Arts IN Focus on PBS Fort Wayne is funded in part by the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne Coming up, we'll talk with mixed media artist Gina Wolfrum and sculptor and dollmaker Doris Moyers-Hornbogen.

It's all next on Arts IN Focus.

Welcome to Arts IN Focus.

I'm Emilie Henry.

Gina Wolfrum is a mixed media artist whose passion is creating nature inspired paintings that combine color and texture in unconventional ways.

Working out of her studio in rural Defiance County, Ohio, Gina creates using several mediums, including different acrylic paints, alcohol inks and glazes.

She also adds gemstones, crushed glass, mica and crystals to her paintings, creating a unique three dimensional quality to her work Gina, I am so excited to be in your studio today.

It's gorgeous.

I'm surrounded by your art.

I want to dive into your process and all the details, but let's start at the beginning.

When did you sort of start to identify as an artist?

I think as a child I thought I was an artist.

It kind of started when I was young and trying like a lot of kids to take piano lessons.

Only I was terrible.

And when I told my piano teacher that I wanted to quit to become an artist and take art private art lessons, yeah, she was like, okay.

She didn't argue.

Yeah, she didn't argue.

So I studied in a private studio for about five or six years.

I am a daughter of practical Midwestern farmers and my parents said, You know, artists are starving.

Yeah, you need a real job.

Yeah.

So I have a bachelor's degree in business management.

I worked in a bank for about 15 years in a corporate capacity.

Yeah, you mentioned that, you know, as a kid, you you took classes for several years.

But how do you then bring that into adulthood and sort of learn what you need to know in terms of I mean, I'm looking at these incredible pieces and I'm thinking, wow, how do you learn to do that?

Well, you know, some of it is experimentation.

It's, you know, working with different mediums and really allowing yourself to just play sometimes.

Yeah.

Sometimes it's just, you know, thinking, what else could I do to this?

Adding to it, the texture and the stones came for me.

I think water sparkles and you'll see a lot of these paintings have water in them.

Yes.

And the sparkle comes from when I was a kid.

I almost drowned.

Oh, my gosh.

And underwater I was, you know, struggling to get to the surface.

And I could see the sun sparkling in the water above me as I was trying to get to the surface.

So even today when I see water, I see the sparkle.

So you'll see a lot of water that has some sparkle on it.

And at first, you know, one of the the landscapes I was working on, it was actually a seascape in the foreground.

It was, you know, the sand and some rocks.

And so I used some crushed mother of pearl.

And I was like, oh, you know, just really added a nice little touch and some sparkle.

Yeah.

And it kind of grew from there.

And once we were on vacation in the Southwest and we went to a rock shop and I was just it was like a candy store, I'm thinking, what if?

And, you know, sometimes it's just that that freedom to play with with materials.

Yes.

When did you start thinking, okay, I want to do this full time?

Was it five years ago or that did were you ruminating on that for a while?

I think I always wanted to do the the the artwork in my studio for a long, long time.

And some of the paintings here, the older ones, they have dates on that are like 1976.

I was teenager when I was painting, so for some reason I kept those I think I was I was always going to get back into it.

That's amazing that you kind of always knew.

Tell me how you describe yourself as an artist.

Like, what is your esthetic?

I would say I'm a mixed media artist.

I primarily work with acrylics.

I embellish my paintings with semi-precious stones, glass, mica for sparkle.

And my thought or my intent is to draw the viewer in for maybe a closer look at the layers and the textures and that, you know, when they do that, they'll kind of change your position because the painting changes as as you change your position as in life.

Because when we look at our life circumstances in different angles, we see different layers and different textures.

And so if anything, that's what I'm hoping my work does, is helps prompt someone to maybe question their own realities.

Wow.

Does it feel like a big responsibility to make a painting say so much?

Yes and no, because everyone has their own take on what a painting means to them.

Sure.

And what it means to me might be different than someone else.

I was in a show and someone had to have a painting and it was a childhood memory of theirs.

But it wasn't the same thing for me.

But that's how art is.

It just it speaks to the viewer.

Yeah.

I want to talk a little bit about the logistics of adding the texture and the gemstones to your work.

I was, as you mentioned, it draws you in.

So I kept getting closer to these pieces and I'm thinking, how how do you get them to stick?

What do you put over the is it resin?

What do you, tell me, tell me all your secrets.

There are a number of different adhesives that I'll use, and I'm not always using the same one.

It really depends upon the painting or what I want that end result to be.

I use the two part resin.

