Thank you for visiting this web page of PREVIEWS of Art and Doll Repaints that are in the studio, ones in progress. Some are commissions, while others may be purchased when finished.
     Graphic design and website coding by Nancy Lee Moran of USA
                 Web Page Created 6/18/11

Three Oil Paintings of Snow Fairies

Here are the under-paintings (first paint layers, imprimaturs). The broad shapes of paint establish the art design (light and dark areas). Each one is a guide, similar to an armature created by a sculptor. ~ Nancy Lee, September 1, 2011
Link here to see my other (finished!) fairy paintings and prints.

Underpaintings

Finished Art

About the three oil paintings of Snow Fairies, painted during September and October 2011:
In the first week of February 2010, a light snow fell upon my town. Two of my small vinyl dolls braved the snow to balance on a spruce tree for photos. I created new faces and made costume changes.
As fairy art, the paintings also speak to me of the love between a mother and daughter, a mentor and girl, or between sisters. I believe these paintings to be about affection, protection and tenderness.
The blue-floral dress was designed by Tracy of sewmanydreams from an MHD doll pattern. In one scene, I changed its colors to my favorite colors of cranberry and blush rose. The child fairy's white dress and bonnet were inspired by a Boneka doll outfit. I added a broach, a crystal jewel, pearls, ribbon embroidery, and blue lace. For the child's violet outfit, I was inspired by various ballet costumes. Her cap is a reproduction of an antique doll hat in a Theriault doll catalog.
One of my husband's baby blue-spruce trees appears in each of these paintings. In the art, the spruce size is 40% of its real-life size.
I wish to thank Janet for inspiring me with her 2010 request that I paint some winter fairies. ~ Nancy Lee, November 8, 2011

The blue painting, "Tenderness," may be purchased here. The other two oils are sold.

Link here to purchase these fairy prints (and others) in my online art shop.

Tia the ballerina was created in 1997 in an edition of 750. She has graceful hands, so well sculpted. She can stand all by herself and has excellent stringing.
MARKS: To my surprise, I discovered that Tia's sculpt is marked the same as the one used for the 2003 Seasons dolls, and looks just the same too. On the base of her skull is (engraved): 1997 Kish & Company (copyright symbol) 97F
On her lower back in ink and on her COA: #226/750

My Inspiration: When I was repainting Tia, I discovered a wig of yarn and mohair by Kim (eBay name = sew2beunique) and imagined Tia wearing it in her recital dance. Then I asked my friend Marsha of Hankie Couture to create a costume to match the wig, as if Tia were to dance in a candy-confection, "sugar cookie" themed holiday dance. It was such a fun project.

July 2011
I finished repaint commissions of resin ball-jointed dolls by Kimberly Lasher, Asian Lotus and Lilly. Resin is such an exceptional surface for painting. To see more photos on SkyDrive, click the SkyDrive link. SkyDrive photos are clear, high-quality. You will, however, need to wait a few moments on each photo, since the self-focus takes a bit of time. Each photo will become crystal clear with a bit of patience. SkyDrive LINK is the little box just below here.

Blue Innocence is the name of this 2009 dress by Jeanne, who is known as idreamofjeannemarie (eBay name). Here is link Jeanne's page of doll clothing, her eBay ME page.

