Tiny Stares #8 Scarlett's Ascention As God is My Witness & 1:6 scale Vaslav Nijinsky

The first set of photos are select views of my recently completed Scarlett O'Hara in 1:12 scale a Doll Houses' scale Vivien Leigh inspired portrait.  I'm opening my commission book for next year.  If you're interested in a portrait you can contact me through Gmail my contact name is venusgaze.  I work in either 1:12 scale 1:6 scale or 1:4 scale, and prices very for example the Scarlett here is priced at $1100 for 1:12 scale, 1:6 scale is 1 & 3/4 of that amount so she would cost $1925 approximately 11", in 1:4 scale it would be the price of 1:12 scale x 3 so that would be $3300 approximately 23".  Prices vary according to size. here is Scarlett.  I don't accept any deposits ahead of a commission piece.  I quote the price ahead of time and accept full payment just before delivery.  

 Below are work in progress photos of the sculpt I"m completing for a one of a kind Vaslav Nijinsky doll.  He will be dressed in a costume inspired by the Ballet Le Dieu Bleu, The Blue God.

The inspiration for the costume, I am going to use metal accents in his costume, and tons of beads,
mostly antique venetian glass beads.

Introducting Tiny Stares #5 September Her Motto is "The End Is Mine To Right!"

This doll is a portrait of sorts, it's inspired by September, and her song "Cry For You".  The song is about living now, trying to squeeze the past into the now makes life appear to have flown by, the future is much the same, when we project our thoughts into the future, life seems all to short, because the past is reflected in its opposite.  The illusion is simple, you are feeling a fleeting moment, but reflecting memories of your past into it, the past has flown by in a pinch, and the future measured in that pinch feels much the same. The pinch of course is the present moment in this analogy.  The older you get the longer is the relative time span that is being pinched into the present, therefor you may feel as if you're moving through time faster, age has that affect on consciousness in time, but it's only an illusion.  Living in the Present is what I try to do to its fullest as Eleanor Roosevelt famously declared "Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift; that's why they call it the present."
 There are valid reasons to examine the past, or seek refuge in the future, but in doing so I must remember not to die in the present.  The song Cry for You is a reminder to live in the present. Only in living fully in the present, could I craft a treasure embedding that message into a 1/12 scale figure, and here now share September Tiny Stares #5.

September is crafted in polymer clay, She began as individual sculptures of the upper torso including the head, arms, and legs; these where sculpted over wire, and brass tubing, cured at recommended temps, and painted with genesis heat set paints.  Once satisfied with the craftsmanship of sculpting, I assembled the costuming from various silks and embroideries, some of the elements used in September are antique or vintage including the ruffles, and lace.  When it comes to costuming I meticulously cater to details, using materials and tools that will generate a one of a kind heirloom, all the beading on the dress, and designing was based on hours researching the period represented which is the Rococo, Georgian era, stylistically made famous by Marie Antoinette.   I love this era of fashion and excess, and do plan on creating more Tiny Stares to reflect the era   Beauty past, present and future is a worthy pursuit, and that is why I established my business name as Venus Gaze Enterprises, I live and work according to LOVE, which to me means Living Outstanding Values Everyday.

living in the Present.

Tiny Stares #3 Penny & #4 Rhiannon My First 1/12 Scale Dolls

This is an introduction, to my Doll works in 1/12 scale.  This is a dream realized for me, and it's like my baby which I will unendingly nurture well into the Winter of my seasons, it is also where I will concentrate my efforts for the rest of my life, I plan on creating mostly dolls in this scale until I am too old to continue, and have to retire.   My biggest passion at the moment is creating in miniature 1/12 scale, no pun intended.   I do plan on making portraits and interpreting some painted and illustrated works of art in miniature scale.

For now I am just making one of a kinds directly sculpted in polymer clay.  I may in the future offer molds for casting in porcelain, having roots as a porcelain doll artist, and master slip casting mold maker.  Although on my porcelain dolls in 1/12 scale I'll paint the eyes, it's possible to apply eyelashes to porcelain using my method of doing it.


The two Tiny Stares are Penny who is a young Girl about 10, and Rhiannon an Irish Lassie.

