Tuesday Talent - Shelley Thornton

 Welcome to Tuesday Talent which was very nearly Wednesday Talent but I have got my last most unexpected robin doll off down south and all is calm in this part of the county.  I wanted to share with you a lady very close to my heart, whose work has been a great source of inspiration to me over the years.  Her use of colour and combination of fabric is just brilliant and the overall appeal of her dolls is universal.

Shelley Thornton is a dollmaker from Lincoln, Nebraska and found dollmaking in 1992.  Previously working as an illustrator, her knowledge of colour most obviously comes from her roots in illustration.  She is a member of the selective NIADA and regularly shows and teaches across America.  Her most noted feature is the wonderful 'stuffed' cloth hair of her dolls.

Shelley says of her work " I shun extreme realism, and conceive of my work as dolls, not miniature replicas of human beings. I am fascinated by the notion that dolls, as objects, have long held a significant place in the human psyche, culture, and artistic expression, and I feel a profound urge to carry on in this tradition."

For more of her work check out her website at http://shelleythornton.com 

I hope you enjoy her work as much as I do. Her dolls are not small, when I first saw them I was surprised as they stand around two foot, but the detail is stunning as is her use of fabric and texture. I don't often covet others' work just enjoying their talent but I would love to own one of her pieces, just for the sheer joy finding some new detail every day.