In this issue of The Black Doll-E-Zine, artist, Kanika, kindly shares her interesting doll-art profile with our readers.

Q.  When and what inspired you to begin making dolls?

Oddly enough, I never played with dolls as a child.  I believe it was because in the 1950s and 1960s there were hardly any Black dolls and I just could not warm up to cuddling a white doll.  After learning to sew in the 7^th grade (remember when schools used to offer home economics classes and girls could learn to cook and sew?), I started designing a line of “DeeDee” soft dolls.  They were amorphous/unstructured squeezable blobs made from colorful fabrics, big pretty eyes, ethnic hair, and long floppy arms and legs.  The one-of-a-kind dolls were sold to a variety of friends, family, and other people interested in unique dolls. 

I started making Black dolls and other female forms out of clay in the early 1990s.  I have an addiction for fabric and a love for African art and people; so I began draping my ceramic bodies with African fabric, then further adorned them with beads, shells and leather.  

Two of Kanika's earliest figurines

Q.   Are you self-taught, or have you received formal training in doll artistry?

In 1980, I took a wheel throwing pottery class at California State College at Sacramento, but I had no affinity for the wheel (meaning, I couldn’t make a round pot! smile) so I started making African-oriented masks out of slabs of clay instead.  In 1990, I took some sculpture classes from another college, but the instructor certainly frowned on my female forms.  I got my own kiln and began firing the clay dolls at my home studio.  From that point on, I was unstoppable!

Q.   What is your preferred medium and why was that medium chosen?

I am a tactile person, so clay is definitely the preferred medium for me.  It allows me to use all of my creativity to hand sculpt each body and give the sculpture a unique personality.  I can carve the clay, twist, and bend it into the desired shape.  It’s a stress reliever too!  Then after the piece is fired to about 1,860 degrees in a kiln and the brittle clay turns into a strong ceramic, the sculpture can be colored with many different types of glazes and fired again and again to get fabulous skin tones and effects. 

I like to imagine that my African ancestors are working through my fingers to create each one-of-a-kind piece.  It is so satisfying to see what little person “comes out of the fire.”

Q.    Do you work in other mediums?

Over the past forty years, I have done lots of sewing, crocheting, acrylic painting, macramé, friendly plastic, jewelry making, and collage.  Anything bright, colorful, and textural holds my interest.

Q.   Do you focus on one type of doll or do you create a variety of genders or age groups?

Most of my dolls have an African orientation and most of my creations are female forms of all ages.  I do make some male-female couples primarily for wedding gifts, but I prefer to celebrate the beauty of woman.  I have a line of Goddess sculptures, such as dolls, jewelry, candleholders, and breast cancer survivor art -- all to honor the feminine mystique.

Q.  If you focus on several types of dolls, which type do you prefer to make, i.e. male or female, young or old?

Most of my dolls have an African orientation and most of my creations are female forms of all ages.  I do make some male-female couples primarily for wedding gifts, but I prefer to celebrate the beauty of woman.  I have a line of Goddess sculptures, such as dolls, jewelry, candle holders, and breast cancer survivor art - all to honor the feminine mystique.

Q.  Elaborate on your first doll.  Do you still have it?  What was its name?  Were you pleased with its outcome?  If you sold it, for how much did it sell, and to whom did you sell it?

During one of my sculpture classes, my hands just started working up a 12-in abstract female form.  She had a silvery/bronze skin tone and was MAGNIFICENT!  She was definitely a gift from the ancestors.  She was a clay-only doll (meaning no fabric or beads).  My mother has my first clay doll and my sister has the second one. 

My sister sold my first batch of 9” ceramic-only dolls for $60 each in 1993 at a Tupperware party that she hosted; she brought me $180 from that party!  $180 was a lot of money, I thought; so I launched my Kanika African Sculptures business shortly thereafter. 

I did not name my dolls back then because I made so many of them (I just finished my 952^nd doll this month).  Most of my customers prefer to name the dolls themselves anyway. 

Q.  Describe your latest doll creation and the inspiration for creating it?

The latest dolls are actually fairly reminiscent of my first dolls (see picture below).  The inspiration is creating a dynamic figure that represents a simple but strong African esthetic.  Less fabric is used than before, with more emphasis on the sculptural form.

Three of Kanika's latest doll figurines

Q.  Before you begin making a doll, do you have an idea what the doll will look like or do your dolls create themselves?

The only thing I consider is the overall size of the piece, for that dictates how big a piece of clay I cut off the 25-pound block of clay.  The rest is up to the ancestors.  They work through my fingers and tell me how to sculpt the body, the head, the arms, etc.  I disengage my analytical brain and let the creative flow enter; so each sculptural treasure is a wonderful surprise to me.

I have made two-dimensional wall sculptures that are based on portraits, but not three-dimensional dolls.

