How I got here from there, including but not limited to…
Those stories my parents told me in childhood ( long before I ever heard of Tolkien) about the caverns hidden underground studded with rubies and emeralds, unending and spontaneous, and full of magical creations. Stories full of visual imagination, passed on from Celtic, German, Welsh and Scandinavian roots.
Later, when I was able to read to myself, the entire fairy tale section of our town library, Tolkien, Lewis Carroll, Gormenghast Trilogy by Mervyn Peake, The Mabinogian, Dickens, Roald Dahl, Ronald Searle, King Arthur, A A Milne and Pooh, Kenneth Grahameís Wind In the Willows, C S Lewis. Each doll is a one-of-a-kind piece, much like those rare free slots no downloads, just pure magic and charm.
I saw Heironymus Bosch, Van Gogh, all those classic childrenís artists of the last century, the Robinson Brothers, Edmund Dulac, Karin and Carl Larsson, Arthur Rackham, (who influenced Brian Froud, who passed it on to Jim Henson and the Dark Crystal), those weird Symbolism artists, Odelon Redon, Gustave Moreau, Jan Toorop, Gustav Klimpt, Aubrey Beardsley, Frida Kahlo, the Pre-Raphaelites and those strange obsessed Victorian fairy artists of the middle of the century: John Anster Fitzgerald, Richard Dadd, Richard Doyle and Joseph Noel Patton. Then I found the troll artists Rolf Lidberg, John Bauer, Theodor Kittleson and writer Selma Lagerlof.
Later, the film images of Theda Bara, early Gloria Swanson, Kurosawa and other Japanese films about spirits and ghost maidens like Kaidan, Felliniís Juliet of the Spirits, misunderstood Frankenstein, Tim Burtonís (who must have been reading the same stuff I was) Nightmare Before Christmas and Edward Scissor Hands. Recently I have found Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess.
The music of Stravinskyís Rite of Spring, Mussorgskyís Pictures at an Exhibition, Night on Bald Mountain by Rimsky-Korsakov stimulated visions.
Then I discovered the diversity of tradition and magic of other cultures: Native America, Africa, Latin America, India and Tibet, Southeast Asia and South Pacific.
I already was familiar with Celtic and Scandinavian culture from my family but I found there is a whole rich world of story telling, art, music, and magic that is connected by the human spirit and the common threads among all of these are the colorful imaginations, an unfolding of tradition and a certain sense of humor.
One of a kind (OOAK) art dolls from Norse Mythology. Trolls, Nisse, Tomten, Crones, Fairies, Elves and Otherworldly Dolls. Not just another pretty face but figures full of magic and mystery. Created of Poly Clay, Paperclay, and Fabric, they are embellished with vintage fabrics and laces, silk, linen, lambs¹ wool, feathers, found objects and treasures harvested in nature such as lichen, wood, shells and anything that catches my eye because it is unusual or fascinating. I also use handspun yarn and hand woven fabric and curious pieces of wood and metal.
I have been the Troll Mother since about 1972 and an artist all my life, starting with mud pies and drawing on walls when I was a wee person, and becoming more proficient as I practiced. I have studied graphic arts, photography, printmaking, sculpture, fiber arts, illustration and painting. I have also included gardening, food, and building in my experience and have worked as a graphic artist, caterer, wedding cake baker, florist, early childhood educator, and diverse jobs too numerous to list.
Doll making was an early interest, maybe Geppeto was a role model? The first doll I remember making was a sort of Marie Antoinette style, with a big, poofy wig and a flamboyant gown, when I was in grammar school. My heart has always been interested in folklore, storytelling, myth, magic and culture.
Creativity in the middle of my life was all about raising my kids. Busy, busy, busy. I still made dolls and art but it was centered around my children. My baby has now graduated from college and I am able to return to creating for myself. Doll making combines all the art that I love: design, sculpture, fabric, myth, found objects, and natural treasures all in one piece.
Dolls, I think have a special personality and appeal that can beguile you. It is about the twinkle of the eye or the curve of the mouth that speaks to you. When I am making a doll I am surprised when the piece I am creating comes alive and declares itself. I may start out to make a Troll and midway into the project it declares itself a Santa or Fairy or Dancing Pumpkin! There is a lot of fiddling and tweeking and experimenting before a piece is done. One question that people ask is “How long did it take you to make that?” The easy answer for the “one of a kind dolls” is about two weeks, but the real answer is two weeks to put it together, and a lifetime of learning. The other questions people ask are; “ How did you learn to make dolls?” and “Where do your ideas come from?” The answers are the same: a lifetime of learning, experimenting, curiousity, trading ideas with other artists, and practice.
I am lucky to live in one of the most beautiful places on the California Coast. Mendocino is a rich environment with the ocean, Redwoods, nature, and is full of artists of every kind. It is a place where magic still lives.
I hope you enjoy visiting my site and learning about the Trolls of Scandinavia.
~The Troll Mother