     Nancy hat mich gebeten etwas über meine Puppen auf Deutsch zu erzählen, das tue ich sehr gerne. Es faellt mir auch viel leichter als in Englisch :)
     Sie meint, daß "Puppen eine Kunstform sind, die Menschen aller Altersgruppen erfreut . . . seit alters her." Ich finde, sie hat recht damit und das gilt ganz besonders für die Handgearbeiteten.
     Davon schreibt schon die beruehmte Kaethe Kruse: "Handarbeit! Die Hand geht dem Herzen nach. Nur die Hand kann erzeugen, was durch die Hand wieder zum Herzen geht."
     Nancy sorgt für die Handarbeit; sie malt auf dem Puppengesicht - der dreidimensionalen Leinwand - mit Sorgfalt und Einfuehlungsvermoegen und schafft liebenswerte kleine Persoenlichkeiten. Sie macht aus Maßenware individuelle Kunstwerke die anruehren. In meinem Fall bedeutet das: die Schoenheit zweier feiner Gesichter von Helen Kish, fabrikmaeßig zu grob bemalt, werden wieder sichtbar.
     Wir hatten vorab per mail ein paar Daten abgesprochen. Schon die Praezisierung meiner eigenen Vorstellungen hat mir Spaß gemacht, auch weil Nancy mich dabei immer geduldig ermutigte.
     Nun sind sie also fertig, die jungen Damen und muessen einen Namen bekommen. Natuerlich deutsche Namen, denn sie residieren ja spaeter in Deutschland; findet Nancy. Na gut. Wir Deutsche haben ja immer noch geschichtsbedingt eher Probleme mit unserer Nationalitaet, aber ich nehme die Herausforderung an.
     Als Namensgeberinnen foerdere ich zwei preußische Prinzessinnen zutage: Luise Auguste Wilhelmine Amalie Herzogin zu Mecklenburg-Strehlitz (geb.1776 - gest.1810) war als Gemahlin Koenig Friedrich Wilhelms III spaeter sogar Koenigin von Preußen; sehr beliebt bei der Bevoelkerung und weit über ihren Tod hinaus als weibliches Vorbild herausgestellt.
     Ihre Schwester Friederike Luise Karoline Sophie Charlotte Alexandrine war dem Vernehmen nach aehnlich bezaubernd, aber offenbar eine eher weniger angepaßte Persoenlichkeit.
     Ja -das paßt; da gibt's auch einen Bezug: Mein Vater war Potsdamer und ich bin eigentlich Berlinerin, kenne also einige Schauplaetze ihres Lebens. ZB das Schloß Charlottenburg oder die Pfaueninsel.
     Als Kind habe ich mich weniger für Puppen interessiert, ich war wohl mehr was man im englischen so huebsch als Tomboy bezeichnet. Den Beginn meiner Freude an Puppen markierte eine Fehlgeburt, weil ich mich kurz danach vor einem Schaufenster in eine Kaethe Kruse Puppe regelrecht verliebte. Diese krusesche Trost-Puppe hieß Finchen und hat hier inzwischen 2 Geschwister.
     Meine persoenliche Favoritin unter den Puppenmachern ist neben Heloïse aber die Schweizerin Sasha Morgenthaler, von deren ganz sachlichen Spielpuppen aus den Siebzigern ich immer wieder fasziniert bin.
     Ein Abstecher zu amerikanischen Puppenmachern fuehrte über Robert Tonner zu Helen Kish, deren zarte Gesichtchen ja hier ein Haupt-Thema sind.
     Ich freue mich sehr, daß jetzt zwei CoProduktionen von Moran/Kish meine Sammlung bereichern werden und wuensche Dir; dem Besucher dieser Seite aehnlich positive Erfahrungen . . .
         Anne aus Deutschland
         August 2011

Oh, cruel fate! Captured by Customs! A Ransom Demand!
My friend wrote to me on July 29th:
Oh no! Terrible news. The poor Princess Briony has fallen into the hands of the cruel Parcel Force Gang. I have received an enormous ransom demand! What to do? Send Chloe out into the streets to busk and hope the tourists will be generous? Or must some poor girl be sent into exile in another land to raise the cash? Already the fair Blade has departed for Cumbria to satisfy their insatiable desire for cash. Oh, cruel fate!

Heidi, Briony's sister, tells the girls about the ransom demanded for her sister by the Parcel Force Pirates.
"Fifty pounds! Un-flipping-believable!" Demelza spluttered.

My friend Jen wrote to me in July about her Kaye Wiggs doll Millie, whom Jen had named Briony, this time with better news . . .
Ransom paid, Briony has made it to Penzance! She is certainly made of very different metal to her sister Heidi (another doll by Kaye Wiggs). She is a tough little character, and the Parcel Force Pirate Gang was probably quite pleased to be rid of her. They have taught her one or two unfortunate expressions though, which have caused her sister acute embarrassment as she keeps on airing them. One is "I'll spit in yer eye!" and another sounds like "Swelpme!" which is undoubtedly very rude if one knew what it meant. She is very bright and her eyes gleam with mischief. What a character you have made her. Trouble wherever she goes!

Link here to a doll story, a housewarming for a fairy waif.