Since I moved to Montreal, I think what strikes me most is the architecture.
It's this beautiful sort of Edwardian and Victorian architecture, and if I think of
who should live in these beautiful houses, I feel like it's my long, bizarre looking
Victorian character.
I've always made things and I've always needed some kind of outlet, but when I found
doll making it was like it became really focused.
I liked the fact that it involved different steps, so there's the sculpting, there's
painting, there's the wig making, the clothing, the sewing.
If I got a little bit bored with one aspect of it, I could move on to the next thing.
Because I do feel like I'm creating this character, I really want to see it through.
So a lot of the times it feels like a rush to get to the clothes.
I mean, I love constructing the doll as well, but my favorite part and I guess where I feel
like the doll's character will emerge is the outfit and painting the face and then adding
the wig.
The key to painting some very small dolls is very small brushes.
I find a lot of them end up looking like they kind of have a slightly, been out all
night partying, had a few too many scotches, sort of slightly tardy makeup.
A lot of people comment on the fact that they look sad.
When I'm making them, I'm not trying to make a sad doll, but I imagine what women from
that time, I guess I feel like some of that must have come through in the dolls, the fact
that their clothing would have been so confining and that their lives would have been quite
limited and confined and there would have been just this inherent sadness.
I do like including some darker elements, but they're not always particularly dark.
It's odd to talk about it sounds really bizarre, but it's like they tell me their little story.
I like to bring in some element of humor, so maybe they're wearing this lovely white
lace dress, but they're really a card shark or like to drink bourbon or smoke alwas or
just something that can remove them from the fact that they look delicate and quite frilly
and pretty and girly.
I want to give them a little bit of a comic or a darker edge as well.
