Doll-making is my world. Creating dolls for me is such an embedded part of who I am that I can't imagine not having them in my life. Articulating what it is I do and why I do it, however is much harder to explain than the actual making!

Making my first doll was such a rewarding experience It was for
the me the ability to create new entities and persona's, to be a world builder. As a child it meant that any thought or fantasy I
could dream up could become a tangible reality, and I was only restricted by my own ability. Making dolls is just as important for me now as it was then, each creature gestates in my mind and I have an constant need to get the ideas out into their physical form. My earlier work was about replication and mimicry, characters in books, or films informed the basis of these pieces. Now my work is an expression of my own imagination, each character is a small
piece of me.

The most important attribute I feel within my work is achieving character believability, through their physicality, expression, attention to scale and proportion, texture and tone. I believe that there is a "golden section" or a hierarchy of rules which determines good doll design. Like good architecture and good design there are attributes which when addressed in correct proportion and composition create the believable being. The expression in the eyes, the size of the head in comparison to the limbs, each decision plays a valuable role in the development of the whole. This believable being is a timeless creation who has it's own world, purpose and ambition. For me to achieve success in my work, a piece needs to speak to me, and continue to express long after my pleasure in it's creation has waned. It is this challenge that I am sure most artists' encounter in their work through self-critique and iterative advancement, and for me it is this driving force that keeps me creating new work.

My aspirations as a doll artist however are more pragmatic. The art of doll-making has been around since the dawn of time, dolls exist in every culture, they are a part of our social development and a valuable addition to our collective material culture. However there is something aloof and dismissive about the way in which dolls and doll makers are sometimes regarded by their artistic peers and contemporaries. We sit in the middle of craft and art.

Through my work I want to carve a valid niche closer to the art and design world for the doll. Through this I want to ensure a sense of acceptance that does not mean the doll needs to be recontexturalised and masked by another median to be included. Each piece I create I try to bring a little closer to the dream of the ultimate character, both for me and for the rest of the art world.

Mail: 46 Sidlaw Street, Strathmore, Wellington 6022 New Zealand
Email: Tanya@marmalademonkey.com
Website: www.tanyamarriott.co.nz | www.marmalademonkey.com