"Toyland" was a labor of love that I conceived, photographed, produced and directed a crew of over 15 people to create a visual tale that I had inside of me. Based on Dolls and Magic, "Toyland" grew from a desire to recreate an adult version of my childhood memories. This selection of photographs from this series focuses on "Dolls in Toyland". Conceptually, I see these as 40 x 30" framed prints hanging in an adult play room. Their colorful backdrops and costumes popping out at you like the Jack-in-the-box being wound up by a toy Doll, are a perfect foil in a toy room just for adults!
Dolls certainly played a major roll in my own childhood. My artwork has been visually influenced by other Artist's representation of them in the form of paper dolls, dolls coming to life in the movies and in stop animation, and reading about their adventures in the pages of a book. Anthropomorphic, dolls allow us to reflect on the human condition in endless ways, in stories that have been explored in every medium and in every culture. As my visual vocabulary began to grow, imagery of dolls that surrounded me as a child influenced my interpretation of them and I started leaning towards the 60's pop aesthetic.
My first paper doll was a book called "Peggy and Me" by the Whitman Publishing Company. This was a "First Doll" book where you would flip a page and change the dolls dress instead of physically dressing the dolls up. To this day, I still love the combination of illustration rephotographed with fabric and notions. The black outline and the pop colors set the tone for what I still find aesthetically pleasing.
Betsy McCall, the paper doll that appeared in the pages of McCall magazine, also held a large fascination for me in my childhood. Not only did Betsy have thee best clothes but the stories fascinated me, since they always had Betsy doing something interesting. This paper doll traveled and had an exciting life filled with adventure. I never cut Betsy out but carefully tore out each page from my Grandmother's magazine to keep for my collection.
One of the biggest influences on my childhood has to be the first outdoor movie I ever watched. It was the 1934 Laurel and Hardy film "Babes in Toyland" (also known as "March of the Wooden Soldiers" which was a 1952 reissue) produced by non-other than the great Hal Roach. I can still remember the thrill and excitement of the life size wooden soldiers coming to life and saving Toyland. Seeing them come to life was pure magic. To this day, it is still a thrill to watch.
And what child of the 1960's and 70's in America was not permanently enthralled and influenced by the creative output of Rankin and Bass? Their stop-motion animated Holiday specials were something we ALL looked forward to. From "Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer" to "Mad Monster Party", Rankin and Bass produced some of the most beloved television productions with their "animagic", influencing image makers and animators to this day. For me, it was The Island of Mistfit Toys from the tale of Rudolf that I looked forward to year after year. The crazy 60's visuals of the Matryoshka clown opening up, to a water pistol that shoots jelly made me want to bring them all home with me. I was hooked on those misfit toys that sang and danced and came to life after I went to bed... Of course The Miser Brothers, Snow and Heat, in "The Year Without Santa Clause", who would elicit fear and excitement in every child in the room, also remains a constant visual in the back of my mind...
Like paper dolls, books are intimate and personal. My all time favorite book when I was a little girl was "Little Mommy", a Little Golden Book illustrated by Eloise Wilkins. I remembered I loved that book so much that I took it from my nursery school! For years I combed thrift stores and even wrote to Little Golden Books looking for an extra copy (this was before ebay kids...) but no one ever seemed to have a copy available. It was with great excitement it was reissued in 2008, just before my daughter was born and now she too can enjoy being a "Mommy" to her Dollys as I once did.
But it was Dare Wright and her Lonely Doll series which inspired me to pursue a career in photography. "Edith and Little Bear Lend a Hand" was my first introduction to a world Ms. Wright had created along with the help of a beautiful Lenci doll named Edith and her two Steiff Teddy Bear companions Mr. Bear and Little Bear. This book from 1972 actually incorporated the idea of recycling and cleaning the environment in its storyline. Perhaps that is why my Mother purchased it instead of "The Lonely Doll" which has a darker, more foreboding side to it with a dash of anxiety thrown in for good measure. It is interesting how many Artists are draw to this woman and her work...
As my daughter Edith has just begun to construct imaginative naratives with her dolls, I realize how important play is for all of us and how essential it is to self realization and hours of whimsical entertainment.
Next week: Magic in Toyland!
Julie Pavlowski Green
May 11, 2013
The Jack-in-the-box is too cool!
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