Once upon a time on a cool March day in 1950 a little pink boy was born.  His name is Cody.  It is here that the story of my life truly begins.  Throughout my childhood I have been a creative spirit making many of the playthings to amuse myself.  I loved creating little villages for my toy cars and little houses made of sticks and cardboard.  I was born legally blind.  But, thanks to my parents and my grandmother, I never let this prevent me from doing most of the things I wanted to do. 

 Through the years I have been asked by many people why I create dolls. I have a basic response of just because.  However, just because doesn’t really explain my love of dolls as a creative outlet.  Out of all the possible mediums dolls brings together my love for drama, storytelling and ritual that is very touchable. I can’t tell you how sad it is for me to see so many artists create art that is distant and untouchable by the general population. One would get the impression that real art is for a select few and not for all to enjoy and experience. Dolls provide an avenue for all to get close to them. They impart their unique message and energy in so many different ways. The communication that happens between a doll and it’s beholder are as varied as the viewers themselves.

My venture into doll making really began when I was about 10 years old.  I was being raised by my grandmother as was my brother at that time.  My mother had died a year or so before.  It was my grandmother who recognized my inate artistic interests.  She taught me how to hand sew and basic embroidery techniques.  Her sister, my great aunt would give us bags of fabric scraps from the bedding factory where she worked.  So, my grandmother passed those onto me.  I made simple pancake rag dolls for my brother and I to play with.  We didn’t have much money in those days for toys.  Grandmother was a very practical woman.  All of our monetary resources were spent on necessities not toys.  So, I spent a few years doing these dolls and loved them as if they were the best things on earth.  Once I entered my teen years I transitioned into making stuffed toys for local kids and the orphanage just because I liked making them.  But, as with most things we do in our youth, I put it all aside once I turned sixteen.  Then came college and yes, I did major in art and theater design.  But, these were serious pursuits in art.  Not frivolous crafts.   

One use for dolls in particular has motivated me more than any other. The healing properties of the doll form. Many peoples of the world used dolls as healing talismans or as a part of a healing ritual. The doll is supposed to contain a form of healing energy. This energy is invokedthrough spells or prayers and ceremonies. I began my current doll making adventure creating healing dolls for myself and close friends. all started as a birthday present for a friend of mine, who at the time was a clinical councilor employing the inner child therapy process.  She used teddy bears for her clients.  So, I thought this was kind of odd.  Wouldn’t a rag doll version of the client as a child be more identifiable?  I made one for my friend as a birthday gift and she cried with joy.  She ordered one for each of her clients.  I found this to be a very powerful experience. This so inspired me that I began several series of dolls devoted to the act of healing. These dolls I call spirit dolls. They are loosely based on Native American and Voodoo traditions. I have also studied the use of healing dolls used by the ancient Scotts . They called these dolls poppets.  I believe that these dolls impart a subtle form of healing energy through color, texture and other physical elements such as crystals, charms and herbs. My creative experience is my spiritual path. Doll making feeds my soul like no other art form can.   It has its own ritual and celebrations. It is through the act of making art that I find the divine spirit within. The act of creation is a divine experience. Therefore art is a divine experience that serves to further enlighten mankind.

 I have been a professional artist for twenty six years, making dolls the later twelve. Doll making has become a passion for me,  Since that time I have moved into more unusual subjects. I have always been fascinated by human rituals. In doing research and reading on the history of dolls, I discovered many cultures used dolls as ritual tools for everything from healing to keeping away bad spirits. This inspired me so much I began creating dolls that could be used as talismans and healing tools. As an example, I created a series of dolls called the keepers. One doll is called the keeper of pain. This doll symbolizes a magical being with the power to take away pain. My latest creations employ a variety of materials to create my unique creations.  This is my alchemy, the alchemy of doll making that allows me to create doll making gold from many different components.

I have taught classes in doll making both on-line and at We Folk of Cloth, Artistic Figures in Cloth, and various clubs and organizations.

 Now, I suppose you want to more about the dolls themselves.  Well, initially I made characters out of my own imagination that were more symbolic.  I created nature shamans, plant and flower spirits, talismans to protect a variety of things and people.  Of course there were dolls that were made just for fun.  I love to create in a variety of mediums.  In the beginning there were cloth and fiber dolls.  I used this medium for at least ten or so years.  But, eventually I wanted to get more expression out of my work.  It needed to be more sculptural.  Enter polymer clay stage right.  Thus my dance with clay was renewed.  I had made many ceramic based sculptures in college.  But, I had no kiln.  So, traditional clay was out of the question.  Paper clay was fun and I still use it from time to time.  But, it wasn’t as forgiving to me as polymer was.  I didn’t need to keep the clay wet.  Just me, clay and some assorted tools were all I needed to work my magic.  The early pieces were very rough and crude.  I still consider myself an artist in training in many respects.  I constantly seek out teachers,  masters and mentors to help me refine my skill.  I have a style all my own and I certainly don’t want to lose that.  But, I would like my creations to be better.  Constantly learning is fun and it is an ever evolving search for me.  I live for art and expressing that magical spark of creation. 

Creativity occurs in one of two places usually.  I maintain a home studio where I do most of my polymer clay work.  Also, I have a studio located at the Essex Studios which is a complex of over 150 artist studios.  There are at least four studio tours a year.  That is a great venue for showing and selling locally for me.  The RiverCity Figurative Artists Guild is the local group I belong to.  It was formally a doll club.  You can find me on my blog at http://codyland.blogspot .com as well.  My current subject material returns to myth and fantasy as my inspiration.  I have made the characters of goblins my own.  Each character has a story to tell and I think I am beginning to get that across.  These have been my most successful creations to date.  That isn’t my ultimate goal, but it is nice to be recognized by your peers and even those I hold up in high regard as the stars in this medium..  It seems that I have finally found my home in creating fantasy art.  There is an endless variety and I can create the world they live in to suit my own story.  It brings the merging of my art and spiritual path full circle.  Life I believe is full of these circles.  To that end I am sure I will come full circle many more times in my life yet to be lived.  Future endeavors include more teaching and hopefully a book.  But, I have learned to take each moment and just feel the joy it brings.  I am at home in my heart when I create.

Past AOMs:

Linda Misa