The first is Penny  her motto is "I'm no Princess"  She's about 4 5/8" tall

 The second introduction here is Rhiannon Tiny Stares #4 her motto is "Goodbye & Hello, Bellwether Friends." She's waiving her hand, She is about 6 3/8" to the tip of her fingers, but She is 5 3/4" before hair the big hairdo adds about a half inch of height to her.  Rhiannon's dress is inspired by the Regency period in fashion, I had coordinated the colors based on an antique handkerchief that was embroidered by hand and used for her over skirt.  I used silk taffeta, and dupioni for the dress.  undergarments on all my dolls when required are Swiss batiste, and the laces are French and English, mostly, for the shoes on all my dolls I plan on using leather, unless another material is appropriate for the theme.  The last two photos in this blog show up close details.

Magic Born #2 Abby, #3 Alice Templeton, and #4 Wickey "Ascension of Wickey".

It's been more than two months since I've published a blog, here on Tiny Stares, the truth is I've been working on several miniature projects, and most of those will be finished this week, so I will be post several blogs this week, introducing my 1:12th scale Dolls. on to the Art.

First is Abby Magic Born #2, Abby is an extensive sculpt, modeled in Doll Fimo, she represents the Pillar of Life metaphorically as I see it.  The fabrics used here are beaded and sequenced throughout, and came together nicely, the tree is a fabric sculpture, and at the top is a globe, which I've made with paper clay and ribbon.

Second is Alice Templeton Magic Born #3.  She is a 14" Character doll, She is also sculpted in doll Fimo, mixed with Fimo Classic to gain a custom skintone.  She has nice English mohair wig, and vintage mouth blown German glass eyes.   She comes with a Teddy Clown which holds on to dearly.

Lastly for this blog post, is Wickey Magic Born #4 "Ascension of Wickey"  Wickey is fully sculpted, and made of Living Doll by Polyform.  Wickey comes with a crib inspired by the solar system, and which includes all the Planets hand sculpted with faces using Fimo & Premo polymer clays, the crib is also embellished with trims and fabric.  Wickey is inspired by  Mickey Mouse as Sorcerers Apprentice, and I pay tribute to Walt Disney having sculpted a young Walt with Mickey as Neptune on the crib.   All pieces are listed and available through Etsy

Tiny Stare #1 Bostion Terrier & #2 Boston Terrier's Twin 1:12 scale Dollhouse Miniature Pets

Just revising this entire blog post, keeping it short and sweet,  In this post I'm launching Tiny Stares, which is a term of endearment for my creations in 1/12 scale Tiny Stares #1 is Boston Terrier, and #2 is Boston Terrier's Twin.  As I've embarked on this new journey into the worlds of 1/12 scale.  I keep in mind a constant meditation "Order is heaven's first law."  that is a quote by Alexander Pope the way in which I work is evolving to the way I was in my early 20's when I had great enthusiasm for living, and I was really organized, everything I owned had a place, and my personal property was organized, and spotless, all that began to change when I started collecting things, and it was more things than I had any space for, but I've shed most of that, mostly to just to the materials and supplies, appropriate for my creative pursuits and organizing those materials so that they're easily accessible when creating. Of course that is a work in progress, and so I meditate on those five words (Order Is Heaven's First Law) daily as reminder to clean as I go.

 There is a degree of Joy, and there are challenges in creating, but the Joy comes from overcoming the challenges, whatever they are.   The art projects themselves are challenges, and there are plenty on my list, so I don't plan on accepting commissions until I've reached Tiny Stares number 30 or so, I will post on here once I'm ready to accept commission. These are the first animals I've created with fur, and 1/12 scale detailing.  I began Tiny Stares with a personal challenge, that was to create after  one of my favorites breeds of Dogs, which for me is a toss up between a French Bulldog, Boston Terrier, and Pug, someday I might have a real one around.

Tiny Stares #1 is Boston Terrier

 

 Tiny Stares #2 is Boston Terrier's Twin.

