JAKDAWS ATTIC

A magical place where the imagination lives

 

I am an artist with a love of creating art dolls. I create mainly in 12th and 24th scale but this is just such a huge subject to explore, it always feels like I have begun a fantastic never ending journey. I create straight from the heart or what ever is floating around the ole grey cells at the time and am never quite sure what will appear but I do know one thing....its never dull back here:O) 

 have a wonderful family who never fail to inspire me and always support me no matter how weird my work gets:O) Much to say I have a taste for dark humour and the ever so slightly weirder side of life:O)  

I work mainly in 12th and 24th scale as said above but do 16th as well as much smaller and on the odd occasion...... larger.
I have an interest in how fashion evolved through History and why or whom influenced it. Much to say all my historic dolls are well researched to the point of trying to find actual patterns from the period i have chosen to execute.
 
But I will have to place hand on heart and admit that the more fantastical and magical side of things inspires me the most.
I began reading at a very early age and Enid Blytons story's are what began my love of fantasy with tales of the faraway tree and the wishing chair. I also remember My grandfather would also bring home books from his visits to America with tales of a headless horse man and a very strange cat in a hat:O)
 
My Artistic training started from a childhood trying to capture the images that captivated me from books. Junk and old boxes became castles, matchboxes became drawers and paper and mache could never dry quick enough to be painted:O)
 Today books still inspire me as do films, music and a never ending excitement in the exploring the boundaries of mixed media.  
 
I have had commissions from Africa, Australia and just about all over the world through out the years.
My work also includes paintings, pen and ink and even some tattoo designs along the way.
I have exhibited at Cambridge university and had work appear in magazines
 
I would like to thank everyone who has ever encouraged me to have faith in what I create, especially my family, Shelia Parmenter and senior school art teacher Ted Starking.