From the heart ...
My name is Liz Pearce.
I LOVE to make dolls. As a child, I made Humpty Dumptys, filled with chunks of foam rubber, which my Dad sold to his friends. Later, I made a topsy-turvy doll for my daughter. Cinderella in her rags, and when she was tipped upside-down, there she was in all her finery. I knitted a very large doll for her as I sat beside her very sick baby brother in hospital. And that was it ... for ages.
Then I happened upon elinor peace bailey's book, "Mother Plays With Dolls" and Pamela Hasting's, "Dollmaking as a Transformative Process". My life changed. I had found a vehicle for my creative energy and my desire to journal in an intuitive, non-verbal way.
Whenever I have to ponder upon an issue, or wrestle with a problem, or ward off the Black Dog of depression, I make dolls (although sometimes other textile manipulations sneak in!). I can dialogue with them, sit with them, allow them to accompany and companion me. I am truly blessed.
My dolls have made appearances at:
"Carnivale", a group exhibition at the Rotorua Arts Village;
"D-Dolls", an exhibition of art dolls to raise awareness about Dyslexia;
the local Creative Fibre exhibition at the Rotorua Arts Village;
"In The Pink" exhibitions in 2007 and 2010 in empty shops to raise awareness about breast cancer;
"Art in the Park" in 2011 and 2012, held in the Government gardens in Rotorua on the second Sunday of February each year;
the Hot Lakes Craft Market, held on the second Sunday of each month at the Rotorua Arts Village;
two solo exhibitions at Essence Cafe, Ngongotaha, which supports local artists, artisans and craftspeople by showing their work and allowing commission-free sales.
And now, here they are in cyber-space!
I also love to write. Not often. I have had several articles published in the 'Marist Messenger', a Catholic monthly. In September, 2011, I won an Australasian Catholic Press Award for the Best Devotional Article Applying Faith to Life. It was awarded for the 'Christchurch Stations of the Cross', written as a prayer response to the devastating earthquake of 22nd February, 2011. I am very humbled that my prayer can also be the prayer of others.
I co-authored an article on the 2010 'In The Pink' exhibition with Diane Toulmin. This was published in the annual Pink magazine, published each October by Annah Stratton.
My enchanting daughter, Julie Buttons Voss, is my muse, my No.1 encourager, my biggest fan. Daily, I am inspired and empowered by her energy, her zest for life, her curiosity, her artistic talent and her love of people. My doll-making and my venture into cyberspace would not have happened without her. Arohanui, Julie.
I am beautifully and wonderfully supported by my extended whanau; the members of my meditation group, and the generous, loving and endlessly encouraging arts and crafts communities here in Rotorua.
I am creative. Some suggest I am an artist. Slowly, I am beginning to believe it:-)
I LOVE to make dolls. As a child, I made Humpty Dumptys, filled with chunks of foam rubber, which my Dad sold to his friends. Later, I made a topsy-turvy doll for my daughter. Cinderella in her rags, and when she was tipped upside-down, there she was in all her finery. I knitted a very large doll for her as I sat beside her very sick baby brother in hospital. And that was it ... for ages.
Then I happened upon elinor peace bailey's book, "Mother Plays With Dolls" and Pamela Hasting's, "Dollmaking as a Transformative Process". My life changed. I had found a vehicle for my creative energy and my desire to journal in an intuitive, non-verbal way.
Whenever I have to ponder upon an issue, or wrestle with a problem, or ward off the Black Dog of depression, I make dolls (although sometimes other textile manipulations sneak in!). I can dialogue with them, sit with them, allow them to accompany and companion me. I am truly blessed.
My dolls have made appearances at:
"Carnivale", a group exhibition at the Rotorua Arts Village;
"D-Dolls", an exhibition of art dolls to raise awareness about Dyslexia;
the local Creative Fibre exhibition at the Rotorua Arts Village;
"In The Pink" exhibitions in 2007 and 2010 in empty shops to raise awareness about breast cancer;
"Art in the Park" in 2011 and 2012, held in the Government gardens in Rotorua on the second Sunday of February each year;
the Hot Lakes Craft Market, held on the second Sunday of each month at the Rotorua Arts Village;
two solo exhibitions at Essence Cafe, Ngongotaha, which supports local artists, artisans and craftspeople by showing their work and allowing commission-free sales.
And now, here they are in cyber-space!
I also love to write. Not often. I have had several articles published in the 'Marist Messenger', a Catholic monthly. In September, 2011, I won an Australasian Catholic Press Award for the Best Devotional Article Applying Faith to Life. It was awarded for the 'Christchurch Stations of the Cross', written as a prayer response to the devastating earthquake of 22nd February, 2011. I am very humbled that my prayer can also be the prayer of others.
I co-authored an article on the 2010 'In The Pink' exhibition with Diane Toulmin. This was published in the annual Pink magazine, published each October by Annah Stratton.
My enchanting daughter, Julie Buttons Voss, is my muse, my No.1 encourager, my biggest fan. Daily, I am inspired and empowered by her energy, her zest for life, her curiosity, her artistic talent and her love of people. My doll-making and my venture into cyberspace would not have happened without her. Arohanui, Julie.
I am beautifully and wonderfully supported by my extended whanau; the members of my meditation group, and the generous, loving and endlessly encouraging arts and crafts communities here in Rotorua.
I am creative. Some suggest I am an artist. Slowly, I am beginning to believe it:-)
