The local artist on her process...
Paper Dolls
I started making paper dolls about two years ago when I created a Bowie doll for a friend's birthday present, and afterwards received a few requests. I then created a mini collection, and started to sell them online. Now, I have over 150 dolls and make at least five new characters a week.
All the dolls are illustrated based on cult icons and film characters from the eighties and nineties. A lot of the dolls made at the beginning were based on gay icons, women, drag queens and artists such as Bette Davis, Leigh Bowery and Divine; all people that my friends and I were inspired by or loved for the pure, kitsch aesthetic they embody.
I’m currently working on a DIY paper theatre of the drag festival Wigstock. You can cut and piece it together yourself and it’ll have the faves such as Lady Bunny, RuPaul, Jackie Beat and Bowery. An explosion of colour and a celebration of drag, it’s part of a series of DIY theatres that include a B52 and Pink Flamingos set.
At the moment, I’m packing and framing dolls while working on a performance project and organising a pop-up shop. I recently went live with my website which has a selection of my dolls and bunting listed; alongside my other online shops, this has turned into a full-time job which is great.
You can find more of my work at We Built This City in London, The Shop in Sneinton Market and by visiting my Instagram account. I’m really excited to dress Divine Coffee House’s window for Sherwood Art Week and would like to continue to create bigger visual pieces so if you’re a shop owner out there and fancy pimping your window up, get in touch.
Sherwood Art Week takes place from Saturday 16 - Sunday 24 June 2018.
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