Peggy Wilson - Ashton, Ontario, Canada

E-mail: thistledowndolls@hotmail.com

Class Description

THE CLASS OF ’69: A REUNION

BACKGROUND
The world has changed greatly since 1969 and so indeed have the members of the graduating class. Or have they? It was the year of Woodstock, man’s first walk on the moon, the first in vitro fertilization of a human egg and Monty Python’s Flying Circus. The Beatles were still together. The style of the day was ‘Mod’, ‘Groovy’, ‘Hippie’ for many of the youth but there were still plenty of ‘Jocks’ and ‘Cheerleaders’, ‘Bookworms’ and ‘Wallflowers’. 40 years have gone by and the Class Reunion of 1969 will reveal just how much the graduating class has ‘evolved’!

In this 2 day class students will have many options. Just as the human body has an infinite variety of forms, the figure you create can, as well. Both male and female figures may evolve from this class and you will dictate (to some degree as we all know how demanding a figure can be once its head has emerged!) how time has treated your ‘graduate’! The basic form will be a figure that stands between 12” and 14” tall. It is designed to be made of “doe suede” or “craft velour”. Its head will be extensively needle sculpted and its face painted to reflect the ravages of time. The figure will also be free standing, supported by ‘individual limb armature’. All of the possible clothing choices will not be covered in class although there will be several basic items of apparel included. The student will be guided through the construction of wardrobe basics with variations to suit the style of the ‘wearer’.

Techniques to be Covered:

• Creating a unique figure from an assortment of body patterns. Both male and female figures will be offered.
• Using assorted bust, chest and back overlays to define the figure.
• Sculpting and ‘painting’ an ageing face.
• Attaching and using assorted hair fibres/ materials.
• Constructing and utilizing “individual limb armatures” that will allow the figure to stand alone.
• Making simple standard clothing to compliment the character of the figure.

Peggy Wilson began creating her own designs virtually from the start. Peggy has been teaching her original doll patterns as well as a variety of doll making techniques for over five years. She presently teaches introductory to advanced doll making techniques in workshops, as well as specific featured dolls, in her home studio near Ashton, Ontario. Among awards she has received are 2002 Black and White Challenge (1st in costuming), Australia; numerous Canadian Doll Artists Association (CDAA) Awards (2002 - 2006 in Fantasy, Realism, Caricature, and Abstract categories). She was a featured artist, Foreign Exchange segment of HGTV’s Space for Living, spring 2006. Peggy’s work resides in private collections across Canada, the United States, Japan, Indonesia and Australia. She taught her doll making workshop series at Algonquin’s Summer Academy of the Arts in July of 2007, and at the Toronto Creativfestival in October 2007.

Instructor’s Personal Gallery

(all images used on this page are the copyrighted material of Peggy Wilson and are used with her permission)