Mixed Media Assemblage Junk Bird Class

Had a great group of people out to the studio to build bird out of junk. I love to see the great diversity of creations that happen.  Same instructions and same basic materials and such a creative variety of art.

The Dollmaker

Last spring I was approached by some wonderful people, Lisa Cooper and Dan McComb of Visual Contact to see if I would be interested in being a part of their Maker series of videos. I get a lot of emails from people wanting me to participate in this or do that, and a lot of them never amount to anything. So before proceeding I went to check out Lisa and Dan's work and was totally blow away by the quality of their work. So I said YES sign me up... “sure I will somehow fit that in between this show and that conference.”  Just earlier this month that seed that was planted and diligently nurtured  by Lisa and Dan bloomed into an this amazing video. The Dollmaker is visually delightful  and also speaks to poignantly  to "why" I make the art I do. Thank you Lisa and Dan for the huge amount of work it took to make this video come into being.

 

 

It was nerve wracking to be filmed while working and seeing yourself on video not so much fun…. I was in total denial about the size of my double chin.  LOL

But the visual they captured of my studio are creepy and beautiful.  I do have to admit that my favorite part of the video if I had to pick one is the narrative. We sat down and did an interview for 45 mins while filming and then they edited it down to the parts that would work with the video.  The words that were chosen are PERFECT.  They really speak to why I make the art I make and what it means to me. I want to share some of my favorite lines with you…

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“The doll is an icon of our humanness and we have idealized it but the reality is we are not ideal.

I want to give them the nitty gritty rough tough life they deserve

It has the energy of the people that have used it held it and those pieces speak to me

I was actually raised to more like the pristine pretty doll that sits on the cupboard and is revered and that doll is kind of…. boring

I want to be the doll that lives a life that isn’t afraid, that makes mistakes. That makes choices that aren’t the right choices.

It is the idea that sacred is also sexual, the pristine is also dirty.

That living life and having the scars of life is valuable.

We are afraid of death and darkness and dirty and shadow, we want to pretend that doesn’t exist we don’t want to talk about it we don’t want to look at it, we want to put it in the back closet and the reality is it here it’s with us all the time.

I want to take that darkness and shadow and that dirt and make it beautiful, because it is ….beautiful.”

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If you or someone you know need high quality video word done I highly recommend Lisa and Dan.

Bright Colored Art Dolls

During the Christmas season I am just head down making art and selling art!  which I am super grateful for.  I even enjoy the kind of feverish pace at least for awhile.

But with that said,  YAY JANUARY!!!

I made lots of new and interesting pieces during the holiday season but there was no time for sharing them with you all. So I am going to take some time to do just that….

Check out those bright colors…. Not my usual sepia and antiqued white! I am not going to say it’s a trend yet but I am enjoying playing with some brighter colors.

Suzy is a fun punk girl with dread hair falls made out of wired yarn and hand dyed fabric scraps. Her clothes are made out of scraps from 1960 turquoise lace dress. It was so fabulous it was hard to cut up but it will make for many many fabulous pieces of art

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Suzy is still available and looking for the right new funky home. 

New Studio Grand Opening

I have a new LARGE studio in Ferndale, WA at 1920 main st #8. It is super exciting.
I have space to have a small gallery space to display my work and then room to have a section for all the different work I do.  A sewing station, a jewelry  bench, tons of tables and space for classes, a storage area, and lots of space for STUFF. 
It is a perfect location less than a mile from home.  I could walk if I was motivated..  ;)  Close to hardware store, grocery store, and a coffee shop.

Here it is before the transformation!

You have to stop by my open house to

see the AFTER.

I am also teaching a FREE mini class on Sat 12th at 1pm

Cool old fire door next to my jewelry bench.

Class Pictures ARTFEST 2012 Steampunk Sally

Mixed Media Art Doll Class of Magnitude!
Wow! Steampunk Sally was one of the biggest classes I have taught with 28 students and the work they did was incredible! I never cease to be amazed by how you can take the same basic objects and techniques and come up with such an array of work. I would love to credit everyone’s work but alas can’t keep track in the creative bedlam that is a full class. But I would love to identify the artists and link to people’s blogs. So add a comment and I will edit and add links… Thanks so much Clarissa

Dolls in progress

Deborah Olsen

Check out all those yummy textures and colors.

Dolls finished or mostly finished

Cindy Blood

                                  Judy Kline

 

Marie Kennedy

A couple of in class Instagram photo edits

Sheri Debow

Next Wild Things Class and Show and Tell….

Work Table

New pieces of art in the process. Count down to Artfest. Also trying out blogging from my new phone. So if this looks crazy. It didn't go so well.

Steampunk Art Doll Class

All the way back in Jan… Dang I don’t know where the time goes… I shared my studio with 8 amazing women and shared with them my techniques for “Steampunk Sally”

The original Steampunk Sally by Clarissa Callesen

We started with cloth and porcelain dolls from 2nd hand stores and through painting, torching, sewing, and lots of embellishing these fabulous dolls were created.

Student work by Aritas

Student work by Kim

Student work by Jennifer

Student work by Dani

Student work by Lynne

Student work by Nancy

Student work by Jenn

The dolls were well on there way to being done but many of them still had finishing touches to be added.

(would love finished photos if any of you have them)

I will be teaching this class again at

Class full

Spaces available

Spaces available

I will be teaching and vending at Art Unraveled

in Phoenix, AZ

July 30 - August 7
Embassy Suites, Phoenix-Scottsdale location

And Sally’s sister class

Doll Transformed

Portland, OR Oct 1-7 Red Lion on the River

ArT DoLL QuArTerLy

Look what came in the mail!!

Steampunk Sally gets some publicity…