Christmas Ornaments

Add that weird touch to your festivities with Strange Dolls christmas ornaments as gifts or for your tree.
>>Check out the 2009 designs<<

Also, there are a lot of pieces that have come back from the myriad of Halloween shows that happened this fall so be sure to check out the Available Dolls page to find out what dolls are currently on hand (it is a good time to start dropping Christmas wishlist hints!).

Ornaments will also be available through:

Studio Place Arts
www.studioplacearts.com
201 N Main St
Barre, VT
(802) 479-7069

S.P.A.C.E.
www.thetestsight.com
266 Pine Street, Suite 105
Burlington, Vermont
OPEN STUDIO EVENT DEC 11 & 12 – Come visit!

Lazy Pear Gallery
www.lazypear.com
154 Main Street
Montpelier, VT
802-223-7680

Halloween weekend

A busy weekend full of art related activities and Halloween fun….

♦ This week I got to meet one of my collectors and her awesome gaggle of daughters: Hi Michelle!

♦ Must see is the Medicine and Mortality show at the Firehouse Gallery. Opening was Friday and I forgot my memory card for my camera. Poo. Interesting mix of clinical and sentimental, precision and wild abandon.

♦ The show closing party for “Oh the Horror” was fun. Local artists Andrea Currie and Athena Kafantaris transformed S.P.A.C.E. into a nightmarish fantasy, complete with “The Shining” projected on to the wall. I think that even my dolls were a little tweaked over the atmosphere. New favorite phrase: “Gut bag chandelier” Photo Gallery here

♦ Today I attended the opening reception for “Hello Dolly, Hello Teddy” at the Bryan Memorial Gallery in Jeffersonville. The reception opened with a panel of artists – 2 from the Small Picture Exhibit and 2 from the doll show – who were asked questions about their creative process and work style.

I could listen to artists talk all day and all night and never get tired of hearing about their creative process.

My favorite part of the “Hello Dolly” show…. Kristin Richland

On display at the Bryan Memorial Gallery in Jeffersonville, VT

Features in Seven Days newspapers

This week’s Seven Days newspaper is filled with creepy features for Halloween – Dr Scops and my conjoined twins appear for two different events. This is a good time to remind you that this Saturday will be the show closing of our “Oh the Horror” show at S.P.A.C.E. 266 Pine Street, Suite 105, Burlington, Vermont. Party will go from 8 to 11pm. Costumes encouraged.

ALSO check out the “Dark Arts” show:
Abandoned Olympiad Gym Building
78 Eastwood Drive
S. Burlington, VT
Curated by Deidre Healy, Hosted by the House of Lemay
Gallery Hours will be October 23, 24, 30, and 31 from 7:00-10:00pm

Seven Days online article about the Dark Arts show

Dark Arts Opening

Milk and cookies for you thirsty blood suckers

Small opening tonight. Icky weather but somehow strangely fitting. It was, in fact, a dark and stormy night. And it was, in fact, a gigantic old spooky building that the Dark Arts show took place in. I guess tomorrow night they will open their doors so that everyone can attend Nightmare Vermont and get the holy bejeezum scared out of them.

Speaking of scaring the snot out of your friends and family, I saw this on their website:
“If you are a newbie to Nightmare or your crazy friends are dragging you here, you can purchase Monster Wards for $1 before you go into the event. Monster Wards are special necklaces that contain monster repellant. No monster will approach you if you are wearing a Monster Ward. Just DON’T get them confused with Monster Teasers, which will have the opposite effect. Only two Monster Teasers are sold per group and you have to sign a waiver.”

I wonder if the monster repellant necklaces work at my house too. Hm.

My 2 favorite things tonight: what kind of spread would you expect at a dark arts opening? Blood sausage and fingernail stew with an aperitif of red wine? Nope, not at this one. Milk and cookies it was!

Soft and squishy in an entirely unpredictable way

Favorite thing #2: Fabric artist Emily Stoneking. Who knew fiber arts, with their warm and snuggly appeal could become peeled flesh and exposed organs. And somehow you still want to snuggle up with it. Or at least, I did.

And thanks Dawn for the amusing company tonight!

If you want to visit the show or get the aforementioned snot scared out of you, please visit:
DARK ART / Nightmare Vermont
Abandoned Olympiad Gym Building
78 Eastwood Drive
S. Burlington, VT
Curated by Deidre Healy, Hosted by the House of Lemay
Gallery Hours will be October 23, 24, 30, and 31 from 7:00-10:00pm

Meet some new artists…

alan bagshaw

chris harvey

ken howell

colin pat charles

colin pat charles

dan moran

dawn o’connell

emily stoneking

emily stoneking

Karen Geiger

kelly kotulak

kelly kotulak

kelly kotulak

Milk and cookies for you thirsty blood suckers

Soft and squishy in an entirely unpredictable way

“Oh the Horror” Halloween Show opening

The Halloween show came together well. The opening night was aptly moody with rain spattering down and autumn leaves tumbling around the doorway. We turned the lights down, the original ‘Nosferatu’ was projected on one of the walls, and the buzz and zap of “Dr. Electro’s Gizmos Disruptor…” hummed in the background. Traffic was light but steady and everyone seemed to enjoy the artwork and company.

There were several pieces in this show that had interesting contraptions. I think the best way to describe our last minute addition is a floorplan built onto a skirted table. The idea is based on a Victorian parlor trick. Someone is hidden under the skirted table. The host spins the table top and – depending on the room that lands in front of you – you get a spooky ghost story to go with it. While the story is being told the hidden person under the table pulls strings and wires to make the items in the room behave in mysterious and spooky ways. It’s a fun game and a really cool contraption. This one came to use by way of Trish Denton who runs a puppetry troupe. Photos below.

