One Little Maid

11"x 14"

Watercolor on paper

I was thinking recently about why I make these paper dolls, and whether I have actually shared the reasons behind them before. They aren't simply to play dress up (although that is a big factor in it.) For a number of years, I have had a fascination with clothes and how they transform you.

Back when I was in grad school, I remember waking up everyday and deciding what to wear based on how I wanted people to perceive me on that particular day. If I was headed to my internship, I would pull out my "therapist clothes." (My masters is in Art Therapy, FYI.) If I had to go to class, I had my "student clothes."

Even today, on any given day I have my "artist", "teacher", or "swing dancer" clothes. The point is, in each of these roles, I want to be perceived differently (maybe as an authority figure, quirky person, vintage fashionista), and so my clothes for each place are different.

The idea of a paper doll seemed to fit this whole concept perfectly. You have a blank paper doll girl. You know nothing about her, in fact she has no personality, until you give her some clothes to wear. In an instant she is changed into anything imaginable. She can be from any era or fill any role. 

This most recent set of paper doll clothes have all been drawn to fit the same figure, but I have tried to make them as different as possible so that her personality changes are as dramatic as possible.

What other roles do you see this paper doll girl filling?

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