Pamela Hastings - Port Angeles, Washington
I have always made art and read and written, I loved the stories in my psychiatrist father’s books on art made by the mentally ill. When I lived in VT in the Seventies I got the idea of painting on muslin to make lots of colors without too much work, and that evolved into my own interpretation of soft sculpture that I sold at craft fairs.
I made my first doll from a kit when I was five and took up Edith Flack Ackley costume dolls at 13, having collected steno books full of costume sketches. The first book I saved up to buy for myself was a costume book when I was in grade school. Seeing Lenore Davis’ Soft Sculptures in the late Sixties gave me permission to make non-traditional dolls in addition to the dolls for kids that I made and sold at craft fairs. I always made dolls.
Fabric Journal
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4-Legged Woman, 5-Legged Man 1970’s
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Re-emerging
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I started going to We Folk of Cloth in its first year and taught my first class there, leading to more teaching all over the US and into Canada. I published my first book, printed on my home printer in an addition of 30 copies in 2001. Looking at my own fiber and art work and seeing how it had helped me deal with major life traumas, I made the jump to writing and teaching about the process of Transformative doll making. Much of my health care (OT) job was about counseling and helping others work through to who they wanted to be. It seemed a natural progression to research and write a book about Doll Making as a Transformative Process, published in a perfect-bound edition of 1000 in 2004, with the help of a local printer and his daughter who held my hand through the steps of book publication.
Doll Making as a Transformative Process was an idea whose time had come. I met Barb Kobe and other friends through doing the research. I’ve taught the concept as a class in person and online to students all over the world. I understand that several Art Therapy programs are using my books as a resource. I followed my instincts to write about what felt true to me.
With Barb’s encouragement and marketing assistance I am making an ebook version of a combination of the printed book and my classes, plus some additional insights that I’ve gained over the years of working with this idea. The eBook format allows me to include most photos in color and write in my own intuitive style. The book will be about 140 pages and will be complete in the summer of 2015. I am celebrating my 10th year of living in the Northwest, after spending most of my life in New England and New York. Also celebrating having been able to retire from my (money-making) health care career at the end of 2013.I have been an artist and a writer since I was 5 and my mother took dictation for my Princess Stories.
Doll Making as a Transformative Process was an idea whose time had come. I met Barb Kobe and other friends through doing the research. I’ve taught the concept as a class in person and online to students all over the world. I understand that several Art Therapy programs are using my books as a resource. I followed my instincts to write about what felt true to me.
With Barb’s encouragement and marketing assistance I am making an ebook version of a combination of the printed book and my classes, plus some additional insights that I’ve gained over the years of working with this idea. The eBook format allows me to include most photos in color and write in my own intuitive style. The book will be about 140 pages and will be complete in the summer of 2015. I am celebrating my 10th year of living in the Northwest, after spending most of my life in New England and New York. Also celebrating having been able to retire from my (money-making) health care career at the end of 2013.I have been an artist and a writer since I was 5 and my mother took dictation for my Princess Stories.
Follow my life and work, get free patterns,
tips on life and doll making, new episodes of Graphic Grannies.
https://www.pamelahastings.com/ Personal and family events and general life philosophy, art news, work in progress
http://hotflashwomen.blogspot.com/ Graphic Grannies, patterns, posts specifically geared toward women, aging, and creativity
https//www.facebook.com/pamela.hastings regular FB page, more personal, some art, food
https://www.facebook.com/groups/HotFlashRenaissance/ geared toward women, round robin projects, doll making, creativity, my art page, painting, sculpture, essays on creativity.
tips on life and doll making, new episodes of Graphic Grannies.
https://www.pamelahastings.com/ Personal and family events and general life philosophy, art news, work in progress
http://hotflashwomen.blogspot.com/ Graphic Grannies, patterns, posts specifically geared toward women, aging, and creativity
https//www.facebook.com/pamela.hastings regular FB page, more personal, some art, food
https://www.facebook.com/groups/HotFlashRenaissance/ geared toward women, round robin projects, doll making, creativity, my art page, painting, sculpture, essays on creativity.