Ribbon Trim Embelishments with a Victorian Twist

I've always had a passion for beautiful trims, ribbons, appliques, embellishments, and textiles in general.  There are so many crafts which keep artisans' always on the look out, for more building blocks to personal creativity.  Perhaps some of my Victorian inspired ribbon passementeries will have the kind of appeal worthy of collecting.  I 'm sharing just a few here, with links to my ebay account where all the styles can be seen and purchased Here http://www.ebay.com/sch/tinystares/m.html?item my username on ebay is tinystares .

I call this style Cherry Cappuccino

I named this style is Electric Spring

I named this style Huntington Garden

 

Mr. Mickey & Miss Minnie Mousette

Early photo of the Heads prior to painting. 

May is flying by, and I've been busy finishing up projects that have been waiting for my attention and time, in this case for over a year.  These are pieces I made using a paper clay product called Half- Cilla which is imported from Japan.  It is a nice product with a smooth grain, and it's just as strong, or slightly stronger than Creative Paper Clay.   While I do enjoy working with and making things from Paper Clay, polymer clay is the medium which I enjoy working with the most.
These dolls are a personal project, they are obviously inspired by Mickey and Minnie Mouse, but I wanted to create them my own way.  They are highly stylized, but give a definite nod to the mice that started it all, and as you know the rest is history.  They stand about 16" tall and they are fully sculpted, painted with acrylics, and dressed with real fabrics.  I am adding Mickey to my collection, and the Minnie is a gift for someone.  Thanks for letting me share them with you on this blog.

Alan

Willburr Banks a 16" OOAK Venus Gaze Mohair Bear

I just listed on etsy, a new 16" Bear, ooak mohair teddy, that I made to look aged and distressed with acrylic paints, I'v always loved antique bears, and this one is definitely inspired by antique bears, I didn't use boot buttons for eyes I used aqua gems, and I used those to weigh him a little.  Aqua gems are available at Michael's Crafts stores that is where I found black ones.   I put a picture of what aqua gems look like at the bottom of the post.   I kept the face simply, the nose was felted wool, the covered with synthetic leather, and I assembled the necklace using leather cord, and a pendant I found at Michael's Craft store.   Anyway here are photos of Willburr Banks.

The following picture is the aqua gems, they are solid glass, not easy to break, and I am substituting them for bird shot or copper bbs, when adding additional weight to my bears.   I thought it was an idea worth sharing. 

Creative Comfort Zones / Commissioned Sharon Tate Portrait Doll

I feel at this point, I am reaching that creative comfort zone where I feel I have obtained enough skills through experience to accomplish my desired visions as an artist.  Knowing myself allows Me that grace to move forward.   I understand that learning continues with each project, but one must allow for information, knowledge and skills to plateau to some degree and enjoy the fruits of experience and learning.  This is the point I feel I've reached.  I don't feel a competitive nature to this medium, and I respect people who choose simplicity as well as complexity in their creative comfort zones.  Everyone who pursues an artistic endeavor has an individual creative comfort zone, knowing yourself as an individual is the only real way to discover it.  There can be as much beauty and aesthetic in simply forms, as there is in the most complex of forms, and the work in the most complex is to be greatly appreciated.  My work is not that, my pursuits are not that, but out of me there is nothing but respect for all those monumental works I've seen over the years.  There is also an appreciation for the dedicated crafter who can in a few steps execute prolifically lovely objects of refined charm, and novelty, consistently, and beautifully.    My creative engines are geared to be somewhere in the middle.

  My creations do consist of methodically chosen anatomical landmarks, that evolved over experience, and as I am reaching my creative comfort zone, I have sculpted some maquettes to maintain a consistency in my interpretation of form.   I don't know how important those will be, but I do have them to aid me in the creative process.   This topic deserves more attention in future blog entries.  So, for now I am just introducing a concept, and stating the point, that creative comfort zones are part of creative activity.

