Rhody is a perfectly content girl who sits happily in her rocking chair. She wears a dress made from bits of lovely upholstery and drapery fabric carefully pieced together.
She was created at a class in Washington State with Deanna Hogan. It was at this class that I learned about a special technique that she uses. First the doll is made from simple muslin fabric. Then a mixture of mediums is applied to the extremities, allowed to dry, sanded, and finally painted and varnished. I was very intrigued by this method of advanced cloth dollmaking because it creates a very “polished” look that transforms the doll into something else entirely. Rhody is a perfect example of how dollmaking can cross over the line from crafting to fine art.
Rhody is very special to me because she reminds me of Seattle, where I lived at the time. I remember an enormous rhododendron in the backyard, like nothing I’ve ever seen before. It was as tall as a large tree. My oldest daughter, then a little girl, would wake up to the beautiful, fragrant flowers and the sun shining onto her face from her bedroom window. Sometimes I would sit in her rocking chair and read to her, facing that beautiful “flower tree.” I thought Rhody was a perfect name, and of course she needed a rocking chair of her own. She reminds me of lovely things and days gone by.
