Today we’d like to introduce you to Beth Robinson.
Hi Beth, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, let’s briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I was 17 when I started making art. A counselor recommended I start drawing some of the things I was experiencing, and I was hooked. Drawing led to pastels and then to oil painting. In 2003 I saw an online exhibit of Japanese artists making balljoint dolls and exhibiting them in elaborate gallery installations. I was deeply inspired and compelled to learn doll making to transform the characters I was drawing and painting and turn them into a 3D form. I found a series of instructional books by Susanna Oroyan about the artistry of making “art dolls” and why it should be considered an art form and not a craft. I needed access to a clay studio, and Susanna Oroyan focused on polymer and air dry clays – which can be purchased at any craft supply store and cured with no specialized equipment. With a low barrier to entry, I started experimenting. I began to share my process of learning to make dolls online, and it quickly grew a following; people were interested in purchasing them, and I knew I needed to make a website and identity for the work. In 2005, I established the name “Strange Dolls” with the website: www.strangedolls.net. I was invited to show work across the globe and was featured in various publications. My collector base started to grow. I have been making Strange Dolls for 20 years and continue to exhibit my work and sell it online via my website. I enjoy the process since the doll form invites discovery and experimentation, and there is always something new to learn.
Would it have been a smooth road, and what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The career path of the artist is inherently difficult. For one, it is the one career we do not choose – it chooses us. And it is a career path that doesn’t exist. That is why many artists are designers, graphic artists, teachers, tattoo artists, uber drivers, etc. It is the one career with no defined way to access it or succeed. It is amorphous. It is ambiguous. It is filled with smoke screens, and it looks different for anyone following that path. There is not one artist’s career that looks like another. It is riddled with tremendous hard work and the ability to wear multiple hats to be a visionary and a bookkeeper. It requires sheer tenacity, skill, dedication, clarity of focus, and pure blind luck.
Let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am an artist that creates “Strange Dolls” – beautiful and macabre doll sculptures. I sculpt the doll using polymer or dry air clays and then design and sew the outfits using vintage or up-cycled fabrics. I love adding organic material to my creations; I have implemented everything from human hair to teeth, from insects to dried gourds. Common themes in my work are: anthropomorphism, alter ego, and fantasy fulfillment. I love testing perceptions of the beautiful and sublime with my work. Dolls represent precious things; sentimentality, nostalgia, and innocence. As an artist, I enjoy challenging the natural response to the doll form by pairing it with the grotesque. Strange Dolls explores the dark side of the human experience: our fears, compulsions, fantasies, and motivations. And while they are called “dolls,” Strange Dolls are not something you would buy for a child unless you want to give them nightmares. I am proud of the longevity of my studio practice and my dedication to the creative exploration of this medium (20 years!). I am proud of Strange Dolls’ reach and that humans from various cultures can connect with the work. I have shipped dolls worldwide and exhibited them in Germany, Japan, Australia, the Netherlands, and England.
Let’s end by discussing what matters most to you and why.
Authenticity matters the most to me. We live in a culture where social media provides a skewed version of reality and, consequently, I value authenticity more than ever. My reverence for this is reflected in my work as well. I use the doll form, which is an idealized version of humans, and manipulate it to reflect truths that exist in all of us. I create work where ugliness and beauty can co-exist but it tells the story of who and what we are.
Pricing:
- $150 – $500
Contact Info:
- Website: www.strangedolls.net
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/strangedolls/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bethrobinsondolls/
Image Credits
Photographer: Beth Robinson