When I want the water to look wet and I want the stones to look like maybe they're underwater and then other times I'm using like a 6000.

That's a real strong glue.

Yeah, I've even used gorilla glue.

The nice thing about gorilla glue, it expands as it's curing.

Yeah, and I would push more rocks and gems into that.

So it became part of the texture and part of the background.

Oh, cool.

Okay, Now, when you go to start a painting, what does that look like?

Are you working from a photo?

Are you working from memory?

Do you know how you want the painting to end up at the beginning, or does that change it really depends on the painting.

The painting behind you started out.

I just wanted to do a really soft, fluffy sky and I was just going to have some marshland in front of it.

And as I painted, childhood memories came flooding back and it's like there should be some cows.

So we've got black Angus steers.

The family farm was red or barn was red, the silo.

So if you've got, you know, the cattle and a barn, you're going to need a a barbed wire fence.

And usually those are broken down.

So I've got a broken down fence and there's morning glory climbing on it.

And that just totally grew and developed as I painted, Wow.

Sometimes I'll use a photo, sometimes, you know, someone will commission me for a favorite vacation spot or a painting of something.

So yeah, I'm using a photo and just really depends on what I'm trying to accomplish.

How do you discern what type of painting you are going to do if it's just for you?

It's not commission work.

What makes you decide between a landscape or something more abstract?

Is it just sort of a matter of mood?

Can you look at your paintings and go, Oh, I can tell what mood I was in that day.

Sometimes I'll look at my stones and I'll think, What can I paint to use these stones?

Sure.

So sometimes the rocks are the inspiration.

Other times they'll be a season or a setting or something that it's like, Oh, I've got to paint that.

Yeah.

And then I'll figure out what gemstones I use that go with that painting.

And what is most inspiring to you?

What what makes you want to get into the studio and, and get to work?

Im an outside nature lover.

So if it's I have bird feeders, I have flowerbeds.

You know, we're out in the country.

It could just be a walk out back.

But truly, it's nature.

Yeah, Nature's what inspires me.

Yeah, I can see that.

And it's so it's clear that you spend time in nature because you can see it with all of your colors.

They look so accurate.

Do you ever start a piece and it doesn't feel accurate or it doesn't.

It's just not going the way you want it to.

And what happens then?

I paint over it.

And that's what you're allowed to do if you don't like how something's going to start over.

Yeah.

I mean, there's no harm in that.

I'm not afraid to either pitch or start over one of my paintings, and I don't have it here.

It's called Letting Go.

It's a picture of fall, and it's a reminder that letting go can be a beautiful thing when the trees are dropping their leaves.

It's a beautiful thing.

Let go.

So if something's not working out, go on to the next thing.

Oh, I love that.

What is the hardest part of creating for you?

Sometimes letting go part of your soul is in those paintings.

Yeah, and I love that someone else appreciates it and wants it for their home.

But then sometimes it's like, you know, it left a big hole in my studio or what have you.

Yeah.

And in your heart, I would imagine, because so much of you is is in it.

What have you learned about yourself through art?

I think it has a lot to do with perspective.

You know, I talked about, you know, looking at things from different angles, from the difference in perspective.

And I think I try to do that in life.

There's so many social issues out there right now and if everyone could just step back and maybe look at it from somebody else's point of view, I think things might be a little different.

Wow.

Okay.

I'll wrap up with this.

What is the best part of putting your art into the world?

You mentioned that sometimes it's hard to let go.

So what what is the joy you can find in that?

I think it when people see something and they find joy in it.

And if I can share that with other people and and they get excited about a piece and, you know, want to buy it or have it in their home, that's exciting to me, too.

Yes.

I can't I keep thinking I can't wait to get home to my mom who's watching my son and tell her, oh, you have to get on the website.

You have to look at Gina's work.

It's incredible.

I want to share, you know, tell everybody I know, because it really is just incredible.

So I am thrilled that I got to spend time with you today.

Thank you for inviting me.

And please, please keep working because the world needs more of your beauty.

Oh thank you so much.

Been a joy having you here.

for more information, visit Gina Wolfram dot com.

I'm joined now by sculptor and dollmaker Doris Moyers-Hornbogen.

Doris, I thought I had talked to every different kind of artist.

And then I met you.

You are a dollmaker, but we're not talking about toys.

No, these dolls are incredible.

I have to go back to the beginning.

When did you start sculpting?

Actually, I started sculpting in 2018.

Yes.

That's like yesterday.

Yeah.

I haven't done that very long.

