| OOAK ARTIST PROFILE Maria Magher Dolls by Maria by Hollis Kerfoot |
| Pop culture provides the ideas, but Maria Magher provides the talent to turn dolls into one-of-a-kind creations. |
"I love popular culture - movies, comics,
literature, music and fashion - and i draw
allof my inspiration for those interests,"
Magher said in an e-mail interview. "I
mainly make over celebrity dolls and
characters, but even my original dols are
inspired by classic fashions and culture."
The influences of art, mythology, movies
and television are obvious when looking
at her website, www.dollsbymaria.com
There you wil find Shania Twain,
dressed for her music video "That Don't
Impress Me Much," Rafiki, a character
from the Braodway Play"The Lion
King," Julie Newmar as Cat Woman
from the 1960s TV show "Batman," and
Tom Cruise i "The Last Samurai,"
among many others.
literature, music and fashion - and i draw
allof my inspiration for those interests,"
Magher said in an e-mail interview. "I
mainly make over celebrity dolls and
characters, but even my original dols are
inspired by classic fashions and culture."
The influences of art, mythology, movies
and television are obvious when looking
at her website, www.dollsbymaria.com
There you wil find Shania Twain,
dressed for her music video "That Don't
Impress Me Much," Rafiki, a character
from the Braodway Play"The Lion
King," Julie Newmar as Cat Woman
from the 1960s TV show "Batman," and
Tom Cruise i "The Last Samurai,"
among many others.
| Magher first tried her hand at doll makeovers in 2001. "Like a lot of other artists, I learned of one-of-a-kind dolls through eBay," she said. "As a doll collector, I would often scroll through listings loking for bargains, I started noticing OOAK listings and was very intrigued... I knew I had to ty it myself." |
Her first doll was Christina
Aguilera from the "Moulin Rouge"
video, she said. The first one she
sold, about two months after she
started doing OOAKs, was
Madonna from the MTV Awards
"Vogue" performance. It was her
third makeover.
Almost al of the dolls she has
created since then are full
makeovers - reapinted face,
rerooted or restyled hair and
costume. "I usually make my
outfits non-removable to ensure
that they stay OOAK, but I've
been making removable costumes
lately to give collectors more
versatility with the dolls," she said.
Aguilera from the "Moulin Rouge"
video, she said. The first one she
sold, about two months after she
started doing OOAKs, was
Madonna from the MTV Awards
"Vogue" performance. It was her
third makeover.
Almost al of the dolls she has
created since then are full
makeovers - reapinted face,
rerooted or restyled hair and
costume. "I usually make my
outfits non-removable to ensure
that they stay OOAK, but I've
been making removable costumes
lately to give collectors more
versatility with the dolls," she said.
Maria loves to work with the
larger fashion dolls, particularly
Tyler, Sydney and Matt. "I
really like Tonner dolls," she
added, "but I think that Gene
offers a really nice canvas to
work with. but gene's body is
so stiff that it's much better to
work with a Tonner dol to
achieve the whole 'look'. I
really love working with matt,
since his face is very versatile.
He can take on any umber of
looks, from rugged to refined to
smoldering."
larger fashion dolls, particularly
Tyler, Sydney and Matt. "I
really like Tonner dolls," she
added, "but I think that Gene
offers a really nice canvas to
work with. but gene's body is
so stiff that it's much better to
work with a Tonner dol to
achieve the whole 'look'. I
really love working with matt,
since his face is very versatile.
He can take on any umber of
looks, from rugged to refined to
smoldering."
Dolls with more defined
features, such as Sydney or
Suzette and Brenda Starr, are
more challenging to make over,
Magher said. "For example,
you can almost always spot a
Brenda Starr, no matter who
repainted her or how. Brenda
always looks like Brenda."
features, such as Sydney or
Suzette and Brenda Starr, are
more challenging to make over,
Magher said. "For example,
you can almost always spot a
Brenda Starr, no matter who
repainted her or how. Brenda
always looks like Brenda."
| Magher is a self trained artist who always liked to draw and paint as a child. She also learned a lot of crafts at a young age, she added, including knitting, sewing and needlepoint, which her great-grandmother taught her. She can also rely on her husband, who has studied art and worked as a professional artist, for advice and guidance, and she said, "he's even talked about doing some doll designs for me!" |
| Other artists have begun to notice her work. "I was fortunate to win three awards at IFDC 2005," she said: a third place in the Moulin Rouge/Decadence category for "Diamonds" Satine and two honorable mentions for "Come What may" Satine and her Sapphire Nights showgirl. Her work also has been featured in a local newspaper. |
Creating OOAKs is jus a hobby
- Magher works as a news copy
editor for a newspaper in North
Carolina - but she said it might
as wellbe a full-time job because
she works on dolls every free
minute she's at home, and she
will take small projects with her
to do during lunch breaks and
other down times. She
estimates that she puts about 60
hours a week into her projects.
- Magher works as a news copy
editor for a newspaper in North
Carolina - but she said it might
as wellbe a full-time job because
she works on dolls every free
minute she's at home, and she
will take small projects with her
to do during lunch breaks and
other down times. She
estimates that she puts about 60
hours a week into her projects.
"I love watching movies and
whenever i see a cotume that I
like, or a hairstyle, or a prop, I
think about how I could make it
for a dol. I can't watch
television, or a movie or a play
without thinking about how to
make a doll inspired by it."
Maria likes to keep busy, so she
often has dolls for sale. Some
go on ebay, but most are
commissioned work. her
website is
www.dollsbymaria.com, and
she can be reached by e-mail at
mariabeaudoin@nc.rr.com.
She also has a Yahoo Group to
let members be the first to know
when she has dolls available -
Yahoo Group
whenever i see a cotume that I
like, or a hairstyle, or a prop, I
think about how I could make it
for a dol. I can't watch
television, or a movie or a play
without thinking about how to
make a doll inspired by it."
Maria likes to keep busy, so she
often has dolls for sale. Some
go on ebay, but most are
commissioned work. her
website is
www.dollsbymaria.com, and
she can be reached by e-mail at
mariabeaudoin@nc.rr.com.
She also has a Yahoo Group to
let members be the first to know
when she has dolls available -
Yahoo Group