Q.  Are your dolls made to look like people you know? 

Not the dolls, but some of my two-dimensional wall pieces and three-dimensional sculptures are made to represent specific people.

Q.     Does each doll have its own personality?

Definitely!  Most of my dolls appear to be self-confident and joyful with outstretched or upraised arms and heads tilted high, but some are shy, sad, angry, complacent, or reflective.  It is fascinating to see what type of person picks a certain personality-style of figurine.

Q.     How do you decide on the clothing and accessories for your dolls and do you make these?

I gather around several of the colored, fired ceramic bodies then choose one of the 12 large plastic containers full of different colored African fabrics.  I pass my hand over the contents of a fabric-filled box and imagine each piece draped over one of the bodies.  I select fabrics that would go best on a black body, brown body, tan body, crème body, or white body then cut the pieces.  After draping the stiffened fabrics over the bodies, I pull out shelves of jewelry pieces (loose beads and finished pieces from African traders), bags of leather pieces, and containers of shells.  Once again, I call upon the ancestors to help me choose just the right pieces.

Q.   Do you have your own personal style or trademark? If so, please elaborate.

My trademark is using African-oriented materials to enhance my hand-sculpted ceramic pieces.  Most of my sculptures are ethnic or tribal in nature.  They are sometimes abstracted and often unconventional.  Unique. 

Several  of Kanika's hand-sculptured, ceramic pieces

Q.  How do you decide what to name your dolls and do their names have meanings?

I rarely name the dolls, although my mom (a watercolorist) and I created a collectible set a while back where we named our pieces Uzuri (beautiful), Imani (faith), Sheba (Queen of Sheba), Nia (purpose), and Karamia (butterfly, luna, moon).

Q.  Do your dolls tell a story?  If so, would you share a brief one?

Through my dolls, I attempt to portray the beauty and elegance of traditionally-dressed African people.  I am constantly amazed at their ability to take several different and oftentimes non-matching swaths of fabrics, and twist and drape them in such interesting and intricate ways to make a dominant personal statement.  Their heads are held high and they further adorn themselves with fascinating jewelry pieces.  I try to give a cultural lesson to people when they look at my dolls.

Q.  Do you want collectors to gain a sense of realism through looking at your dolls or are your dolls caricatures?  What else do you desire for collectors to gain by owning your dolls?

All of my sculptures are more stylistic rather than totally representative.  My dolls are one-of-a-kind collectible pieces of art that are made using authentic materials.

Q.  Approximately how much time is required to make one of your dolls from start to finish?

Let’s see.  First, I must shape the clay, then let it dry several days.  It takes about five hours in the kiln to fire the sculpture and 12 hours to cool it down.  A color glaze is painted over the piece, then it is fired for another four hours or so.  After that cools down, I can drape the fabric, and then dry it an additional day.  Then I ornament it with jewelry, leather, hair and shells.  Pictures are taken.  It is documented for my taxes and then I add it to my website.  From start to finish, it’s probably a few weeks to complete one doll.

Q.  In a years’ time, approximately how many dolls do you create?

Since I’ve made 952 since 1993, that equals about 75 each year, in addition to the African masks, statues, wall pieces, and jewelry sculptures I create.

Q. What is the average cost of one of your dolls today?

The average cost is $75.  They range from about $30 to $250.

Q.  How are your dolls presented to the doll community -- through doll shows, the Internet, auctions, etc.?

Primarily, the dolls are sold at art shows throughout northern California, but I have sold several from my website, at Nordstrom, and at the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento, California.

Q.  If you have done doll shows, have you done any recently?  Do you have any planned for the future?

I haven’t done a doll show during the past five years.  My next art show is in a couple of weeks and I have four more throughout June 2006.  In August, I will show my three-dimensional works at a gallery.

Q.  Do you teach your doll art?

I have taught mask-making and jewelry-making classes, but not doll-making classes.

Q.     Do you have any tips for aspiring doll artists?

[I would advise aspiring doll artists to] make the type of doll that you love for that love will show through in the finished doll.

Q.     Please elaborate on your doll-art achievements, awards, or other credits. 

For my various sculptures, I have won several Best of Show, First Place, Awards of Excellence, and Awards of Merit in various art competitions and four years in the California State Fair.

Q.  What's next for you? Do you see yourself creating dolls long into the future?

I will continue creating dolls and other ceramic artwork.  They will get bigger and bigger each year and perhaps more abstract as the years go on.

Kanika's final comments:

I really appreciate the care that Debbie Garrett has taken in bringing The Black Doll-E-Zine to the world.  It is an exceptional effort to let us know that Black dolls do exist in the world.  I am honored to have been chosen as one of the featured artists for this e-zine.

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ENJOY  YOUR  BLESSINGS!
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