I started actually making dolls, painting them in 2017, and then I just really enjoyed it.

And I wanted to experiment, you know, making my own dolls.

And and I have done a portraiture and that sort of thing in the past, not as as a profession or anything, but just I've always had interest in portraits.

Yeah.

And so and my husband knew that, obviously.

And so that's when he said every time I bought a new doll, he said, You can do this much better.

And I didn't believe it.

And then I just for Christmas one year, I just bought one of the kits that are out there that you can paint yourself and assemble.

And I invested about $240 in everything in the paints and the oven that you need.

And the kit And I just posted on Facebook my very first doll just to show it off.

And somebody said they wanted it.

And I didn't know that that was really, you know, this easy.

Yeah.

And so I sold my first doll for $150.

And then I took that and I bought another kit and I sold that one for like 250 and I just I kept going.

And then people were just requesting me to make their dolls.

And so from one thing led to the other.

And I started making Eyes for Dolls and that sort of thing.

I learned how to root, how to insert hair into the heads and stuff.

And I just wanted to learn, you know, more and more.

And I just really got involved and I realized I could make more money doing this than going to a job.

Yeah.

So I.

But let's talk about the kits for a second, because the kits are just different body parts, essentially.

That one receives and can paint themselves and create their own doll.

Right.

So now what you are doing is creating your own kits by sculpting like custom.

Yes.

Faces and and shapes.

And Doris they blow my mind.

I saw I mean, I was doing the research last night and I looked at all the photos and watched your videos.

And they are so amazing in the photos.

But seeing them here in person, they look incredible.

So tell me about how you make a mold.

How how do you where do you begin?

Well, first you have to start with the sculpt.

And that's just a piece of clay.

And then you form, you make it into a form.

And it kind of depends on what it is that I want to do.

Because there are two types of of kits vinyl kits, the plastic pieces, and that just a head, arms and legs and a cloth body that you fill.

And then you weigh everything you know to make it to make it heavy as a baby.

Yeah.

And then there are silicone kits and those come in one piece.

So I don't sculpt just like a head by itself or the limbs by itself.

But I actually sculpt then as a full body.

An entire baby.

Yes.

Okay.

Here's another part that blows my mind.

You do commission work.

So often people will send you a photo and say, make this baby.

Don't just make a baby, but make a baby that looks like this.

Yes.

This is an example.

This is a commission that you did that that is a she's now an adult.

But.

Yes, but this was a baby.

Yeah.

So it's it's actually a good challenge.

And sometimes that makes it easier just because you get a ton of different pictures from the different angles and that sort of thing.

However, this baby, I only had two pictures to go off of and so she actually looks like this.

Now, this is one of the silicone.

This is a silicone baby.

Yeah.

So it's it's actually it's flexible and movable.

She's a sleeping Emily.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Which is wild we talked about that before we started shooting this.

Yes.

And she comes as a as one piece.

So there is no this is all connected.

Yeah.

So there are different processes for this and different clays that I use also.

And then it gets cast the mold gets made, the clay gets a get silicone put around it.

So it's kind of like you have to make a negative so that the clay piece is a positive and then you like cocoon it basically.

Yes, in different layers.

Okay.

Okay.

And so they kind of adhere to each other that gets then taken off and the clay sculpt gets ruined most of the time that that's the end of that clay sculpt.

And then but you have the mold, right?

And into the mold then that mold gets prepared because then the mold is silicone.

And you also cast silicone in.

And so there has to be a preparation so it doesn't stick to each other because you have to pull out the the silicone doll.

The silicone kit, the blank kit.

Sure.

Out of that, theres curing time involved the silicone is liquid.

And it shapes.

May I?

Absolutely.

It shapes to the form.

Oh, Emily and Emilie.

Emily and Emilie though, I'm sorry I got distracted because she's just.

But a mold can probably produce maybe 10 to 30 or so kits that can then be sold to other artists who want to create their own.

And there's all kinds of different versions.

So ethnic babies of all kinds of different, you know, skin tones and variants are just whatever.

A lot of times collectors will commission an artist to paint a certain baby in their image and what they want so that a lot of times the artist or the collector will contact me and say, I would like to have this kit.

I get the kit prepared and ship it out to either the artist or the collector.

Now, this particular doll right here I made from start to finish so the mom, what we call them, right.

So she she's actually buying it directly from me.

That's why she is painted here.

Yes.

And the the coloring, I was saying anyone who who has held a newborn baby, the coloring is so spot on.

A lot of it has to do with the base color of the kit.

