A pattern by Deborah Colston

*See these dolls featured in Soft Dolls and Animals, January 2004 issue*

Durham Doll Artists “Rock” with Their Wonderful & Wacky Painted Wall Woman Challenge

Deborah Colston is a member of the Creative Doll Artists (Not Just Another Doll Club) that meets monthly in Ajax, Ontario, Canada. website: http://marthaandmarianne.com/CLUB/index.html

When Deborah brought in some show and tell last year that hadn’t been off her wall in about 10 years, the members all went wacky! They loved her 12”, very colourfull, hand-painted, muslin works of art, so much that it was worked into the groups’ end of year challenge.

At the April 2003 meeting, the members were given the pattern and a reference course in colour theory to help them formulate what colour combinations they would like to use on their dolls. In May, the members then brought in their completed bodies with paint brushes poised and ready to make the magic happen. Deborah gave a brief into and set everyone to work. With lots of chatting, and a few OOO’s and AHH’s thrown in, each member managed to get well into their painting before the evening was over.

The finished embellished dolls were showcased at the end of year party in June. Each doll showed off fantastic artistic abilities and the interests of their owners. All of them were very beautiful. A few that told a special story were Peni Dyer’s (well know polymer artist, with this being her very first cloth doll) “Heart of Africa”, Martha Boers’ “Petroglyphs” and Marianne Reitsma’s “Sun and Air”

In the end Deborah was proud of all her “graduates” and their wacky women

Participating artist whose work was sent in are, Peni Dyer, Deborah Colston, Diana Bennet, Marianne Reitsma, Martha Boers, Wendy Rinehart, Heather Byrne, and Anne Marie Beattie

A few additional dolls that were finished later

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