MEMBER SHOWCASE |
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Barbara Griffin |
I never thought of myself as being artistic. I had always wanted
to learn how to make porcelain figures. One day I stopped by a ceramic
shop and told the proprietor what I wanted to learn and that I new nothing
about ceramics. That was in 1964 and the beginning of artistic learning
for me. I attended seminars and earned certificates, including a teachers
certificate from Duncan Ceramics. I entered many shows and won a few
ribbons for my efforts, but this was not enough for me. I was becoming
bored. I wanted something more exciting than just casting and painting
by numbers (as I used to call it).
I always dreamed of making a porcelain doll, so I decided to try my hand at it. To be honest, I was scared to death of porcelain. I had heard how easy it was to break a piece and, with my TREMORS, I could just see a doll head all crumbled in my hands. In spite of my handicap, I decided to try it any way. It was love from the beginning. This started in 1984 and I have made and sold many dolls, modern and antique, but once again I became disenchanted with just casting and painting. I wanted to try to sculpt my own doll. So my search began on finding a doll sculptor woh lived close by. My prayer was answered when Marilynn Huston came to our dollmakers meeting and told us about starting a sculpting class. This was my beginning. I knew nothing about sculpting and even less about polymer clay. To my amazement, and Marilynn's, I sculpted a doll. She wasn't perfect, but at least she looked human. I have since taken classes at Elizbet Ney and from Louise Goldstein. A New World was opened up for me. I thank God for my knowledge gained from so many teachers and for Him giving me the courage to pursue my dreams in spite of handicaps. I am 73 years old and believe that anyone can learn if they just have faith in themselves and follow their dreams. |
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