The silicone that gets poured into the mold is pigmented.

Silicone comes in as transparent.

And so it's you know, its see through.

Yeah.

We actually put color into that to make it to give it a base color underneath.

So you mix that color?

Yes.

Okay And I have a special recipe that I use to get it as close as possible to just, just a natural undertone.

Yeah.

And then a lot of highlights, a lot of details get added like nails and that sort of thing.

Yes the nails.

So, yes, also, you know, like the mouth and stuff, everything has to be opened and yeah, so.

Oh my gosh.

Okay.

How did you learn how to do all of this?

I mean, when your husband said you could do this better, do you just start Googling?

I mean, I wouldn't know where to begin.

So I actually took a class with a Karen Taylor.

She does all the forensic reconstruction in Texas.

So I went down there to do facial reconstruction and she did a special child that I that I was able to do normally she does adults.

And so I went over that and, you know, just the depth, you know, that sort of thing.

How the skull I do a lot of I purchased resin skulls from other artists who focus on resin casting and stuff to to see the replacement.

I study a lot I do it my free time.

When I first started, I would arrange my my work that I would work as a social worker for four days, ten hour days.

And then I would just dedicate Friday, Saturday, Sunday and just do nothing but that work on this until that increased, and my social work job decreased, but I just continuously learn.

Even now I actually take an online sculpting class.

Now, so I constantly learn and just try to, I get bored easily.

And so, you know, I try to look at how can I make this transition nicer, you know, like the shoulder blades or the or the hips or different kinds of wrinkles, different, different, you know, hands and that sort of thing.

You have on your website a picture of an ear.

Yeah.

And which was so fascinating to me to see because I thought, Man.

I love ears.

I mean, who who looks at an ear and thinks, Oh, yeah, okay, I can do that.

And, clearly, you I just love that.

I'm really fascinated by ears.

I don't know what it is, but it's just there's so many subtle, you know, changes and stuff, transitions from one area to another and so many different shapes.

And also what I find really intriguing is how much babies change because you have like certain ways, like within the first two weeks, things kind of start unfolding and like ears actually tend to change shapes a lot.

Within the first two weeks and the swelling kind of goes down, you know, So the babies will look a lot different in the beginning, and then they will after two weeks and then again after a month when they start gaining fat.

So then the fat starts building in certain spots.

So so that kind of stuff was really intriguing to me.

I can tell like you love it because this has to be such a labor of love.

And and as you were saying, you brought examples of your work.

All of them are sold.

Yeah, because you it takes a while to to make one of these beautiful babies.

You know, everybody's working on a time frame.

So I work with artists around the world and doll dealerships.

So so when they, they commission a piece, but they're also dealing with their time frames.

So clients want their baby by Christmas or, you know, that sort of thing.

We actually produced a baby for a movie.

It's called Abandoned.

And that was about 19 days from from start to finish.

And so sculpting everything, it was it was pretty much, you know, working around the clock and really timing how long it would take to put the hair in.

We gave it three days because it was a portrait baby as well.

The producer used his daughter for the I think it was the producer, producer's daughter for the film.

And so it had to look kind of like her.

Yeah.

Yes.

Wow.

Yeah, it was that was really incredible.

Again, I talk to artists all the time it's my job and everyone puts their heart into their work.

But I mean, you put heart, body, mind soul, all of it into these dolls.

Doris, I could talk to you all day because there are just so many questions and it's fascinating and and really beautiful.

I didn't realize that I would be so taken with with the actual product.

I don't even want to say product.

because its so, with the actual baby.

Wow.

well, it is an incredible art form.

You are incredibly talented.

So thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me today.

And please keep making these beautiful, beautiful works of art.

Thanks for having me.

For more information, visit D M Dash H Studio dot com Our thanks to Gina Wolfrum and Doris Moyers-Hornbogen.

Be sure to join us next week for Arts IN Focus.

You can catch this and other episodes at PBS Fort Wayne dot org or through our app, and be sure to check out our YouTube channel.

Thank you for watching.

And in the meantime, enjoy something beautiful.

I'm enamored with Emily.

Yeah, she is really special, quite honestly.

Yeah.

The nails, you guys.

Actually, freeze right there.

Hold up one of the hands.

First you mentioned the nails.

And just as we're getting the shot that you.

Oh, sorry.

You still rolling?

Yeah still rolling.

Let me get a close up here.

Arts IN Focus on PBS Fort Wayne is funded in part by the Community foundation of Greater Fort Wayne