Folk Art Dolls 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 | 2024

The winter weather has not been particularly rough this year and I find myself striking a balance of working inside and outside as we head towards spring. Artistically, I haven’t made much since the first dead head doll last summer, but as the days grew shorter I found myself tinkering once again with my knife and some wood.

The first 4 dolls of this year are a continuation of the dead head doll, rough carved torsos and limbs accompany a longrifle with it’s bag and horn. Atop the shoulders, a floating dead head, reminiscent of grave markers from Colonial America.

Each of these dolls varies in size from 8” to 14” tall. They are made from scrap pieces of basswood cast off the saw. The wood size informs much of the proportions and not cutting it from stock gives me some boundaries.

Each of these dolls is painted and aged by hand. My daughter has taken to helping me paint in the evenings. These are moments I will cherish for life.

Dolls 1-4 are hung from a blackened sassafras coffin silhouette and mounted to a pine base.

Doll 5 is pulled directly from 18th century paintings and drawings of Eastern Native Americans from the time. He carries a longrifle, though historically it was likely a smoothbore. Hung from the shoulder is a shotpouch and eastern buffalo horn.