More crazy contraptions… John Brickels “Haunted Factory” that oozed blood and Jonathan Ward’s high voltage “Dr. Electro’s Gizmos Disruptor and Re-animation Device” which can best be described as a steampunk enthusiasts dream machine.

All of the work was great and helped round out our Halloween theme in unexpected ways. I hope everyone will join us for the closing on Halloween night.

Entrance to Halloween show

My spider on the entry table

Montanaro, Stein, Fleet

Entrance room

Kevin Montanaro

Aaron Stein

John Brickels with his creepy mask

John Brickel’s “Haunted Factory”

John Brickels (detail)

John Brickels (detail)

Jme Wheeler

Lorraine Reynolds

Isaac Wasuck, full wall

Isaac Wasuck: Alpha and Omega

Isaac Wasuck (detail)

Isaac Wasuck (detail)

My part of the wall

My wall

Haunted House – tables shake, chairs fall down on their own accord, it is a spooky haunted house display in the round

Rooms in the haunted house

Rooms in the haunted house

Rooms in the haunted house

Steve Conant

Jonathan Ward’s “Dr. Electro’s Gizmos Disruptor and Re-animation Device”

Jonathan Ward (detail)

Jonathan Ward (detail)

Jonathan Ward (detail)

Jonathan Ward (detail)

Christy Mitchell

Marc Awodey

Janet Van Fleet

Tourism Center

I put up the Strange Dolls display at the tourism center today. I love being in Vermont, it is such a small and friendly state. A couple stopped in that was trying to find their way to a doctor’s appointment. The tourism center attendant called the doctor’s office for her, got specific directions, and told the doctor’s receptionist that the woman would be a few minutes late. Doesn’t get any more “small town” than that!

Welcome Montreal tourists!

I love ugly shyla

http://uglyartdolls.wordpress.com/2009/09/29/copycats/

October Shows: Happy Halloween!

This October is chock full of local events!

DARK ART
Opening Reception Thursday, October 22 from 5-7pm
Abandoned Olympiad Gym Building
78 Eastwood Drive
S. Burlington, VT
Curated by Deidre Healy, Hosted by the House of Lemay
Gallery Hours will be October 23, 24, 30, and 31 from 7:00-10:00pm

Vermont is known for its green mountains, healthy pastimes, lush paintings of landscapes, beautiful fine craft and wholesome lifestyles. There’s also a deep, dark underground. An exploration of that emerging voice can be found at Dark Art. It is presented in conjunction with “Nightmare Vermont,” an interactive haunted house.

The exhibit features work in a variety of mediums from artists Beth Robinson, Alan Bagshaw, Colin Pat Charles, Gahlord Dewald, Karen Geiger, John Gonter, among many, many others.

OH THE HORROR
Opening Reception Friday, October 2 from 5:00-9:00pm for the First Friday Art Walk
Closing party on Halloween
S.P.A.C.E.
266 Pine Street, Suite 105
Burlington, Vermont
www.thetestsight.com
“Breath-taking” works by a group of ’strange,’ yet extraordinarily talented, artists and craftsmen: Beth Robinson, Marc Awodey, Janet Van Fleet, Kevin Montanaro, Lorraine Reynolds, Jme Wheeler, Jonathan Ward, Andrea Currie. Works range in mediums from paintings to strange dolls, to mad scientist installations and vintage horror movie posters.

HELLO DOLLY, HELLO TEDDY
Opening reception November 1st
The Bryan Memorial Gallery
180 Main Street
Jeffersonville, VT
www.bryangallery.org
Reception starts with a round table discussion at 2:00pm, followed by the reception from 3:00-5:00pm. This opening coincides with the annual Small Picture Exhibition. The show will include 1) Doll Collections, 2)Teddy Bear collections, and 3) Paintings which include dolls and/or teddy bears in its imagery.

I will have my Lolitas on display at this event.

Strange Dolls will be on display at the Visitors Center in Georgia, Vermont throughout October. SCARY but true!

Interviews/ Articles:

The Vermont Cynic
During our local Art Hop event, there were several members of the Vermont Cynic being inquisitive and taking lots of pictures. They were nice enough to feature not one – but two articles – one about S.P.A.C.E. and one about my work. Enjoy!

Not your typical Barbie

The benefits of sharing S.P.A.C.E.

Greer Lankton retrospective at the Mattress Factory

“It’s all about ME, Not You”
OPENING RECEPTION
It’s all about ME, Not You
Friday, October 9, 2009
7.00PM – 9.00PM
Website

“When faced with the prospect of creating her first large-scale installation at the Mattress Factory, Lankton knew that she wanted to re-create her studio, in an ideal form, designing an environment of “artificial nature/total indulgence,” filled with “dolls engrossed in glamour and self abuse.” Like then artist herself, Lankton’s dolls and environments possess a disarming mix of innocence and decadence, hope and pathos. she said her work was “all about me,” reflecting her life as an artist, a transsexual, and a drug addict. But beyond this, from her position as an outsider, Lankton eloquently explored and questioned accepted norms of gender and sexuality, as well as the powerful imagery of popular culture and consumerism. Her work also describes the difficult mandate of these pervasive, seductive models and the pain of those who do not conform. It is tempting to think that Lankton created her installation at the Mattress Factory as of she knew it was her last (she died in late November, a month after the exhibition opened), filing the space with a retrospective selection of her beloved dolls and everything that was most meaningful to her.” Source

Pictures from the Art Hop

There was roughly 1000 people that came through the doors on Friday night, the opening night for the local Art Hop festival. S.P.A.C.E. is in the same building as the juried show so it was the reference point for the event. I was warned about the intensity of the crowds… but even with a warning I wasn’t prepared.

But it was loads of fun. Here are a few pics from the night….