both famous and lesser-known genres. Containing more than 600 articles, this unique reference considers individual artists, schools, artistic, ethnic, and religious traditions, and heroes who have inspired folk art. An incomparable resource for general readers, students, and specialists, it will become essential for anyone researching American art, culture, and social history. In addition to profiles of painters, sculptors, carvers, and lithographers, with details on their principal works and where they can be viewed.

2. Pennsylvania Dutch American Folk Art. HJ Kauffman, CG Holme - 1946 - American Studio Books.

* Early Pa. Dutch settlers developed a flavor of their own historical folk art. This book brings together a representative collection of illustrative material (over 270 photos) as a super record of the Pennsylvania Dutch folk art.


3. Artists in aprons: folk art by American women. CK Dewhurst, B MacDowell - 1979 - EP Dutton.

* Focuses on the history, social setting, and unique nature of folk art by American women, providing examples of the various media used and including brief biographies of notable artists.

4. Afro-American folk art and crafts. WR Ferris - 1983 - University Professors of Mississippi.

* Overview of the Afro-American experience expressed through the arts.


5. Stitched from the Soul: Slave Quilts from the Antebellum South. GM Fry, Museum of American Folk Art - 2002 - University of North Carolina Press.

* This richly illustrated book offers a glimpse into the lives and creativity of African American quilters during the era of slavery. Originally published in 1989, Stitched from the Soul was the first book to examine the history of quilting in the enslaved community and to place slave-made quilts into historical and cultural context. It remains a beautiful and moving tribute to an African American tradition.


Museums and Galleries

1. American Folk Art Museum, www.folkartmuseum.org/. Exhibits in New York City feature 18th- and 19th-century paintings, quilts, sculptures, and the work of contemporary self-taught artists.

American Folk Art Museum, New York City, NY

2. Ginger Young Folk Art Gallery, http://www.gingeryoung.com/. - Excellent examples of American folk art. Gives background information on the artists.

3. Southern folk art and crafts, http://www.amerifolk.com/. Features a collection of significant 18th, 19th, and 20th century Americana and contemporary Southern folk art-- paintings, pottery, furniture and more.

4. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/afkp/hd_afkp.htm. The collection of American folk art at the Metropolitan Museum is characterized by pure serendipity. It is highly prized and was acquired almost entirely by gift.


Thanks for reading Green Street Company Folk Art Talk! The next blog (Part III.B) is a continuation of this blog. It is intended to discuss and provide more useful resources for our readers. Until then, keep craftin!