Can-Can Dancers at the Milwaukee Art Museum

If you live in the Milwaukee, WI area or are planning a trip there, make sure you visit the Milwaukee Art Museum (MAM.org).  Their latest installation, Posters of Paris: Toulouse-Lautrec and His Contemporaries will be available from June 1 to September 9, 2012.  As quoted from the website, the exhibit will include dazzling posters "that were the objects of intense fascination, even mania, and a new term was invented to describe it: affichomanie (poster mania). They were so popular that collectors stole them from billboards almost as soon as they were pasted up, bought posters from print dealers, and subscribed to portfolios that offered the most popular images of the day in reduced sizes for their collections or as home décor. Posters that found their way into private homes eventually entered the collections of museums all over the world."

Even in my own home I have collected a few French poster images.  Here are a few of my favorites.

Needless to say, I was honored and suuuper excited when MAM store buyer,  Brieanne Maldonado, contacted me with a request to create some custom pieces relating to the poster exhibit.  With Brieanne's approval and inspiration from the posters like the ones above I created these fun and unique Cancan dancer stick puppets, finger puppets and paper dolls.

Even more exciting, I have made a life-sized Cancan dress made of paper for display (and purchase) at the museum.  These projects were such a privilege to create and such fun to work on.  

More info. with pictures on my collaboration with the Milwaukee Art Museum Store will follow in another post....

Art Doll ~ Katrina

Katrina's favorite times are at family get together's.  All day long, the adults barbecue and play cards while she and her cousins chase the dog, jump rope and draw giant hopscotch squares on the sidewalk.  The girls take turns wearing a Princess hat while they sit on their (lawn chair) throne inside their cardboard castle. Katrina likes this game because whoever has the hat, gets to tell everyone else what to do.  Katrina likes telling her cousins to quack like a duck or to hop around on one foot.  When the moon comes up and the crickets start singing, Katrina and her family end the day by seeing who can catch the most lighting bugs.

Katrina wears a purple party dress with purple and white check details.  She has painted on socks and black Mary Jane shoes.  Her hair is braided in two just the way she likes it with pretty white ribbons. Katrina and her clothes are made of paper. She stands about 6 1/2" tall and her castle is about 8" tall. She can be posed sitting or standing with assistance of an included doll stand (not shown).

Available for sale in Summer 2012.

Loving this paper store!

I am sooo loving this online paper shop and blog I just came across, Upon a Fold.  It has dozens of creative paper gifts and collectibles and at such affordable prices! I want to own every single item!  Their blog is equally amazing with such a diverse selection of paper artists.

Here are a few of my favorite pieces:  A Chocolate Bar card made by Naoko Miyoda, Birds Card made by Ayame Kikuchi and Paper Grand Piano by Handson.