Ladies' Guild Meeting - June 2009
The June meeting always makes Spring a real event because the view from village hall that evening, rain or shine, shows that the evenings are long, the greenery is lush and that Summer will come. This comfortable feeling adds a warm glow to the expectation of a cosy evening. There is always a feeling of curiosity when the speaker arrives, wheeling in the props for the evening. The treasures that appeared on the table didn't disappoint us. Margaret Rhodes's appearance said 'artist' as she stood unpacking her creations. She wore a straight dress of a floating style, which hinted at summer flowers and complimented her long hair. She had come to talk about the dolls she makes. As I watched her, I thought that she stood there with the calm assurance of a treasured doll. It was probably the calm that results after a holiday; she had just returned from America. When Shirley sent her a text to confirm the meeting she was surprised to get the reply from New York.
Margaret is a local artist, living in Luton. She attended Wimbledon Art School and from there her skills developed, first as a painter who was interested in portraying children and musicians. She displayed some watercolours of children that were her work. They were framed in gold, which gave them a medieval look.
Her interest in doll making began when she made dolls for her nieces, like all experiences she learned as she went along. She painted the porcelain faces which had a fabric body and made clothes for them. She was then asked to mend a treasured doll, which had broken. The doll played 'Silent Night' and was always the one to be taken to bed by the devoted child. Having studied a broken doll Margaret then made a doll, which would not break if dropped. She decided to make them as beautiful as any commercially produced; more so judging by what we saw. As she experimented she developed her skills. She made a calico body, the head turned; the face was muslin with silk layers. She found that if a plasticine mould was used, layered with muslin, coated with PVA glue and then dried for 24 hours, she was able to make a head with only one seam. Wire skeletons bound with tape, then covered with a stockinette, made the doll.
After the hard work came more, the clothes are truly a work of art with Liberty lawn or silk used for dresses. Collars and cardigans of hand knitted lace add to the labours. One tiny scallop for a collar takes half an hour to make. Shirley and I counted 25 so there was twelve and a half hours work; exquisite! Every detail is the same. The fabric is available in identical prints but in scale so Margaret is able to make sets of identical scaled dolls. She said it is a labour of love. Then she decided to make boy dolls; why should girls have all the fun? She experimented with making a flat leather shoe so that the doll could be stood upright. Her expertise grew. She has made dolls as prizes for local children and has bought small dolls' house dolls from Stockwood Museum to dress. She created dolls for grandmothers in the likeness of grandchildren making these portrait dolls by photographing the subject then painting the face on a muslin head and of course dressing them in great detail. All the work we saw was beautiful. The painting is delicate and detailed. The dolls and the clothing, including the beautiful underwear (she said everyone looks to see if they have underclothes) are works of art.
Margaret had a small block with her. As we had tea and asked questions she painted the whole block skin colour then painstakingly added an exquisite doll face, the perfect look! With all the admiration of her work samples and questions addressed, she painted on with the calm competence of a true professional. This she donated to the raffle, Janice was delighted to be able to take it home. Margaret's fame has spread, she now talks to groups like ours and in assembly to schoolchildren; one can imagine the little girls' delight in the dolls and paintings. The older girls in Streatley were certainly impressed with her skill and dedication!
The history of the doll goes back forever it would seem. Clay, wood, rag, leather, wax, papier-mâché, porcelain, composition and plastics have all been used and mass production has made dolls cheap and disposable. However, this is not the case with Margaret's works of art. Margaret has developed her own ways of making her dolls from quality materials. She is creating treasures for the first owners that should travel forward with the generations. Who would leave a doll, the likeness of a grandparent to be lost or sold? It was a delight to see her paintings and dolls and to admire her craft.