 In this blog entry I am also sharing my work from my creative comfort zone as an Artist, as well as an earlier creation prior to reaching my creative comfort zone.   Both of these were commissions I didn't hesitate to create.  Both of them are portraits of Sharon Tate, the movie star, and model.  The most recent creation is inspired by the actress in the classic Polanski film Fearless Vampire Killers.  The first Sharon Tate portrait doll was her as an angel, but created during the time I was experimenting, learning, and establishing knowledge to improve my creative habits, and working consistency.    At the time the first doll was commissioned I received a message through ebay, and I corresponded with that individual after watching Valley of the dolls, and said I would create the doll, as I did and list her on ebay since that is where I received the request to create the doll.  The most recent version was a commission from someone who had seen the first doll I made.   I understand the fact that most people can't separate the movie star from the tragic and senseless murder.  I've seen documentaries, and even the gruesome crime scene photos, and I personally am not fascinated by any of that, and it saddens me that her magnetic charm, beauty, and talent is overshadowed by the event of her murder.  I was moved by the innocence of the characters she portrayed on film, and based my decision to create these portraits exclusively on the merits of her absolute beauty, and presence on film.

I made the shoes from real leather.

Art Philosophy : Being aware when unfolding new spacial dimensions !

I shared a photo of a Maleficent project I am working on, well that is a new scale that I've set the intention into motion of creating in regularly for the rest of my life.  All of the philosophy I've studied the past few years, has lead me to being very observant of the mechanism of my own functioning.  Our brains are malleable, no belief, no habit, no conditioning for that matter is absolute.  Writing the metaphysical language of your own existence, is something we're all capable of.   Being very observant of the process as it's occurring in real time, this is where the Zen master tries to embed awareness.  In someways it's individuated consciousness becoming aware if it's own vehicle (the human body), and the processes therein.   If you can do it within your own being you can certainly outline the path in another.  Ultimately this leads to greater expansion of awareness.  I am not a guru, a zen master, or teacher by intention of being those things.  I choose to demonstrate that there is a place for expanded awareness, a place that leads to knowing your potentials, and limitations as well.   Both those potentials and limitations are woven into human biology.

Back to the topic, related to art. This goes back to how one trains their own brain, which is not separate from them.  Here is another portrait, that I've been working on, but because it was a new scale, about the size in the middle of what I had worked on before, my brain needed to calibrate the form of a Human Being in this particular scale. So anytime one adds new spacial requirements for a creative outlet, depending on the priority assigned in the initial decision; which translates into how excited, determined, and resolved you felt to begin in the previously unfamiliar scale.  All that plays a role in how you will embed whatever knowledge you gain from setting that intention into action.  Keep in mind your first attempt is the one in which your brain is still creating spatial dimensions, and determining things like what an average mouth will be like in that scale, ears, eyes, nose, all those things are embedding themselves as you're working.  Even if you have prior experience in the medium you are working in, and knowledge of the subject matter, the first effort in a new scale is also training the brain to familiarity with those spacial demands your intention set into motion.  Here are two examples attempting to do the same portrait, which was a commission, and although the first one satisfied the client, I wasn't satisfied, because it fell short of the results I intended on producing, and I became aware through keen observation of the learning curb in the process itself, which as I mentioned in the past is my meditation.  Below the painted bust is the first attempt, where my brain needed to calibrate and ratify all the spacial demands my intentionality set into motion.  The second work is yet to be painted, but the spacial demands of working a this scale have been satisfied,  I have created the bust with the torso extended down about 1/2" below the breast, this will eventually help with shaping the bodice of the dress for this doll.

The point here is I observed a limitation in how my brain operates when it comes to new spacial requirements, and the advice is if your creations are mostly creating in one particular scale, and you decide on working in a larger or smaller scale, it is natural that your first attempt regardless of all prior experience is also a retraining process for your brain.  The preceding outcomes from working in a different scale will follow after an initial calibration of the new spacial demands which the first attempt will be dedicated too.
Final note; say a person who is a master at painting miniatures, decides one day to paint large wall murals, the first effort, presents a learning curb for the brain.  Technology can re-scale an image or three dimensional object perfectly, and it's wonderful we live in the age of technological wonders.  Our brains are not perfect machines, and all though some of the process in creating is mechanical, it is the malleability that is part of human nature which is the water of life, and it can play a role in attempting something new, you don't drown when you are water, so as Bruce Lee famously said "Be Water, My Friend."