How things came to be.....

My whimsical art dolls entered our material world in August of 2004.
I had an idea inside my head, and decided it was high
time to bring it to life. So, I bought some clay and went to work.

Inspired, encouraged and assisted by
my mother, who was a very creative woman, we worked
together on my first doll…a jester, outfitted in purple brocades,
golds and lace. He had horsehair for hair and brows and held
a smaller jester on a stick. He was a delight to make and I was
immediately hooked.

Working with a variety of mediums is what really keeps me going….
sculpting, painting, sewing, costume design, beading…and the best
of all, total absorption in fantasy! I enjoy finding vintage fabrics
and trims, antique pieces to accompany the dolls and making
something materialize from my imagination.

All of my art dolls are individually sculpted, costumed and designed.
They are one-of-a-kind. I get my ideas from children’s books, fairy tales,
memories of things throughout my lifetime, songs,
and many times, just things I see in my daily rounds through life.

As a child, I had a fascination with archeology and beginnings of life form. Fascinated by childhood trips to Mesa Verde’s Indian cliff dwellings and dinosaur digs in Vernal, Utah, I wanted to know where it all began. In high school, a trip to the Galapagos Islands to see what Darwin saw as he developed his ideas was a dream of mine, albeit unattended. Old stories like Merlin’s ancient wisdom, the old Russian witch, Baba Yaga and her brief insights, and the fantasies of the Grimm Brother’s Fairy Tales were all of incredible interest and I would devour the books and develop some very detailed visions of them in my head. There seemed to be a vein connecting these things to my spirit.

My color choices almost always default to earth tones, although I enjoy working with and have worked with the full spectrum of color. The tactile feel of fibers and finding just the right pieces of fabric for outfitting the dolls is in itself an excavation, and I have searched far and wide to find both the fabric and embellishments for the doll costumes.

So it is perhaps that archaeological dig for wisdom within me that seems to translate itself through the clay and into the work I am doing with these dolls. When I’m sculpting, the faces that surface are typically older, contemplative, and perhaps in pursuit of the origin of things. I enjoy people who impart wisdom and it is this that I hope to impart in my dolls – to create something that others could perhaps sit down with, get to know and in return be heard by them. I like to think that my dolls create an authentic presence, steeped in the origin of all things for their keepers

The images, as they unfold, are a combination of complete fantasy yet at the same time a search for something real, and it is there that I have found the place that feels most like home.

It is my hope that my dolls light up a spot inside that takes you to a different place and time of joyfulness…even if just for a moment!

Juried Shows

November  2010 ~ Inland Crafts, Spokane, WA
August 2010~ Anacortes Arts Festival, Anacortes, WA
November 2009 - Inland Crafts, Spokane, WA
November 2008 - Inland Crafts, Spokane, WA
November 2007 - Inland Crafts, Spokane, WA
August 2007 - Anacortes Arts Festival, Anacortes, WA
August 2007 - Arbor Crest Glass & Artfest, Spokane, WA
February 2007 -  Universal Unitarian Church, Spokane, WA
November 2006 -  Inland Crafts , Spokane, WA
September 2006 -  Spokane Valley Studio Art Tour, Spokane, WA
August 2006 -  Arbor Crest Glass & Artfest
June 2006  - Wallowa Art Festival, Joseph, OR, Honorable Mention, Judge: Mary Josephson
November 2005  - Inland Craft Warnings, Spokane, WA

Featured Artist
ArtStyle NW, Spokane, WA - April 2009
Bank Left Gallery - Palouse, WA - December 2007
Pottery Place Plus, Spokane, WA - July 2007
Artisan's Wares, Spokane, WA- "Art of the Doll", April/May 2007

Invitationals
Oz Vitational - Tinman Gallery, Spokane, WA - August 2009

Galleries
Artisan’s Wares Gallery, Spokane, WA
ArtStyle NW,, Spokane, WA
Inspire Me!, Granger, IN

Conferences & Workshops

July 2010 ~ Tim Ely Workshop...Thoughts & Actions...a bookmaking, mind-blowing experience from a world renowned artist.  He will be featured at Art Spirit Gallery in August 2010 and the MAC museum in Spokane in December of 2010....a must see!

July 2008 - NIADA Conference, Las Vegas, NV

September 2007 - The Dutch Touch workshop with artists Ankie Daanen & Marlaine Verhelst, Issaquah, WA

July 2005 – NIADA (National Institute of American Doll Artists) Conference, Philadelphia, PA
September 2005 – Artist Trust Grant Writing Workshop, Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA


Education
Bachelor of Arts, Cum Laude
Eastern Washington University
Major ~ Spanish
Minor ~ Art


Background
Business owner of a sport event management company, Round & Round Productions, promoting a variety of cycling races, cycling tours and triathlons, from grass roots levels to National Championships and World Cups. 1992 - present.
Before that a plethora of great experiences that have all contributed to what I do today!

Wendy Zupan Bailey...taking a brief respite from a mountain bike event!