Bravura's Journal

Bravura's travel journal turned out as wonderful as Bravura, herself. It arrived home chock full of art and treasures right to the very last page!

When I sent it off with Bravura last June, my journal cover looked like this.


Bravura came home all purples and greens. So I decided to redecorate the journal cover to match. Mary Anne was kind enough to send me a button like those she used on Bravura's cape.



This shot shows the journal with some of the fold-out pages showing.


If you wanna take a look at all the entries in Bravura's journal, check out our project blog here.

This has been a great round robin project. We managed to stay on track and finish on schedule, and everyone did really nice work on every doll. Thanks so much to my fellow collaborators: Barb, Mary Anne, Karma, Em, Jeanne, Robin and Yvonne. I had a blast and Bravura will be cherished keepsake and reminder of the fun this has been.

More Bravura

Here's a couple shots of Bravurs's back view without her purple cape on, so you can see more of the cool 'skin' Barb gave her and the pretty fabric flower Yvonne attached. What a vain one Bravura is!

My Cool-Aberration Doll is Home!

Yep, after traveling about 7800 miles over the course of the last 12 months, Bravura Personified has returned home to NC! And boy has she evolved!

Here's what she looked like when I sent her off on her journey last June - just a raw paper mache torso, head and arms stuck in a glass vase "skirt".


And here's what she looks like after visiting seven artists throughout the US and Canada.

Isn't she wonderful?! She evolved into an old Vaudeville dame reminiscing about her glory days. She's everything I hoped she'd be and more.

Karma in SK, Canada made her air dry clay face. Em in WA beaded around it. Robyn in CA added an audacious headdress and sparkly long eyelashes. Mary Anne in ON, Canada stitched up a sparkly beaded cape to match the glittery purple and green bodice fashioned by Barb in NY. Em in WA crocheted copper wire and beads into a glimmering stole and matching hip sash.



Bravura's skirt includes a photo transfer on hand-dyed fabric from Yvonne in TX, sheer ribbon danglies from Karma, the crocheted wire sash from Em, and a boa belt and strands of beads from Barb.


Mary Anne decorated a bottle for collecting the tears of Bravura's abandoned lovers, and Yvonne sent her home with a luxurious ostrich feather.


Jeanne in OR made Bravura's hands and a cigarette and holder perfectly befitting an old Vaudeville broad. Jeanne even had Barb send some of the boa she'd used, so Bravura's feather cuffs would match her belt.


I hung the itsy bitsy book of broken hearts that Mary Anne made on the prissy lace purse that Barb made. (The book is tiny - only 1/2" wide!)


Yvonne added this beautiful fabric flower to the back of Bravura's shoulder. I haven't gotten any back view pics of Bravura yet.


Now tell me Bravura ain't an exceptional piece of collaborative work! I wish everybody could see her in person. She is so cool. She sparkles all over and you can just feel her snooty personality. She's very full of herself.

Her journal is wonderful, too - stuffed with treasures to the very last page. I'll get pics of it soon.

Bravura Personified has hands!!

Here's Bravura, my doll in Art Doll Cool-Aberration 2009, as she looks after visiting five of the project artists.



Doesn't she look great?! She just left Jeanne in Or who gave her polymer clay hands and a cigarette in a holder. Perfect!







This is the page Jeanne added to Bravura's journal.


Just for comparison, here's what Bravura looked like when I first sent her on her travels.


She's in CA with Robyn now, and then she visits Yvonne in TX. Then home to me! If you wanna see her visit-by-visit progress thru the project, check out the Art Doll Cool-Aberration blog.

Bravura Personified after her third visit

Here she is looking grand and snooty. She just left Karma who added her clay face, headdress, and ribbon flags to her skirt.





Sadly, Karma didn't have time to work in Bravura's journal. I'm pretty disappointed since the art journals are as crucial to the project as the dolls. She's promised to send some pages. I really hope she gets around to it so my journal doesn't end up with a hole in the middle.

On the bright side, that's the only dissapointment in the project so far. The players are really going all out in adding to the dolls and journals. Go check out the dolls' progress at http://artdollcoolab2009.blogspot.com/.

Bravura

MA just posted these pics of the pages she added to Bravura's journal.




I'm tickled with the great work these girls are doing in my small journal (only about 2 1/4 x 5 1/2 inches). Can't wait to get my hands on it in person. But, then again, I'm glad it'll be awhile, 'cause this project is such fun I really don't want it to end.

Another Regal Woman

MA just posted pics of her additions to Bravura Personified, my doll in the Art Doll Cool-Aberration project. Bravura is competing with The Queen for most regal Cool-Ab hussy. I'd love to get the two of them together for coffee sometime. :)

Here she is with her new royal purple cape by MA.

Is that not gorgeous?! You can see a bit of her necklace, but here's a detail shot.

MA called it her "Betty Rubble" necklace. Remember, I mentioned in an earlier post that Bravura resembles Wilma Flintstone?

Anyway, MA also made Bravura a tiny book where she records the names of the men whose hearts she's broken and a lachrymatory bottle in which she collects their tears. She's a wicked beauty, that Bravura!


Can't wait to see what MA does in Bravura's journal.

And More Bravura...

I'm really happy that everyone in Cool-Ab this round is into working in the journals. The journals are as much fun as the dolls. Here's the pages Barb added to Bravura's tiny journal. Remember, the pages in Bravura's journal are only about 2 1/4 by 5 1/2 inches - so these are mini art journal pages.





Pretty cool, huh? I love the way Barb used the same media in the journal as she used on Bravura herself.
And now here's a pic of Bravura with her bag. She's quite the glamour puss already, huh?

More Bravura

Here's a closeup of the bustier Barb made for Bravura.

You can see the great texture from the Speckle Stone paint, too.
And she made Bravura a bag to keep all her conquests' broken hearts in. She's obviously a maneater in the making!


Barb also posted pics of the very cool pages she added to Bravura's journal - to be posted here soon.

A Haughty Golden Hussy

Check it out! Just got pics of Bravura Personified's new look after her first visit to Barb in NY.

Pretty stunning, huh? Here's what she looked like when I sent her off on her journey.

Barb spray painted her with a coat of Speckle Stone Metallic spray paint followed by a very light coat of Lumiere Hi Lite Red. Hmmmm... it just occurred to me - she looks kindof like a golden statue of a very haughty Wilma Flintstone. Cool.


Next stop, Mary Anne in Canada!

ART DOLL COOL-ABERRATION 2009!

Exciting news (to me, anyway)! I've organized a new art doll collaboration - Art Doll Cool-Aberration 2009. This go, there are 9 players, 7 located in the US and 2 in Canada. Each of us will send out a doll start and an art journal to be worked on by each player in 6 week intervals.

Here's my doll start, Bravura Personified:

Bravura is a raw paper mache upper body that fits like a cork into a purchased glass vase. She's a little less than 15 inches tall including the vase. Inside the vase, I've placed tiny handmade dolls, one for each player that Bravura visits:

And here's Bravura's travel journal with my starting entries:



The pages in my journal are only about 2 1/2 inches wide by a little over 5 inches tall. We could name our doll, and we were each allowed to use one quote or 10 of our own words (maximum) to hint at a theme for our doll. I chose the quote, "The woman who makes free use of her attractiveness remains a disquieting type."

All dolls must be in the mail by tomorrow. I've already mailed mine to Barb in NY. I can't wait to see what my fellow collaborators make of Bravura!

I'll post pics of all the other eight doll starts as soon as I have all the pics. And, of course, you'll be hearing about each doll as it comes my way. :)