I was looking at other artists' websites as I prepared my own and found that everyone had written an Artist's
Statement.... At first, I just sat here and pondered what I wanted to write. Then I asked the people in my
groups "How much information is too much?" I was given alot of ideas and suggestions. Thank you all. But it's all up
to me now and here we go! What I can tell you about myself is that I have done many different things in my life. I've taught
Art in a public school system in rural Ohio. I've been a retail store manager and at one time I was even an artists' model.
The one thing that has always been the same is that I create art.
For years I painted and drew, but it never really satisfied me. I loved crafts, but quite often in the art world
crafts aren't thought of as important as they should be. When I worked at a collectible toy store, I was introduced to
the doll world and found my niche. I took a long time to finally settle on fabric as my medium of choice. I must have tried
every kind of clay available and hated all of them.
As for my technique, first off, I can't use a sewing machine to save my life. But I can bead and embroider very
well. That sewing machine problem limited what kind of doll I could make. But limitations can be worked around to come
up with a solution. I suppose it's a good thing that I love old monster movies or I never would have seen that Ray Harryhausen
documentary. I went from trying to stuff wires into a pre- made skin, to making the armature and building on top of
it. It has taken alot of time and anatomy study to make this technique work for me.
MY reasons for creating fantasy creatures are rather simple. I like things that are outsiders. "Normal" is usually
what everyone is and what everyone sees around them. The unusual stands out. Whether that is good or bad is open to interpretation.
At one point in my life, my having Cerebral Palsy was miserable. Now I find it an inconvenience at best. My CP is minor
and involves my right arm and leg. It limits some of the things I can do, but not all. I have worked at devising ways
to do the things I want. I'd be the first person to admit that the way I knit with one needle between my legs looks odd. But,
this technique works quite well. When I sew, my right hand is pretty much just there to hold the doll steady. By using lots
of pins to hold things in place, I have very few problems sewing the skins on my dolls.
I see these dolls as portraits of myself.They maybe wild and strange, but they are also happy with
who and what they are and in their own way beautiful.
Laura Kane
