Amy Felske

Incipient Madness(there’s an art to going crazy) -

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Are you drawn to dolls because of the stories they evoke like I am? Small children spend hours whispering to their dolls, sharing their thoughts and secrets with this most trusted friend. Older children pit their dolls against all sorts of challenges, creating elaborate worlds and enticing situations in which their companions triumph over adversity. Sometimes dolls can just exist in an imagined beautiful place of peace. As adults, we do not lose this attachment to the imaginary. In some ways being able to step away from ourselves and look at the world again with wonder as we age is more important than ever. Dolls remind me of familiar stories from the past and can strike a chord of memory that frees the imagination.

I am a self-taught dollmaker and have been making dolls for over 30 years. For me doll making is very much like storytelling. As my creation takes form, its story evolves and the doll’s personality begins to direct the way the piece takes shape. Searching for the right materials for each piece is a wonderful treasure hunt. I use wool, llama, angora, alpaca and mohair fibers in my dolls. These fibers are used in wet felted wool for cloaks, hand-dyed hand-spun troll hair and wherever else my imagination leads. By incorporating vintage fabrics, lace and buttons into my work; I try to evoke the past, taking small treasures someone left behind and finding new purpose for them. Pearls, glass and stone beads add shine and texture to dragon’s hides; fine silk adorns woodland elves; and frayed denim clothes garden gnomes. I combine all of these wonderful materials in my dolls to create fantasy worlds. In these worlds goblins journey through dappled forests, mermaids swim the seas and dragons soar on the wind.

Rarely when I begin a project is there a fixed direction. In creating my dolls, their own stories evolve. The inspirations I prefer are open ended and must be interpreted by the viewer. It is this potentiality that gives life to my dolls. The cloth and fiber become the blood and bone and my stitches are the animating threads of this new creation. What each person takes from my work depends as much on their imagination as mine.