Go Geisha

Beautiful, detailed, Asian tattoo art utilizes the body as living canvas, turning the street into an interactive fine arts gallery.

Masquerade !

Often, I am asked, "What's next? What are you working on? Will you tell?" Hmmmm, the answer is: Lots of fun things. After the exhibition ends in September, Orchid will spend her time getting ready for her wedding which is in January 2010. Orchid's wedding, which you can most certainly attend if you are out this way, will be the next event at Patchogue Manor at the UFDC Doll Fanciers' Show http://www.ufdg.org .

Orchid's wedding will kick off a year of Masquerade hoopla, keeping me busy with Venetian Carnival masks, silken ball gowns, vintage embroidered jackets, Swarovski jewelled tiaras and yes, horse races. The 'horses' will be attending the balls and we will have a ball figuring out who the most handsome horse in the mini-herd is.

Keep your eyes out for "The Last Unicorn" as he emerges, late to the party from out of the rose garden, to see if we have a winner. Listen to us laugh and join in here: http://catcara.livejournal.com .

Where You Can See THE DOLLS

My September 2009 exhibit is on right now for the entire month of September. Any time the library is open during this month, you can see "The Dolls" here: http://www.nassaulibrary.org/plainv/ .
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The Plainview-Old Bethpage Library is high pedestrian traffic, plentiful parking, easy no-nonsense access, and is a facility with a large art exhibition hall. It is located on Old Country Road just east of Seaford Oyster Bay Expressway on Long Island in Nassau County.
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Part of the fun, so I am told, is "guessing" which of 'us' did what. Some artists' work are living and is readily identifiable, others have been lost to history but are no less important. Telling you quickly what you do not want to miss: Sally Shore made the miniature beaded lavender ribbon boa which, of course, Orchid is wearing as Sally made it just for her. Myrtle painted Chloe's stunning face. Miss Ally's book is indeed available for purchase directly from her. Baby Dead Ornie who Orchid is doing something with, is by Deb Kirkpatrick. Doug is a Dollmore Evgenia Hanoel LE 10 with Dollmore Studio paint. The crystal kisses were hand blown and one of them is signed. A tiny Elfdoll Seedling sleeps peacefully in the birdsnest.
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It took me over five and a half hours to install. Many of the pieces are available for purchase directly from the corresponding artists. For example: Sally Shore makes 'people-sized' ribbon boas; you can indeed dress like Orchid. Well, almost.
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Please stop by; do enjoy the show. It is the last time Orchid will be seen by the public before she marries Doug in January.

September Exhibit

The upcoming September 2009 exhibit of my work will be Oriental in theme. The 'theme' was entirely up to me and, as with every previous exhibit, most of what you will see has never been seen before. The converse is also true: if you miss the exhibit, well, you will not get to see this one repeated.

The window to the fairyland that is Little Cow Harbor, opens briefly for one month. When it closes, that view is gone forever. To me this makes perfect sense; the dolls will have moved on with their lives.

To get you in the mood, I have selected this:



The exhibit will be held at Plainview-Old Bethpage Public Library. They have a very beautiful space dedicated to fine art in their foyer.

Azul Book

Azul is one of my original one-of-a-kind hand sculpted ball joined dolls. By their very nature, one-of-a-kind dolls are rare. Difficult and time consuming to create, Azul was a labor of love. She is apparently Oriental in persuasion, very distinctive with her long peacock blue hair, and is approximately two feet tall. Deemed to be the very essence of a modern high fashion model, Azul was the focus of her own interactive photographic installation by Richard Gardner.

Ball jointed doll aficionado and Washington D.C. fine arts photographer Miss Ally has just completed a book on Azul. This is actually her 'second' book on Azul. The first book was actually deemed so valuable by rare book dealers, that no more were printed. Thus, ensuring the value of the few original copies. Consequently, this is the first time, you can add 'one of my dolls' or 'one of our books' to your collection. The book is available for on-line purchase here: http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/805045 "Click the pages" to peruse and buy this tiny gem of a publication.

Labyrinth Ball Scene

Preparing for Orchid's wedding this January 2010, I ask myself the all important question: What will her wedding look like? What will the guests wear? The answer is this:

Fireball XL5

I grew up loving this. I spent countless hours scrutinizing every aspect of it. I went on to become a fan of "Lost in Space" and, in far later years for work related reasons, "Star Trek". Perhaps, "Fireball XL5" is the reason why i make "the dolls". Certainly there must be some reason, as I did not 'play' with dolls as a child; I only made the figures. Although, I did always think when I watched these episodes of delightful puppetry, "The best part is being able to see the strings."

Visit the journal to hear the theme song: http://catcara.livejournal.com .