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Patricia Ford
Pford character and portrait dolls is a new venture for me. Until recently the dolls I made on and off for 30 years were gifts for family and friends, or simply a creative outlet. Last year I decided to get serious about my fabric creations. I started a series of "Ladies", character dolls that evolved as the antithesis of beauty and fashion dolls – not thin, plastic, or well dressed, but real women with aches and pains and attitudes. The beauty is in the character itself, the way the face and body express feeling. I also expanded my "Portrait" dolls – realistic fabric caricatures of people, often commissioned by friends and family. You can see several images of both these groups on my web site.
I am self-taught, and use no patterns. Most dolls evolve from a sketch and notes from my observations. Every doll is unique and hand-crafted with distinct character and individual personality. All are hand- and machine-sewn, stuffed with fiber fill, and have sculpted, drawn and painted faces. Many are anatomically correct. My "Ladies" all have diaries to give an idea of the true personality of each doll. Details are important, and I work hard to be true to the character I’m creating.
What’s the motivation? I’ve always been more observer than participant. I prefer the sideline, watching people. I find a great deal of both humor and sadness in the way people present themselves to each other and to the world in general. It’s interesting to see how the passage of time and the experiences of life leave their mark on people. I also enjoy the creative outlet. It feels good to envision a character, design and create it yourself, and see the finished product – all in a relatively short period of time.
Please visit my website, and feel free to contact me by email – pford@frontiernet.net, or through the CNYDAG yahoo group.
Click here to visit my website pforddolls.com
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