Yeah I know but even those of us dealing with still have to live the other parts of our lives. This post is about art and rejection and realizations. I'm doing a lot of that lately, having "realizations" shrug guess its just the phase I am in at the moment.
So a friend linked me to a gallery relatively near me who specifically deal with doll art. WOW amazing! AND they are having a show,AND they are asking for submissions! Wholly chit! I mean lately... like most of this year things have been difficult , and I really haven't been doing much art, or working on my art site. I had burned myself out trying to self promote and create and with issues like well not having ANY money coming in I went out and got me a paying job. Art had kind of taken a back seat. This has happened before I have artistic jags where I'm painting constantly creating constantly then I get burnt out and just STOP.
Anyway I digress, this seemed a perfect opportunity to get some excitement back into my artistic life, so I submitted my "Nasty Toys for Naughty Children" series :
"Nasty Toys for Naughty Children Series" is part of a larger project called "Dime Store Dollies" where I take cheap dollar store dolls, which are quick discarded by children, or dolls from Charity Shops , which have already been discarded and turn them into something that is strangely beautiful.
Nasty Toys for naught Children is the darker side of this project, dealing with all the things that "Go bump in the Night!" Many people have an innate fear of dolls, so moving them past the realm of just creepy by accident I try & create the "Creepy cute" feeling that makes the viewer go " awe that's...wait what???"
Only dolls that have already been discarded or disposable dollar store dolls are used in this project. I work only with dolls that are in great need of help! Each doll is primed and then hand painted with artist’s acrylics. No two dolls are ever exactly alike, even if the basic theme is repeated.
Ive worked on this series sporadically for a couple of years now whenever I can find the type of dolls I like to work with. All in all I love this project it completely works with my sick sense of humour.
Other people seem not to quite "Get it" or at least that's the basic response any time I've tried to get into a show or get a show at all...either the standard rejection letter, or deafening silence. Either way it can wear ya down, and I had decided after this last attempt that maybe I should just give up on it.Sell who ever I had lying around to whomever for whatever and just pack it in.
The there was a flood in my basement... where my makeshift studio/storage area is (it's also where my daughter bedroom is). Spent a large part of the day cleaning frantically trying to minimize any damage to the floor etc. ( all seems pretty good) While doing this i had to relocate some of my art, including my dolls. As I was putting things on shelves I realized something.
THESE ARE FUCKING AWESOME
and also that I have more unpainted/blank dolls hanging out waiting to be wick-i-fied !!! I am back to planning things to do with the ones I have , and scouting for old discarded dolls that sit unloved and messed up. A Steam punk baby is drying in my garage waiting to take on her new life.
I may never get a show. I may never have anyone "Get" what I'm doing... but to quote a friend of mine "So cocking well what!" I love them, and ya know what... they are GOOD.
Snobbery about the fact they are "altered" as apposed to wholly created from scratch, or that they are not serious will always be part of what I'm dealing with.. but I guess they are kind of missing the point...
That kind of thing is exactly what I'm thumbing my nose at. :P
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