amber leilani middleton's photostream  

until 2009, i was primarily a bead artist.

i have been slowly making the transition to working in more of a mixed media type field - first starting with paper crafts and rubber stamping then moving to mixed media collage.

then, in the winter of 2010 i picked up my first ever copy of ART DOLL QUARTERLY, discovered creative paper clay, and never looked back!

some of my fondest memories from childhood are of the times my parents and grandparents would take me to the circus and to puppet shows. i have always been fascinated by things that never were - monsters, myths, my own fairy tales. i live in my own dreamland. when i discovered paper clay all of those memories combined with my love of the odd and slightly freakish, and became the basis for my art dolls.

i want each of my pieces to look old, worn, and broken. i see them as discarded or lost toys...once loved, long ago, and rediscoverd to be loved and cherished again. i sculpt mainly the torso area...leaving off the limbs to put the focus on the face. each piece has it's own distinct personality which comes through while i am working on it. really...the dolls do tell me who they are!

each of my dolls is one of a kind, hand sculpted, painted in layers and layers of acrylic paint, given a crackle finish, antiqued (sometimes multiple times), sealed with a matte varnish, and often given little embellishments. the process can take days just to complete one doll.

if you're so inclined, check out my blog:
amberleilani.blogspot.com

one day i will be a tattooed bearded lady meandering along the midway....