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.